Cynthia Cooper Asserts Enthusiastic Caitlin Clark Support Amid Drama
WNBA legends Sheryl Swoopes and Cynthia Cooper have spent a lot of time on the court together.
Swoopes and Cooper played five seasons as WNBA teammates with the Houston Comets (1997-2000 and 2003). During that time, the dynamic duo won four consecutive WNBA championships, which is still the longest dynasty in league history.
Both of these women are considered among the greatest female basketball players of all time. However, while they must have agreed on many things as teammates, they now seem to disagree about Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark.
Much has already been made about Swoopes' apparent refusal to credit the Fever sensation for her staggering accomplishments, and how Swoopes doesn't appear capable of covering Clark objectively.
This already cost Swoopes one friendship with Nancy Lieberman.
However, Swoopes' former teammate Cynthia Cooper is taking the opposite approach and heaping praise on the 22-year-old former Iowa Hawkeye.
X user @clarkszn posted a video of Cooper at what appears to be the Indiana Fever's game against the Dallas Wings on September 1. In the video, Cooper is speaking with a Clark fan about the rookie.
"I appreciate you for repping Caitlin Clark, who’s the absolute truth!" Cooper said. "She out here balling."
After the Clark fan said that, "they don't want to give it to her," (which may be a reference to Swoopes not praising Clark), Cooper added, "I'm telling you, Caitlin Clark is the absolute truth.
"You can see her creating for others, you can see her shooting her shot, you can see her getting to the free throw line... She’s making everyone better," Cooper continued.
"She’s making me better and I'm sitting on the sideline!"
wnba legend cynthia cooper w a fan: “i appreciate you for repping caitlin clark, who’s the absolute truth! you can see her creating for others, shooting her shot, getting to the free throw line. she’s making everyone better–she’s making me better and i’m sitting on the sideline!” pic.twitter.com/25MELKDmkh
— cc akgae (@clrkszn) September 3, 2024
It's refreshing to see Clark receiving the respect and praise she deserves from WNBA legends.
GRANT YOUNG
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.