It’s no longer Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese! With CC shattering record after record and Reese’s season coming to an early end because of a wrist injury, the Fever rookie has become a certain lock for the ROTY trophy. And now the conversation didn’t take time to divert to Caitlin Clark vs. A’ja Wilson, that too, for the highly coveted MVP title. But despite the star rookie’s recent heroics that silenced her harshest critic, Sheryl Swoopes; in an unexpected take- Stephen A. Smith picked the Aces superstar for the ultimate honor.

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During Fever’s latest game against the Wings, Caitlin Clark went off for a career-high 35 points and shattered soon-to-be Hall of Famer Seimone Augustus’ rookie scoring record by taking her season total to 761 points. While Stephen A. Smith deemed CC’s performance “sensational,” he also made a bold claim: “There is no race for the league MVP. It’s clearly hers (A’ja Wilson’s). Let’s just make sure we understand that. You going to have to show me somebody who could take out A’ja Wilson in the playoff series. I got to see it to believe it.”

Just like Caitlin Clark, the Aces superstar has also been busy breaking records in her last game. She became the first hooper in WNBA history to score 1000 points in a season. “She’s the best in the world. It’s just that simple,” the analyst remarked on The Stephen A. Smith Show. Moreover, A’ja has been way ahead of the competition all season long, as she is averaging a career-high 27 points and 12 rebounds. Surely, that makes her worthy of winning a third MVP, doesn’t it?

After making his pick, Stephen A. also fired shots at Swoopes, again, reigniting their ongoing beef. “I didn’t even bother to ask my staff or anybody…’Did Sheryl Swoopes call that game?’ I was just wondering because that’s the first thing that came to my mind,” Smith sarcastically said. Yes, the analyst has been constantly calling out the WNBA legend for not giving the rookie her due respect.

Moreover, Sheryl Swoopes was recently added to the Wings broadcast team, and Caitlin Clark broke the record against the same side, which gave Smith the opportunity to take a dig at her in the first place. But it seems the legend has already cleared the air with the Fever rookie.

Sheryl Swoopes admits she “made a mistake” to Caitlin Clark

Well, Stephen A. Smith recently called the WNBA legend out for not mentioning Caitlin while talking about Indiana’s success this season. And it even garnered a harsh response from Swoopes, as she called Smith a “coward”! But amid the controversy, Sheryl recently released screenshots of her exchange with the rookie from February where she personally apologized to the youngster, “Hey Caitlin! I wanted to personally reach out to you and say I made a mistake on what year this is for you. Covid year has me all confused… Lol!” referring to her claim about the length of Clark’s college career.

USA Today via Reuters

Then, Sheryl Swoopes also showered the rookie with high praise, saying, “I also have nothing but respect for you and your game and appreciate your skill. Congrats on everything you have accomplished thus far. Be blessed.” Sure enough, Caitlin Clark appreciated the heartfelt message and claimed there were “no hard feelings” between them and even acknowledged the veteran’s influence on women’s basketball.

So, it looks like Caitlin Clark has managed to turn even her biggest critic into a believer with her dominant performance as a rookie. And even if she loses the MVP race to A’ja Wilson like Stephen A. Smith predicts, CC is destined for greatness. Do you agree?

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.