Social media detectives discovered what Cameron Brink said to Caitlin Clark in their post-game handshake on Tuesday night.
Caitlin Clark and Cameron Brink (Photo via @Cait22fever Twitter
Tuesday marked the second meeting between Caitlin Clark and Cameron Brink, the first and second overall picks of the 2024 WNBA Draft, respectively. Brink and the Los Angeles Sparks avenged their May 24 loss to Clark’s Indiana Fever by squeaking out a close 88-82 victory on the road.
After the game, social media detectives discovered Brink’s heartfelt three-word post-game message to Clark. It appears as though Brink told the Indiana guard, “Good job baby” as they embraced.
Brink played 24 minutes in Tuesday’s contest, tallying three points, as many rebounds, two assists, one steal and a pair of blocks in the Sparks’ 88-82 victory. Kia Nurse’s 22 points led Los Angeles, with Aari McDonald contributing 21 points of her own.
Caitlin Clark gave the Fever every chance to win, racking up a game-high 30 points to go along with five rebounds, six assists, three steals and a trio of blocks in 34 minutes of playing time.
Through her first eight WNBA games, the NCAA Division 1 basketball all-time scoring leader has averaged 17.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game while shooting 31.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Heading into Thursday’s contest against the Chicago Sky, Brink is averaging 9.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting an impressive 41.2 percent from downtown.
Caitlin Clark & Cameron Brink Have One More Meeting This Year
There’s only one regular season meeting remaining between the Fever and Sparks. That contest will take place in Indiana on Sept. 4 (7:00 p.m EST), the first of a six-game homestand for Clark and company.
After hosting Seattle on Thursday night, Clark and the Fever will finish their two-game homestand against Chicago on Saturday. After that, they’ll begin a three-game road trip that commences against the New York Liberty on Sunday.
The Milwaukee Bucks are heading into a third straight off-season in which their disappointment overshadows their accomplishments.
Since winning the Championship in 2021, the Bucks have suffered first or second round exits in the playoffs each year.
That being said, winning the division feels like the bare minimum. The Bucks have won the division six years in a row, and now, one of their biggest rivals lost a super star.
Milwaukee Bucks Rival Loses Super Star To Free Agency
Dec 11, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives for the basket against Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan (11) during the third quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
According to K.C. Johnson, a Chicago Bulls insider:
It’s 2021 free agency all over again. Although this time, the Chicago Bulls currently don’t project to be a landing spot if DeMar DeRozan and his hometown Los Angeles Lakers can’t figure out a partnership.
NBA free agency is mostly a lucrative game. But it also can be an unsentimental one at times, squeezing out high-level players.
And at least for now, DeRozan’s options are dwindling after the Bulls and DeRozan have failed to this point to follow through on season-long vows to continue their relationship.
As recently as mid-April, in an interview with NBC Sports Chicago following the morning shootaround in Detroit before the third-to-last game of the regular season, listen to how emphatically DeRozan said he wanted to return.
“I love ownership. I love everything about the city and the franchise, top to bottom—the front office, the staff we have,” he said. “It’s one of those places that gives me motivation to see everybody get what they deserve and feel what winning is like again.
“You watch me, how hard I play, how hard I want to give success to this organization, this city, that’s my main focal point. I always want to finish a job. The last couple years have been tough with injuries and so many ups and downs. But I always want to weather the storm and stick through whatever situation it is to make the most out of it, to make it even better. That’s always been my mindset and it’s my mindset going forward. How can I be here and make this a winning organization like when I first came?
Dec 11, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) prepares to shoot a free throw during overtime against the Chicago Bulls at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
“The feeling, the vibe, the energy that was around when we had that run (in 2021-22), I want the city and all these players to experience that again—and for myself too. It’s always easy to complain and say what’s not. But I made it clear this is where I want to be and ride it out. I don’t want to go nowhere.
“They know it. Everybody knows my stance. I lay it down from this perspective: I want to come back. Everybody else figure out what you need to figure out. And that’s just how I look at it so I don’t stress or worry about what’s what. I made it clear this is where I want to be. The powers that be just need to figure out what needs to happen. Everybody knows my mindset.”
Management and coach Billy Donovan, for their part, consistently praised DeRozan’s leadership with the Bulls’ young core and lauded his steady personality through trying times. Following a season in which DeRozan led the NBA in minutes played and fourth-quarter scoring, executive vice president Artūras Karnišovas reiterated his stance of wanting to re-sign DeRozan.
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Despite their impressive WNBA rookie seasons, the selection committee did not choose either player for the 12-player roster for the 2024 Olympics.
Image courtesy of SpaceXMania & The Patriots Lovers/Facebook
WNBA player Angel Reese was kicked off the U.S. women's basketball team and fined $1 million for comments she made about Caitlin Clark.
On June 18, 2024, the Facebook account The Patriots Lovers claimed that WNBA star Angel Reese was kicked off the U.S. team and faced a $1 million fine for comments she made about fellow WNBA player Caitlin Clark:
(The Patriots Lovers/Facebook)
This claim was not true. The Facebook page that posted the allegation describes itself as a "Satire/Parody" account that specializes "in SATIRE, Humor and Extra Crispy Tates."
The Facebook post originated from a story published the same day, June 18, 2024, on SpaceXMania, a website that explicitly describes most of its output as "satirical in nature" and "not meant to be taken seriously," including this claim about Reese. According to the story from SpaceXMania, the 22-year-old athlete was "expelled from the U.S. women's basketball team and fined $1 million" due to her "public criticism of her teammate Caitlin Clark":
In a post-game interview, Reese expressed frustration with what she perceived as preferential treatment toward Clark. "It feels like Caitlin gets all the attention and praise, while the rest of us work just as hard," Reese remarked. "I'm tired of being overlooked. We all contribute to the team's success."
…
The U.S. women's basketball team management, emphasizing the need for cohesion and mutual respect, decided to take decisive action.
In an official statement, the team management explained their decision. "Our goal is to foster a positive and unified environment within the team. Publicly criticizing teammates undermines this goal and disrupts the harmony we strive to maintain. As a result, Angel Reese has been removed from the team and fined $1 million for her actions."
On June 11, 2024, USA Basketball revealed its 12-player roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, which commences in July 2024. Neither Reese nor Clark, 22, was included in the lineup, despite their impressive rookie seasons in the WNBA.
During a mid-June WNBA game between their teams, Reese committed a flagrant foul against Clark, who took an arm to the head while attempting to make a shot. In a post-game interview, Reese dismissed the incident as a "basketball play," adding that she "can't control the refs, they affected the game obviously a lot tonight."
In early June 2024, the WNBA announced it would fine Reese $1,000 after her team's loss to the Indiana Fever the previous day, for disregarding the league's rules regarding media conduct. According to a WNBA news release, Reese failed "to make herself available to the media for interviews," per CBS Sports.
Reese and Clark are common targets of satire pages like SpaceXMania, whose content is sometimes confused with real news.
Because the claim that Reese was expelled from the U.S. women's basketball team and fined $1 million for comments she made about Clark stems from a website whose output is explicitly described as satirical in nature, this claim is rated "Labeled Satire."