WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes denied accusations of racism for her Caitlin Clark comments because, as she put it, “Black people can’t be racist.”
In early February, Swoopes came under fire for a slew of misinformation about the Iowa women’s basketball star. Speaking on former NBA star Gilbert Arenas’ podcast Gil’s Arena, Swoopes minimized Clark’s achievements by claiming she used an extra year of eligibility and takes 40 shots per game. Not only has Clark not taken an extra year, but her shots-per-game average is roughly half of what Swoopes said.
In response to the backlash, Swoopes flatly denied being racist.
“For people to come at me and say that I made those comments because I’m a racist,” Swoopes said on a recent episode of Gil’s Arena. “First of all, Black people can’t be racist; but that’s the farthest thing from my mind.
“I grew up in a very small West Texas town — predominantly white. My best childhood friend is white. Went to a predominantly white college. Won a national championship [and] pretty much everyone on the team was white. We’re sisters to this day. That’s not a part of my DNA.”
Swoopes then called out her critics by saying they only watched small clips without understanding the broader context of the discussion. She previously said Caitlin Clark is potentially the greatest college shooter she’s ever seen. Swoopes added that it was important to temper expectations and not assume that players like Clark and LSU star Angel Reese will immediately be dominant at the WNBA level.
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