02-07-2025
ESPN ripped for awful YouTube blunder before Fever 's Commissioner's Cup win
Oops.
A bold pregame graphic from ESPN's YouTube channel turned heads Tuesday night after allegedly teasing a headline that read, 'Lynx dominate Fever,' ahead of the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup Final, as captured on social media.
But the script flipped as the Fever convincingly beat the Minnesota Lynx, 74–59, to take home the title.
And they did so despite the absence of Caitlin Clark, whose injury-plagued season sidelined her once more.
The internet didn't forget, either, as seen in a post from former Big3 sideline reporter Rachel DeMita.
3 The ESPN caption on YouTube.
@RADeMita/X
'What tf are you doing ESPN????' she posted to X.
The Fever surged in the second half, outscoring the Lynx, 42–25, over the final two quarters.
Indiana trailed, 20-12, after the first quarter before outpacing Minnesota, 62-39, for the rest of the contest.
Natasha Howard led the way for Indiana with a dominant two-way performance, finishing with 16 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals to earn Commissioner's Cup MVP honors.
3 Natasha Howard won Commissioner Cup MVP.
NBAE via Getty Images
Aaliyah Boston, Aari McDonald and Kelsey Mitchell all contributed 12 points each in the win.
Boston also added 11 rebounds and six assists.
3 Natasha Howard works around Jessica Shepard of the Minnesota Lynx during the second quarter of the championship game of the 2025 Commissioners Cup at Target Center on July 1, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Getty Images
Minnesota, meanwhile, struggled offensively.
Napheesa Collier was held to 12 points on 6-for-18 shooting, and the Lynx shot just 34.9 percent as a team.
Turnovers (16) and poor transition defense proved costly, as did their 3-point shooting, landing at just 25 percent (4 of 16).
Alanna Smith paced the effort with 15 points, and Courtney Williams added 11 but also had six turnovers.
The game marked Indiana's first Commissioner's Cup victory in what has otherwise been an uneasy season.
The Fever are just 8-8 while dealing with Clark missing seven regular-season games plus Tuesday night's tilt.
