Caitlin Clark's personal feelings may have led to Sheryl Swoopes' removal from broadcast, according to Stephen A Smith.

On Sunday, the Indiana Fever, led by Caitlin Clark, defeated the Dallas Wings 100-93.

Sheryl Swoopes was absent from the game, and Nancy Lieberman filled in as the Wings' color commentator.

Stephen A. Smith of ESPN believed that Swoopes was removed from the broadcast because of her personal feelings towards Clark.

In my view, Sheryl Swoopes' failure to call the game yesterday, despite being supposed to do so, incriminates her even more. This was stated by Smith during a recent episode of "The Stephen A. Smith Show".

"It's likely that Caitlin Clark's reluctance to discuss her performance early in the week contributed to the situation."

Last week, during the Fever's 100-81 win over the Chicago Sky, Clark scored 31 points with 12 assists, as Smith mentioned.

"We understand that, and we are aware of the way television works. We know what producers and bosses do when personal feelings infiltrate the proceedings and compromise one's professional position."

Neither Bally Sports Southwest nor the Dallas Wings provided a comment when asked about Swoopes' absence from the broadcast.

In February, on the "Gil's Arena" podcast with former NBA star Gilbert Arenas, Swoopes made incorrect statements about Clark's college career and statistics.

Swoopes stated that Clark remained in college for five seasons and took over 40 shots per game while discussing how Clark broke the NCAA's all-time basketball points record in 2023.

In reality, Clark only played four seasons and averaged 22.7 shots per game, resulting in the record.

On Monday, Swoopes shared the apology message she sent to Clark after the comments from February to X.

"Swoopes wrote: "I wanted to personally apologize to you, Caitlin, for my mistake in identifying the year. The ongoing pandemic has left me feeling disoriented. Despite my error, I have immense respect for your talent and accomplishments. Congratulations on all that you have achieved so far. May you continue to be blessed.""

Swoopes thanked Clark for her contributions to the WNBA and encouraged her to continue excelling in her game.

In an August episode of her "Queens of the Court" podcast, Swoopes did not mention Clark as a factor in the recent improvement of the Fever. Instead, she praised Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, and Lexie Hull.

During the team's win streak, Clark has been the leading scorer and is among the top scorers in the WNBA.

The Fever's win on Sunday pushed their record to 17-16, making them over .500 for the first time all season.

In the episode, Smith reacted to Swoopes' statements and declared the Hall of Famer as "crazy" for doing that.

"Do you have any idea how that makes you look?"

Swoopes took to X to respond.

"Is it true that you can discuss any topic on your podcast? Therefore, why can't I do the same? Additionally, did you hear the entire episode? Unfortunately, I did not. I have a personal connection with these players and they should be acknowledged."

Swoopes' basketball acumen makes Smith question the sincerity of her criticism of Clark.

"Sheryl Swoopes is a winner, and it's crucial to recognize her greatness and exceptional basketball mind."

"She fails to recognize that when she doesn't explicitly state the obvious, it will be assumed to be a personal matter because we know she is well-versed in basketball and is aware of the things she is ignoring when discussing Caitlin Clark."

The Los Angeles Sparks will host the Fever in their next game on Wednesday.

Planet Chronicle' Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

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