While approaching the NCAA Division I women’s basketball career scoring record, Caitlin Clark earned something more than just a spot in the sport’s history books.
She got an apology from one of the best women’s basketball players of all-time.
After taking a dig at the Iowa basketball star in comments that generated widespread attention and criticism, Sheryl Swoopes on Sunday said she has since reached out to Clark to talk things over and apologize.
LSU star Angel Reese, who had her own memorable moment last year with Clark during the national championship game, helped facilitate the conversation.
Swoopes said she spoke with Reese on the phone “a couple of weeks ago” and sent a message to Clark, who responded to initiate a back-and-forth.
“I won’t share what she said. I’ll leave that to her if she wants to share,” Swoopes said while on the broadcast of a Texas Tech-Baylor women’s basketball game on Sunday.
“But I will say, what I said to her was, ‘I made a mistake in saying it was your fifth year when it is your fourth.’”
Swoopes has one of the most decorated resumes of any player in women’s basketball history at any level, winning four WNBA championships, four Olympic gold medals, three WNBA MVP awards and an NCAA championship, the last of which she won at Texas Tech in 1993.
Swoopes was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
While making an appearance on a YouTube show hosted by former NBA all-star Gilbert Arenas earlier this month, Swoopes downplayed Clark’s pending ascent to No. 1 on the career scoring list by citing several inaccurate stats, saying that Clark is a 25-year-old player in her fifth year of college who attempts 40 shots a game.
The 22-year-old Clark is in just her fourth season at Iowa and averages 22.7 shots per game this season, which she makes at an efficient 47.5% clip.
Clark reached the record in her 126th career game, meaning she got to the mark in 13 fewer games than former Washington star Kelsey Plum, the previous record-holder.
Swoopes’ remarks drew significant blowback, both from Iowa fans and those across the sport.
Whatever acrimony that episode created is, according to Swoopes, in the past.
“I have nothing but respect for what she has done for the game,” Swoopes said Sunday.
“If she wants to share what her response was and how that conversation went, I’ll leave that to her. But it was a really good conversation.”