Arike Ogunbowale on the “rivalry” between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese
Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale explains why it was the media that started the so-called beef between WNBA rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
Sport in Seriousness
A rift in the friendship between two basketball legends may no longer be bridgeable in light of comments made by Nancy Lieberman and Sheryl Swoopes over the past 24 hours.
Differing opinions about the impact current star Caitlin Clark has on the game have driven a wedge between the Hall of Fame members, with Lieberman saying the two no longer have a relationship.
“My life will be good with or without Sheryl Swoopes,” Lieberman said Monday during an appearance on ESPN host Stephen A. Smith’s podcast.
Later that evening, Swoopes retorted on social media, saying, “My life is good without you (and him).”
The disagreement, Lieberman told Smith, stems from comments Swoopes made on former NBA star Gilbert Arenas’ podcast in February in which she downplayed Clark’s breaking of the NCAA career record for points.
Swoopes incorrectly stated that Clark benefited from an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID pandemic when she passed Kelsey Plum as the all-time leading Division I women’s point scorer. Lieberman said she called Swoopes as a friend to alert her to the error.
“Well, she was mad at me on the phone,” Lieberman Smith told me. “And I said, ‘Sheryl, I’m not doing anything to hurt you. I’m just sharing something with you.’ And so our relationship is pretty much nonexistent at this point.”
Lieberman also criticized Swoopes for not even mentioning Clark on a recent episode of her own podcast, even as she praised several other members of the Indiana Fever for the team’s winning streak since the Olympic break.
However, Swoopes refuted the impression that she had anything against Clark, even going so far as to post screenshots of an apparent text exchange between the two from February on her X account on Monday afternoon.
In the conversation, Swoopes admits that she “made a mistake about what this year means to you. The Covid year has completely confused me… Lol! I have nothing but respect for you and your game too.”
Clark responded that she had “no hard feelings” toward Swoopes, adding, “I appreciate what you’ve done for women’s basketball and that you inspire girls like me…”
