“Tom Brady knew who I was”: Sheryl Swoopes dishes on starstruck moment meeting NFL icon

WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes has interacted with many stars but was star-struck when she met NFL legend Tom Brady. She appeared on Tuesday's episode of "The Women's Hoops Show," where she shared how she felt when she met Brady, who is regarded as the greatest to ever play in the NFL.

Swoopes attended her first Fanatics Fest and met many celebrities. However, she was surprised when Brady knew who she is.

“It takes a lot for me to be like, ‘Oh my gosh, did you just see who I say?’" Swoopes said. “I was that way the first time I met Michael Jordan, when I met Barack Obama, when I met Oprah Winfrey. ... I saw Tom Brady. I was like, 'Tom Brady knew who I was.' I was like, ‘I’ve made it, Tom Brady knows who I am.' But he was so cool and so nice."

Swoopes is a legend and a popular figure in her own right. The three-time WNBA MVP was the first player signed by the league in 1996. She played a crucial role in shaping the league.

Swoopes won the WNBA championship four times with the Houston Comets. Her contributions to the growth of the women's game saw her inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016 and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.

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Sheryl Swoopes makes a blunt remark on how the referees handled Caitlin Clark

Sheryl Swoopes is also known for her bluntness. On the same episode of "The Women's Hoops Show" on Tuesday, she expressed her frustration with the referees on how they handled the Caitlin Clark-Marina Mabrey shoving incident.

"The refs, you have to take control of the game. You have to take control of it," Swoopes said. "And so because you didn't, Jacy (Sheldon) and Caitlin are still going at it, and Caitlin basically says 'I can do whatever the f I want to do.' Take that for what it is, but it was spicy.

"At some point though, the refs are going to have to be better at what they're doing. Because I do think it can get to a point to where somebody is really going to get hurt."

Clark and Mabrey had an altercation during the June 17 game betweent the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun. The Fever star was poked in the eye by Sheldon and later pushed to the floor by Mabrey.

The incident sparked reactions from fans and media members. Swoopes became the latest to comment on the altercation.