In a WNBA Finals showdown that left fans with jaws on the floor (and referees with whistles in their mouths), the New York Liberty managed to tie the series 1-1 against the Minnesota Lynx. But let’s be honest — it wasn’t just the basketball that had people buzzing. No, it was Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu’s chef’s kiss of a fiery clap-back moment that had fans drawing comparisons to none other than basketball’s queen of the clap, Caitlin Clark.
Cue the fan theories: “Sabrina is channeling her inner Caitlin!” “That has Caitlin written all over it!” Seriously, the comments section was flooded like a Black Friday sale, with fans insisting that these two might as well be the same person. Honestly, if Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu swapped jerseys, would anyone even notice?
Let’s set the scene: The Liberty scraped out an 80-66 victory over the Lynx in a game that had more fouls than a fast-food drive-thru during lunch rush hour. Thirty fouls in total, to be exact—15 for each team. It was a game so physical that even the mascots looked ready to square up (more on that later).
And then, it happened. Napheesa Collier fouls Sabrina Ionescu, who, in true Clark-esque fashion, clapped back—literally. She clapped so fiercely you could practically hear the clap-clap echo through the arena, and immediately, social media went wild. One fan on X (formerly known as Twitter, but let’s be real, who cares?) said, “When she got called for the travel and said, ‘That was bad’ to the refs, I was like, ‘Yep, that’s Caitlin right there!'”
Others piled on, with comments like, “You can’t tell me Sabrina and Caitlin aren’t the same person sometimes!” and “Their All-Star game hug was like the Avengers assembling.”
The clap conspiracy thickens!
But wait—there’s more! Sabrina wasn’t just clapping her way into WNBA fan hearts, she was doing it while putting on an impressive show on the court. Ionescu dropped a solid 15 points, added five assists, four rebounds, and two steals, all while shooting 5-9 from the field. Efficiency, thy name is Sabrina.
Of course, Sabrina wasn’t flying solo. Breanna Stewart, who apparently moonlights as a human octopus, led the way with 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and a mind-blowing seven steals. Yup, seven. She was basically a one-woman wrecking crew, and somewhere in the distance, you could hear Lynx fans collectively sigh.
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton added 20 points, with Jonquel Jones throwing in 14 points and nine rebounds because, you know, why not? The Liberty’s defense was tighter than an unopened pickle jar, limiting the Lynx to just six three-pointers on 20 attempts while forcing 20 turnovers. Yup, that’s 20. The Lynx couldn’t catch a break even if they were playing dodgeball.
Fiery Fouls and Mascot Mayhem
But let’s not forget the off-court antics. In what can only be described as the Battle of the Mascots, Liberty’s mascot Ellie faced off with Courtney Williams’ dad (yes, you read that right) during Game 2, providing some comic relief in an otherwise intense game. Forget halftime shows—this was pure gold.
So, what’s next? The series heads into Game 3, and we’re left wondering—will Sabrina continue her Caitlin Clark impersonation tour, or will we see something even more ridiculous? One thing’s for sure: the Liberty and Lynx aren’t just playing basketball, they’re delivering pure entertainment, one fiery clap at a time.
And as for the fans? They’re not going anywhere. After all, it’s not every day you get to witness the birth of a basketball doppelgänger conspiracy theory.
Stay tuned, because this WNBA Finals is serving up more drama than a soap opera marathon!
