Sheryl Swoopes: 'I don't know if Chicago's in the playoffs right now without Angel Reese'

Sheryl Swoopes is back again with another opinion on Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark that is sure to stir up discussion. Swoopes first made headlines after incorrectly claiming the Clark breaking the NCAA all-time scoring record in 2023-24 was not as impressive because she received a fifth COVID year (Clark played only four seasons).

Now she is raising eyebrows once more after a clip went viral of her discussing the WNBA Rookie of the Year competition between Clark and Reese on the Queens of the Court podcast.

“I don’t know if Chicago’s in the playoffs right now without Angel,” she said. “Is Indiana in the playoffs right now without Caitlin? …Last year they were close, right? When you look at the overall team, like the pieces that they have, without question Indiana has better players than Chicago from top to bottom.”

Sheryl Swoopes:

"I don't know if Sky are in the playoffs without Reese"

But Fever are a playoff team even without Caitlin😭

Fever had #1 pick for 2 years for a reason

Also, bringing down other Sky players just to prop up Reese ROTY case. Sick work😭#WNBA #FeverRising pic.twitter.com/544BRcDG7G

— Ashwin (@Sudharsan_ak) July 30, 2024

Swoopes’ co-host Jordan Robinson was a bit surprised by the comments and pushed back, saying Clark was her pick. The Sky narrowly made the playoffs in 2023 as the last team in while Indiana finished outside of the field with a 13-27 record.

Both teams would be in the playoffs if the season were to end today, and it’s clear their rookies are a major reason why. However, Swoopes named several other players on the Fever roster whom she believes have also been instrumental to this season’s success.

“Caitlin has way more talent around her on her team to help her be successful than Angel has with Chicago,” she said. “For Chicago to be sitting where they are in the standings right now, if the playoffs started they’re in the playoffs, Angel Reese is a big part of that.

“…Let’s also remember Aliyah Boston was Rookie of the Year last year. Kelsey Mitchell has always been a bucket. She can just flat out score the basketball. Then you got NaLyssa Smith. They brought in Katie Lou (Samuelson), who’s a shooter. If you go down the roster player-for-player (it’s better).”

In seemingly any other season what both Clark and Reese have accomplished would make them the clear-cut choice for Rookie of the Year, but they are up against each other. Reese broke then WNBA record with 15 consecutive double-doubles and is averaging 13.5 points and 11.9 rebounds per contest.

Meanwhile, Clark leads the WNBA with 8.2 assists per game to go along with 17.1 points and 5.8 rebounds. She is well on her way to shattering the rookie assists record and needs just 104 dimes to break the overall single-season record of 316. With 14 games left to play she would have to average 7.4 assists per game to get there, putting her on pace to do so.

That in mind, it’s a bit puzzling to hear Swoopes say the Fever would still be a playoff team without Clark’s impact. The team is clearly better because of her and just three wins away from surpassing its total from last season.

But either way, both Clark and Reese are having fantastic seasons for their respective teams, as indicated by both being chosen as All-Stars.