Connor McCaffrey was incensed by Sheryl Swoopes attempting to discredit Iowa guard Caitlin Clark’s pursuit of NCAA women’s basketball history during a recent podcast appearance

Caitlin Clark’s boyfriend, Connor McCaffrey, has defended her on social media from what he called “misinformed” analysis of the Iowa women’s basketball star.

Responding to Sheryl Swoopes not knowing how many years Clark has been in college – and using her incorrect belief to try and undercut Clark’s scoring accomplishments – McCaffrey wrote on X: “Just imagine doing an interview and being this misinformed. I don’t even understand what she’s trying to say.”

Swoops had downplayed Clark’s approach of Kelsey Plum’s all-time NCAA scoring record by suggesting it was less impressive because Clark is in her fifth year while Plum played four at Washington. The problem? Clark is still in her fourth season with the Hawkeyes.

“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 the other player set it,” Swoopes told ex-NBA star Gilbert Arenas on the “Gil’s Arena” podcast. “If Kelsey Plum set that record in four years, well Caitlin should have broken that record in four years.

“But because there’s a COVID year and there’s another year, you know what I mean? So, she’s already had an extra year to break that record. Is it truly a broken record? I don’t know. I don’t think so.”

While Swoopes is a three-time WNBA MVP, her misguided analysis about Clark based on a false premise drew widespread condemnation, including from McCaffrey. He’s son of Iowa men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffrey and has been reported to be in a relationship with Clark.

Caitlin Clark is a National Player of the Year frontrunner and the lone player in the country scoring more than 30 points per game. ( 
Image:
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Swoopes’ remarks came after she expressed doubt that Clark and LSU forward Angel Reese could succeed from the get-go in the WNBA. Together, the comments have led fans to accuse her of going out of her way to discredit the next generation of women’s basketball stars.

Clark could break Plum’s all-time scoring record in a matter of weeks. The guard recently took over the No. 2 spot on the all-time leaderboard and is 65 points away from Plum following a 38-point effort against Maryland this weekend.

Plum, now a WNBA player for the Las Vegas Aces, has on multiple occasions said she looks forward to Clark moving ahead of her in NCAA history. “I’m actually very grateful to pass that baton. I’m very happy for her,” Plum told ESPN this past week. “If anything, make sure that we show her love outside of her performance. She’ll break it. I’m excited for her.”

If Clark elects to forgo the 2024 WNBA Draft, she could potentially put the all-time scoring record out of reach for decades by returning to Iowa for the fifth season Swoopes incorrectly believed was the 2023-24 campaign. The 22-year-old has acknowledged it will be a difficult decision, with Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder and the WNBA pulling her in opposite directions.