Caitlin Clark made a surprise on-court appearance during the Indiana Pacers’ playoff game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night – and eagle-eyed fans spotted her hilarious exchange with an NBA referee.
Clark, alongside several of her Indiana Fever teammates, emerged as a special guest during the second quarter in Game 2 of the Pacers’ first-round playoff series to theow T-shirts into the stands at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The 23-year-old, wearing a white shirt and jeans with her beige purse to her left, whipped up the crowd during a break in play, before she was seen gesturing animatedly at an official when leaving the court.
It is unclear what exactly she was saying to the official, but while rooting for Indiana most amused fans on social media assumed she was jokingly trying to sway him into giving them some favorable decisions.
One user joked on X: ‘She’s telling the Ref give Indiana a good whistle tonight probably.’
‘No ref will get a moment’s rest under Caitlin’s watch,’ declared another.
Caitlin Clark made a surprise appearance during an Indiana Pacers playoff game Tuesday
Eagle-eyed fans spotted the women’s basketball star’s hilarious exchange with a referee
While one simply put: ‘Her talking to the ref is priceless’.
The Fever and Pacers share an arena, with the sold-out crowd for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference series likely mimicking the atmosphere for plenty of Clark’s games over the next few months.
Clark’s presence helped the Pacers take down the Bucks 123-115 to take commanding 2-0 series lead.
The playoff tilt now shifts to Milwaukee for the next two games, with Game 3 slated for Friday in Wisconsin.
The Pacers lead wire-to-wire, scoring the game’s first eight points, which also ended up being the difference in the game.
The Bucks did cut the lead to two with under three minutes left, with Indiana able to hold off their Central Division rivals.
It was a balanced effort from the Pacers, as the game’s two leading scorers were both on Milwaukee in Giannis Antetokounmpo, who led all scorers with 34, and Bobby Portis, who had 28.
Indiana has six players score 14 points or more, including every member of its starting lineup, led by Pascal Siakam with 24.
Milwaukee is now in the unenviable position of needing to win four of its next five or be eliminated from the playoffs. The only silver lining is three of those games would take place in Wisconsin.
