The rookie of the year. The Golden Goose. The Steph Curry of Women’s Basketball. Caitlin Clark has earned all these names and more, just casually rewriting the rules of what a WNBA rookie can be. She’s a walking highlight reel, a magnet for the camera, and a certified fan favorite. The whole off-season was filled with her courtside moments. The muscle pic from the Iowa game? Her rocking Butler jersey at her boyfriend’s Bulldogs matchup? You’re getting the flashbacks, right? Well, now, just before she finally suits up for her year 2 with the Indiana Fever, CC has managed to spark another viral moment.

While the Fever is prepping to make a title run this year, the Indiana Pacers are chasing their own. Both Indiana basketball teams call Gainbridge Fieldhouse home, and the bond between them is real. Ever since Clark arrived, players from both squads have been spotted cheering each other on all over the place. Tyrese Haliburton was seen at several Fever home games last season, and now Clark’s returned the favor.

She was in the building for Game 1 of the Pacers-Bucks first-round showdown. She was chilling, repping the squad in one of those bright yellow graphic T-shirt, designed as an Indiana Pacers NBA playoff tee. It was all smiles as the Pacers dominated their way to a Game 1 victory. Game 2 also saw the Fever superstar’s presence but it was a whole different vibe.

Clark popped out with Fever stars Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, and the hype mode was activated. The trio came out tossing shirts, lighting up every section they hit, and the crowd at Gainbridge was loving every second of it. 

Then came the viral bit. 

Now, we know Clark’s no stranger to a little back-and-forth with the refs. She’s had a couple of “animated conversations” during her rookie year run with the Fever. But this time, with just over a week left before Indiana tips off its preseason on May 3, she wasn’t chatting with a WNBA ref.  This time, she had an interaction with an NBA referee.

But don’t worry, it was the fun kind.

As CC made her way off the court, she had a quick chat with the NBA’s lead referee. Whatever she said had him laughing as she walked off. And obviously, fans didn’t miss a beat.

‘Yapping Queen!’ Caitlin Clark’s antics already have fans talking techs

One fan set the internet rolling by sharing a video with the caption, “can’t help but yap at the ref on her way out 😭😭😭,” and that was all it took. A full-blown CC-fest followed. You know what’s funny? We don’t really see Caitlin being all goofy or making TikToks like some of the other W stars we love.  But when it comes to her little chats with the refs? That’s where the fun side really sneaks out.

In that clip, the ref was just standing there, totally expressionless, and CC, who’d already walked past him, turned back just to say something. For no reason. Just vibes.  So naturally, this latest moment had fans crowning her again. One dubbed her “our Yapping Queen 😂” Reminded everyone of that time she was at an Iowa vs Michigan State game as a spectator and couldn’t hold back from reacting to the calls.

At one point she literally clapped and yelled, “That’s a bad call!” and then later, after a call went Iowa’s way, she hit the refs with a double thumbs-up. Crowd loved it at that time, too. Another chimed in, “Looks like she was yapping with everybody to be fair lol.” Are they wrong? No. Even while throwing t-shirts into the crowd, she didn’t stop. She was just continuously chatting with anyone and everyone—Mitchell popped in for a quick word, then she moved right along to someone else after the ref moment. 

It’s like the court flips a switch in her. Then there was another fun moment. A fan noticed and shared, “I like the mini fake out she did to the last guy for the T-shirt,” and if you missed it…she had the final tee in hand, a volunteer was standing there, ready to take it, and CC gestured like she was about to hand it over. 

Then she paused, gave him a little fake toss move just for laughs, and then handed it over. The guy laughed, the fans around laughed, it was a wholesome moment. One fan said what we were all thinking: “And she thinks she is only gonna get 2 tech’s this year in more games. She will take over DT’s tech throne this year.” 

Remember her chat with Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi where she shared how she told Coach Stephanie White she’s only planning on getting two techs this season? With 44 games on the schedule, fans aren’t buying it. Fans totally believe she can definitely give DT competition for that all-time tech record. After watching her getting 6 techs (the second highest and equal to Dee) as a rookie, can we argue? It’s like part of her game. And that’s not even a knock, that’s just who she is. Expressive, animated, fiery. 

But with that said, well, Fever coach has made it very clear that Indiana can’t afford those momentum-changing ones. So while there’s a very real possibility that Clark’s fiery self could rack up more than two techs, she’s gonna have to find the balance. Let’s see if she can actually keep that “2 techs” promise.