A former NBA player has weighed in on WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes’ recent criticism of rookie sensation Caitlin Clark, drawing a parallel to his own NBA experience.
In her latest remarks, Swoopes suggested that Clark’s Indiana Fever teammates are unhappy due to the negative attention surrounding her fanbase. Speaking on Gil’s Arena, Swoopes said, “There’s a lot of other stuff happening, and some players are like, ‘This isn’t where I want to be.’ Key players on the Fever are thinking, ‘I don’t want to be here this season.'”
Sam Dekker, a former NBA player, responded on X, citing his time playing alongside James Harden on the Rockets to counter Swoopes’ claims.
Being on the Rockets with Prime Harden was the best shit ever. We were on National TV all the time, won a ton of huge games in awesome moments, and he made the game incredibly easy for guys like me. I don’t believe for a second that the team dislikes it. https://t.co/IthvMtW6Up
— Sam Dekker (@dekker) September 18, 2024
Sam Dekker, reflecting on his time playing with James Harden on the Rockets, defended Caitlin Clark against Sheryl Swoopes’ criticism, saying, “Being on the Rockets with Prime Harden was the best experience ever. We were on national TV all the time, won big games, and he made things easy for players like me. I don’t buy for a second that her teammates dislike it.”
Meanwhile, Swoopes doubled down on her criticism of Clark during the same podcast, acknowledging her improvement after the All-Star break but claiming she’s not yet dominating the league. “What Caitlin’s done in a short time is impressive,” Swoopes said, “but I still don’t think she’s dominating. She’s just different from the first half of the season.”
Despite the critique, Caitlin Clark’s rookie season has been historic. As the WNBA season wraps up, her accomplishments include:
– League leader in assists per game (APG)
– League leader in 3-pointers made (3P)
– 1st in points per game (PPG) by a rookie
– 1st in field goals made (FGM) by a rookie
– 1st in APG by a rookie
– 1st in steals per game (SPG) by a rookie
– 3rd in rebounds per game (RPG) by a rookie
– 4th in blocks per game (BPG) by a rookie
– 1st rookie with a triple-double
– Broke the single-season assist record
– Broke the single-game assist record
– Most points by a rookie ever
– Most assists by a rookie ever
– Most 3-pointers by a rookie ever
– Most All-Star Game fan votes ever
