Caitlin Clark transcends just her team. WNBA fans everywhere love her. Nowhere was this more obvious than when she nearly scored a triple-double in a victory against the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday.
As she walked off the court, having just helped her team to victory, the crowd gave her a standing ovation. The road crowd.
The Indiana Fever had just dropped the Mercury 88-82. Clark contributed 15 points, 12 assists, and 9 rebounds. The crowd was clearly appreciative of the effort.
“You would think this game was in Indiana, they are cheering the enemy,” one fan analyzed on social media. “She is that relevant, bow to the Queen.”
A standing ovation from the Phoenix crowd as Caitlin Clark walks off following her near triple-double performance 🙌#WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/9CIjDEsQUs
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 30, 2024
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Caitlin Clark Takes The High Road
There was quite a bit of drama in this game between Caitlin Clark‘s Fever and the Mercury, most of which surrounded the background between her and Phoenix guard Diana Taurasi.
Taurasi famously declared that Clark would be in for a rude awakening once she joined the WNBA.
“Reality is coming,” she warned.
As usual, though, the rookie opted to take the high road following her statement win against Taurasi.
ESPN’s Christine Williamson asked Clark for comment after the game about what it meant to defeat the veteran.
“I’m just happy we won,” she replied. “It was cool to play against her, and obviously a really great game. This crowd was absolutely incredible.”
Caitlin Clark with nothing but class after defeating Diana Taurasi despite her quotes. pic.twitter.com/oYjbNfRTf6
— Heavenly Buckets on youtube (@HeavenlyBuckets) June 30, 2024
Breaking More Records
Taurasi is the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer. She is a three-time WNBA champion and a 10-time All-Star. The game was billed as “The Goat” vs. “The Rook”.
The Rook won.
Indiana was down 49-38 at halftime but used a 17-0 run against the Merucry to grab the lead before the fourth quarter, ultimately prevailing 88-82.
In the process, Clark overcame a poor shooting night and set a franchise record for assists in a season. She did so in just 20 games.
And she did it all with a migraine.
Similar to the Mercury crowd, fans at the Mohegan Sun Arena where the Connecticut Sun play, earlier this month started chanting “We want Caitlin!”
Who doesn’t at this point?
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