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Caitlin Clark 'Honored' to Lose At This Basketball Mini-Game to NFL Great Eli Manning

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark got cooked in a basketball shooting mini-game to Eli Manning, but wasn't too upset about it.
Grant Young|
Sep 25, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts during the first half against the Connecticut Sun during game two of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
Sep 25, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts during the first half against the Connecticut Sun during game two of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

It's hard to imagine Caitlin Clark getting out-classed in a basketball shooting competition to anyone on the planet aside from maybe Golden State Warriors legend Steph Curry, who is the greatest sharpshooter in the sport's history.

At least, it's hard to imagine Clark losing when she's actually on a hardwood basketball court, shooting regulation-sized balls at a 10-foot basket. But when it comes to other sorts of shooting competitions, perhaps she's more susceptible to defeat.

This was conveyed during a basketball shooting mini-game called "pop-a-shot" she did against legendary NFL quarterback and two-time Super Bowl Champion Eli Manning during his Eli Manning Show, which the New York Giants (whom Manning spent all 16 seasons of his NFL career with) posted on their YouTube Channel on March 6.

The video shows the two competing in the classic arcade-style basketball game that features them shooting mini balls at a mini net, rapid-fire style. Clark gets off to a hot start before Manning catches fire. About midway through the competition, Clark admitted that she's "bad" at pop-a-shot. Ultimately, Manning pulled away, beating Clark by the competition by a final score of 76-51.

After the defeat, Clark can be heard saying, "Give it up for Eli... He's gonna give me lessons."

Manning then said that he does a lot of games of this sort on his Eli Manning Show, and that this might be the first time he has won one of them — to which Clark responded by saying, "Wow, I'm honored to be the first."

Props to Clark for being a good sport about this loss. But given how competitive she is, we would imagine she'll be practicing her pop-a-shot skills in the future in hopes of a potential Manning rematch.

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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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