Sheryl Swoopes wants the referees to let Caitlin Clark and Tiffany Hayes keep talking. The WNBA legend threw her support behind the viral on-court heat between the Indiana Fever and Golden State Valkyries stars during their May 22 matchup.

During the third quarter, Clark drained a logo three-pointer on Hayes, which prompted both players to have a war of words with each other. This moment went viral on social media and has since sparked a lot of discussion, with Swoopes seemingly enjoying the budding rivalry the most.

Swoopes conveyed her excitement during a May 27 episode of "The Women's Hoops Show".

"Listen! Girl, the whole Caitlin Clark, Tiffany Hayes going back and forth, the last time they played? Oh, I am SO here for it! SO here for it! So, y'all, don't call me, don't text me [on Thursday]. No. Because that is going to be SPICY! Do you hear me?" Swoopes said.

Swoopes and co-host Jordan Robson continued to express excitement about witnessing such a moment during the game, and the WNBA legend also added that she would love more moments like these, as long as the referees allow it to happen on both sides.

While the on-court heat got the most attention, the game itself was a rollercoaster. The Indiana Fever took a 90-82 victory over the Valkyries in one of the best matches of the season already.

Clark did her usual thing, scoring 22 points and 9 assists. Hayes, on the other hand, also contributed a solid 19 points in a losing effort.

But the tables quickly turned this week, as the Valkyries overcame the Fever in an even close 90-88 matchup at home.

While everyone expected more drama in the brewing rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Tiffany Hayes, the Fever star already downplayed last week's viral interaction ahead of the away game against the Valkyries.

Caitlin Clark Breaks Silence on Rivalry with Tiffany Hayes

Clark and Hayes' names have been mentioned together in headlines since last week's supposed "beef". However, Clark denied such rumors ahead of the Fever's game against the Valkyries on the road.

“I mean, for myself, you’re just a competitor, and you leave it on the court,” Clark said before the game.

“I don’t think there’s anything you carry over into the next game – at least, I’m gonna speak for me, I don’t know about the other side, I approach every game the same way, I don’t have any sort of bad blood with any player in this league. It’s just the competitive fire, and it’s the competitive fire my teammates play with too.”

Speaking of the other side, Hayes did indeed try to escalate the moment with a few fans on Threads, who supported her moment with Clark.

Although that ended up leading to nothing with her rivalry with CC22, who has since denied anything serious between her and Hayes.

The Fever and the Valkyries next meet on July 15 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, so till then, the Clark-Hayes "rivalry" could be taken as more of a one-off incident.

So, what are your thoughts on this supposed rivalry? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Joy Bassy

Edited by

Joy Bassy