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Not only do WNBA players talk trash like their NBA counterparts, but they don’t even need to be playing to get in on the smack.
Take Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, who had a front-row seat with teammates Aliyah Boston and Lexie Hull on Saturday as the Pacers advanced to the NBA Finals with a Game 6 win over the visiting New York Knicks.
Having been sidelined with a quadriceps injury for the last week, Clark couldn’t help but reveal her competitive side to Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, who famously celebrates big moments by dramatically stroking his own chin.
So, when Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton drained a key 3-pointer in Indiana’s 125-108 Game 6 win, Clark couldn’t help but respond in kind.
‘Cold celebration Caitlin Clark,’ one fan wrote on X alongside a clip of Clark stroking her chin, a la Brunson.
There’s no real explanation behind the celebration, which typically involves Brunson sticking out his thumb, index and ring fingers to signify a made 3-pointer.
Having been sidelined with a quadriceps injury for the last week, Clark couldn’t help but reveal her competitive side to Knicks guard Jalen Brunson on Saturday in Indianapolis
Brunson is seen celebrating a 3-pointer against the Pistons in the Knicks’ first-round series
‘It truly came out of nowhere and it truly has no meaning other than three points on the board,’ Brunson told the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy in 2024. ‘I just kind of stuck with it because it was unique and nobody was doing it.’
Clark’s desire to talk trash during games isn’t exactly a secret. In fact, Connecticut Huskies coach Geno Auriemma says WNBA players have been physical with Clark in response to her frequent chatter.
‘When people talk about in the WNBA, ‘Why are these people beating up Caitlin Clark?,’ it’s because she talks a lot of s*** on the court,’ Auriemma told the Make A Difference podcast in 2024.
‘That’s what makes her good. So she’s not like this angel walking out there and everybody else is beating her up.
‘No, she’s got a lot to say. She’s a lot like [former Connecticut star Paige Bueckers], those guys have a lot to say, they just do it subtly, and they’re tough,’ Auriemma continued. ‘We need more of that.’
