Sheryl Swoopes and Nancy Lieberman Intensify Conflict with Caitlin Clark

The rift in the friendship of two legendary basketball players may prove irreparable in light of comments from Nancy Lieberman and Sheryl Swoopes over the past 24 hours.

Diverging opinions on the impact current star Caitlin Clark has on the game has divided the Hall of Fame members, with Lieberman saying the two are no longer in touch.

“My life is going to be good whether it’s with Sheryl Swoopes or not,” Lieberman said Monday in an appearance on ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith’s podcast.

Later that evening, Swoopes wrote on social media, “my life is good without you (and him) too.”

As Lieberman told Smith, the misunderstanding stems from comments Swoopes made in February on former NBA star Gilbert Arenas’ podcast, in which she downplayed the fact that Clark had broken the NCAA scoring record.

Swoopes incorrectly stated that Clark took advantage of an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID pandemic when she passed Kelsey Plum as the all-time leader in Division I women’s scoring. Lieberman said she called Swoopes as a friend to inform her of the error.

“Well, she got mad at me on the phone,” Lieberman told Smith. “And I said, ‘Sheryl, I’m not doing anything to hurt you. I’m just sharing.’ And so our relationship is basically nonexistent at this point.”

Lieberman also criticized Swoopes for failing to even mention Clark on a recent episode of her own podcast, despite praising several other members of the Indiana Fever for the team’s strong run since the Olympic break.

Swoopes, however, has pushed back against allegations that she has anything against Clark, even going so far as to post screenshots to her X account on Monday afternoon of an exchange of messages between the two that took place in February.

In the exchange, Swoopes admits that she “made a mistake about what this year means to you. The year of Covid has left me confused… Lol! I have nothing but respect for you and your game as well.”

Clark responded that she had “no hard feelings” towards Swoopes and added, “I appreciate what you’ve done for women’s basketball and for inspiring girls like me…”

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Sheryl Swoopes and Nancy Lieberman Intensify Conflict with Caitlin Clark

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