Ellie the Elephant Wanted Smoke With Courtney Williams' Father Amid Liberty Win vs. Lynx
The New York Liberty earned a hard-fought 80-66 win over the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday, which evened this record-setting WNBA Finals series at one game apiece.
Per usual, the Liberty relied on multiple elite players for their offensive attack. Superstar Breanna Stewart led the way with 21 points while Betnijah Laney-Hamilton added 20, Sabrina Ionescu scored 15, and Jonquel Jones tallied 14 points.
Although New York also received some added aggression from their beloved mascot, Ellie the Elephant.
At one point in the game, Ellie — who has been known to let her passion and enthusiasm for the Liberty get the best of her at times — was seen approaching the father of Lynx star player Courtney Williams and appeared to share a few strong words with him.
ESPN's Sean Hurd posted a video of the interaction on X with the caption, "Ellie got beef with Courtney Williams' dad 😭".
Ellie got beef with Courtney Williams' dad 😭 pic.twitter.com/1LRG90T8o3
— Sean Hurd (@seanahurd) October 13, 2024
Williams didn't seem too phased by what looked to be an intimidation tactic from the hilarious mascot, and his daughter certainly wasn't phased on the court either.
After dropping 23 points (including a clutch three-pointer that capped off the Lynx' incredible comeback) in Game 1 on Thursday, Williams finished Sunday's game with 15 points while also adding 8 assists and 6 rebounds.
Courtney Williams with one of the greatest shots in sports history x Father Stretch My Hands goes WAY TOO HARD! pic.twitter.com/uIUNkpjS7D
— Chris Williamson (@CWilliamson44) October 11, 2024
While this performance from Williams wasn't enough to earn Minnesota the win, it serves as further proof that the 30-year-old has been the breakout star of these WNBA playoffs.
Perhaps Williams seeing Ellie the Elephant trying to beef with her father will inspire another excellent performance when the Lynx and Liberty face off for Game 3 on Wednesday.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.