Caitlin Clark’s Cheeky Reaction to Payton Pritchard Buzzer-Beater Goes Viral

Caitlin Clark was visibly surprised when Reggie Miller compared her to Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard.

Caitlin Clark’s Cheeky Reaction to Payton Pritchard Buzzer-Beater Goes Viral

Payton Pritchard and Caitlin Clark (Image via FirstSportz)

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There are not many things that Caitlin Clark gets rattled by, be it opponents trying to slow her down on the court or some critics going at her for her fame and status as the most popular women’s basketball player in the world.

The recently turned 24-year-old has even taken disappointment in her stride, as she looks forward to helping her Indiana Fever take the next step and fight for a championship.

However, before all that happens, the point guard joined NBC’s broadcast of Sunday Night Basketball with their pregame crew, including Hall of Famers Carmelo Anthony and Reggie Miller, along with host Maria Taylor.

During their conversation, the Indiana Pacers’ great managed to ‘disappoint’ Clark by comparing her to Payton Pritchard. The Fever guard’s facial expression went viral, as it was evident that she did not expect that comparison.

Some lobbied that Miller should have at least compared her to Stephen Curry. Instead, she was being seemingly referred to as someone who is only as good as a backup guard for the Boston Celtics.

After the latter scored a buzzer-beater during the dying seconds of the first quarter of their game against the Dallas Mavericks, his play caught Caitlin Clark’s attention.

She reposted the Celtics’ video with three ‘smirking face’ emoticons as a reaction. It seems she wanted to let it be known that play was close to what she is known for, as the superstar has scored many such during her college days.

Payton Pritchard’s buzzer-beater was exactly what Reggie Miller described

Reggie Miller and his sister, and women’s basketball Hall of Famer, Cheryl Miller, are close with Caitlin Clark. They generally have nothing but high praise for the Iowa native.

Payton Pritchard with Cooper Flagg and Mavs players after his Celtics won
Payton Pritchard with Cooper Flagg and Mavs players after his Celtics won (Image via Celtics Lead/X)

Therefore, it came as a surprise that he would compare the Fever guard to Payton Pritchard, who, even though he is a good player, is not seen in the same realm of the WNBA superstar.

However, it seems the reason Clark reacted to this video is that Pritchard does exactly what Miller praised him for. With the seconds winding down, the 6’1″ guard first started near the logo.

Then, after scanning the Dallas Mavericks’ defensive scheme, he started dribbling toward the three-point line. When Jaden Hardy stepped up and managed to stop Pritchard and Jaylen Brown‘s attempt to set a screen, the guard had to stop his attack.

A split-second later, the Oregon Duck saw a good enough opening and dribbled toward the rim. With Hardy staying toe-to-toe, Payton Pritchard pumped the brakes and elevated to shoot over his bigger defender.

Once the shot went in, the Celtics guard turned around to talk trash to the Mavericks. All of these aspects are exactly what Reggie Miller talked about when comparing him to Caitlin Clark.

Caitlin Clark could see her salary rise into six figures

Whether Caitlin Clark truly appreciated the Payton Pritchard comparison or not, the superstar guard is looking forward to re-establishing herself as the best guard in the WNBA.

After sitting out almost the entire season due to injury, the two-time All-Star is itching to get going. Even though the delay in negotiating the next CBA has thrown a wrench into everyone’s plans, Clark hopes a deal will be signed soon.

The players’ union wants to make the most out of the negotiations, knowing that the league’s growth spurt and increased revenue streams have opened doors for them to earn more. Even though the league’s top brass has not completely relented to their demands, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne got her hands on the WNBA’s latest offer to the players.

Other than the fact that max and average salaries will see a substantial raise, it seems the WNBA is open to allowing every current player’s rookie scale contract to be increased to the new levels.

That means the likes of Caitlin Clark and every player that came into the league since the 2022 draft can hope to earn six figures in paychecks from their respective franchises.

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