WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes has been labeled as a huge Caitlin Clark hater due to her previous comments about the Indiana Fever star. Recently, however, she had a rather unexpected take about the 23-year-old playmaker. Swoopes has received plenty of backlash in the past for seemingly downplaying Clark’s impact on the Fever and the WNBA. Back in August 2024, she caught flak after she refused to give Clark credit for Indiana’s rise. The four-time WNBA champion was also criticized after defending former Chicago Sky guard Diamond DeShields for her cheap shot at Clark during a game. Interestingly, in a recent interview with ESPN posted on TikTok, Swoopes shared rare praise for Clark. Aside from highlighting how the addition of DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard and several others, as well as the continued improvement of Aliyah Boston and return of Kelsey Mitchell, elevated the Fever to potential championship contenders, Swoopes also took notice of Clark’s offseason. “Can we talk about Kelsey Mitchell, who is just a walking bucket? How much stronger Caitlin got in the offseason, you know she was in the gym working on her game,” Swoopes stated. “This Indiana Fever team, they have put the pieces together in this offseason, and I’m excited to see what they’re going to do.”

For what it’s worth, several fans couldn’t help but notice the change in Sheryl Swoopes’ stance about Caitlin Clark, taking to the comment section of ESPNW’s post to chime in.

“Wow she didn’t say anything negative about CC. That’s dope,” a commenter wrote. Another one said, “Oh how she is changing her tune now..” A surprised fan added, “wow gave Catlin Clark some credit….wow.” “Is Swoops okay – she said something nice about CC instead of bashing with a lie,” a follower added. A number of commenters also expressed belief that Swoopes was being forced to say something good about Clark. Regardless, though, the WNBA icon certainly made a good point about the Fever.

Indiana has improved dramatically this offseason, and if their core of Clark, Boston and Mitchell further elevate their game along with the new members of the team, they are going to be difficult to beat.