Reggie Miller, Tyrese Haliburton and now … Caitlin Clark.
Sitting courtside at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Game 3 of the NBA Finals, the Fever guard became the latest Indiana basketball superstar to invoke Miller’s legendary choke celebration — even if she wasn’t playing in the game herself.
When cameras panned to Clark during the first half, the Iowa product couldn’t resist doing the celebration, which Miller famously used to taunt the Knicks after his Pacers won Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference finals.
Caitlin Clark breaks out Reggie Miller’s choke celebration from the 1994 Eastern Conference finals against the Knicks. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectHaliburton paid homage to that legendary moment in Game 1 of this year’s conference finals against the Knicks, pulling it out after hitting his ridiculous shot that forced overtime and led to an eventual Indiana win.
At this point, the celebration is synonymous not just with Miller but with the Pacers and Indiana basketball as a whole.
Clark breaking it out could have been premature, since the Pacers and Thunder were locked in a back-and-forth battle for most of the game, but Indiana came through with a 116-107 win behind a terrific fourth quarter.
Explore More
Still, the choke celebration might have been more apt during the Pacers’ stunning Game 1 win in Oklahoma City, with Indiana trailing by double digits for much of the game before storming back late and stealing a 111-110 win on a go-ahead jumper from Haliburton with 0.3 seconds remaining.
Clark has been sidelined with a left quad strain since May 24, but the 23-year-old — who is close friends with Haliburton — has made plenty of cameos at Gainbridge Fieldhouse throughout the Pacers’ run to the Finals.
In fact, Indiana is 8-0 in playoff games this year with Clark in attendance.
Reggie Miller claps during Game 3 of the NBA Finals on June 11. Kyle Terada-Imagn ImagesClark will have an opportunity to make another appearance at Game 4 on Friday night, when Indiana will look to take a commanding 3-1 series lead against the Thunder.
And perhaps Clark will break out the choke celebration once she returns to the court with the upstart Fever, who are hoping for their own magical playoff run in September.
