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Viral ESPN Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu Shooting Comparison Led to Fan Receipts

When it comes to shooting logo three's, Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark is in a league of her own.

Grant Young

New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) and Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) watch a free throw Saturday, July 6, 2024, during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) and Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) watch a free throw Saturday, July 6, 2024, during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. / Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

While Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever have been eliminated from the WNBA playoffs, it's no surprise that those within the league are having a hard time keeping Clark out of the conversation as the playoffs progress.

This was evident during the WNBA Semifinals game between the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty on Sunday (which the Liberty won 87-77). At one point in the ESPN broadcast, commentator Ryan Ruocco made a comparison between fan reactions to Clark and Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu's deep shooting aptitude.

"It is very similar to the anticipation we felt in Iowa or in Indiana this year when Caitlin Clark is getting ready to let go of a logo three," Ruocco said when speaking about Ionescu having drained a deep three in the game. "You can just feel the crowd leaning forward, ready to explode."

Some fans on social media took this as Ruocco comparing Clark and Ionescu's shooting abilities from behind the arc — and then pulled out the receipts to disprove it.

X user @bellylint4 went viral for writing, "saying that sabrina pulling up for a logo three gets the crowd going like CC is INSANE when sabrina been doing that s*** like?!??" as a response to what Ruocco said.

This prompted another X user to reply with a post showing Ionescu and Clark's shooting from 30-34 feet this season, which is typically what's considered a "logo" three-pointer.

Ionescu shot 1-4 from that range this season, which makes for 25%. Clark shot 12-30, which makes for a whopping 40%.

While Ruocco didn't appear to be comparing the two elite guards' respective deep shooting abilities, these social media receipts made it clear that there's really no contest in the matter.

Published
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

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.

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