Sheryl Swoopes Credits Ex-Fever Coach Christie Sides for Managing 'Caitlin Mania'
The constant commentary that WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes has had toward Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever felt like an undying conversation topic throughout the league's 2024 season.
This initially stemmed from inaccurate comments Swoopes had on the “Gil’s Arena” YouTube show back in January, where she asserted that Clark was in her fifth season at the University of Iowa in 2023-24, implying that this would have watered down her overall NCAA scoring record. Clark was actually in her fourth season at Iowa.
Swoopes also implied that there was turmoil in the Fever's locker room this season (presumably because of attention around Clark), despite having no evidence to back that claim up.
Comments like these have prompted harsh criticism from the women's basketball community, notably from media personalities Nancy Lieberman and Stephen A. Smith.
Swoopes has mostly been quiet about Clark and the Fever since their season ended. But she spoke up once again on a November 6 episode of her 'Levels to This With Sheryl Swoopes and Terrika Foster-Brasby' podcast, conveying that she felt like former Fever head coach Christie Sides deserves more respect.
"That's a lot to take on," Swoopes said of Sides' job coaching the Indiana Fever this season. "And the expectations of, 'Well, you got Caitlin at the number 1 pick [in the 2024 WNBA Draft],' so you guys... cause there were people who were saying [Indiana] should win the championship. Now, y'all, be realistic. I was very realistic. Yeah, they should make the playoffs, which they did.
"I think Christie did as good of a job as she could have," Swoopes continued. "Managing all of the craziness, all of the Caitlin mania, all of the hype, all of the media. It was just so much that came with that... There was so much she had to deal with."
It will be interesting to see how these comments are received from Clark and Fever fans.
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.