Sheryl Swoopes gives inaccurate take on Caitlin Clark breaking Kelsey Plum's record
Social media is coming after former WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes after her comments on Iowa star Caitlin Clark. Swoopes joined former NBA player Gilbert Arenas’ podcast recently to discuss Clark, who is less than 100 points away from breaking the women’s college basketball all-time scoring record set by former Washington star Kelsey Plum.
Instead of complimenting the Hawkeyes star on her achievement, however, Swoopes attempted to downplay how impressive it was. That backfired when many pointed out the entire basis for her argument was wrong.
“If you’re going to break a record, to me if it’s legitimate, you have to break that record in the same amount of time that that player set it,” Swoopes said. “If Kelsey Plum set that record in four years, Caitlin should have broke that record in four years. But because there’s a COVID year and then there’s another year, she’s already had an extra year to break that record. So is it truly a broken record?”
What Swoopes failed to realize is that Clark is only in her fourth season of college basketball. She has not used a COVID year yet and has actually played 123 career games at this point in her career compared to 139 for Plum.
Clark’s 3,462 career points is just 66 points away from surpassing the record of 3,527 that Plum set in 2017. That being the case, it seems highly likely that she will break it within the next three or four games.
Clark recently scored 38 points on Saturday in a 93-85 victory against Maryland, including pulling up from the logo for a 3-pointer in the first quarter. It marked her sixth straight game with 30-plus, so it’s entirely possible that she could even get the record within the next two contests.
So far this season, Clark is averaging a career-best 32.4 points per game on 48.2% shooting and 40.1% from 3-point range. She’ll continue to inch closer to the record when the Hawkeyes face Penn State on Thursday.
When she inevitably does break it, Swoopes will have no choice but to admit that it is indeed, by her own definition, legitimate.
Kelsey Plum ‘very happy’ for Caitlin Clark with scoring record in sight
Plum weighed in on the possibility of Clark breaking her record recently, expressing excitement to see the Iowa star add to her decorated career.
“I’m actually very grateful to pass that baton,” Plum said, via ESPN’s Michael Voepel. “I’m very happy for her.”
When Plum set the record, Jackie Stiles held the top spot with 3,393 career points at Missouri State. She remembered the amount of pressure she felt as she closed in on the mark, getting caught up in achieving that feat while also trying to help Washington to a 29-6 record and a Sweet Sixteen appearance.
That’s why Plum had a message as the chatter around Clark’s achievement picks up.
“I remember, to be honest, [the record] was very much a low point in my life,” Plum said. “It felt like a lot of pressure, and my identity was kind of caught up in that record. I hope everyone in the media takes time to understand that [Clark] is not just a basketball player but a young woman that has feelings and emotions. She carries it with grace, but there’s a lot to handle there.
“If anything, make sure that we show her love outside of her performance. She’ll break it. I’m excited for her.”