Michael Che gets shut down by Caitlin Clark, yet again, in a new commercial for Nike.
Continuing a fictional contentious relationship that began on Saturday Night Live‘s “Weekend Update,” Che takes a jab at Clark in the TV spot—but the WNBA superstar is left unfazed.
The ad features fans, celebs, and young athletes challenging Clark to make baskets from impressively long distances. (“Hey Caitlin, can you make it from here?” the Indiana Fever player is repeatedly asked.) Among her doubters are Jason and Travis Kelce, who appear in their New Heights podcast setup to insist Clark has “no chance.”
But it’s Che’s challenge that provokes a direct response from Clark.
The “Update” anchor is shown onstage at a comedy club, delivering some light mocking of the WNBA star. “Hey Caitlin, from here might be impressive,” he says. “Am I right?”
Watching a video of Che’s set on her phone, Clark shakes her head. “Whatever, Che,” she scoffs, brushing off the barb.
As the ad plays on, Clark proves she can indeed make a basket “from anywhere,” prompting Che to eat his words.
“Alright, well, looks like she can do it,” Che admits onstage in the commercial’s closing tag.
As SNL fans know, this isn’t the first time Clark has gotten the last word with Che. In April 2024, she surprised Che by appearing alongside him at the “Update” desk after he delivered a misogynist joke about the University of Iowa player, who would be drafted by the Indiana Fever just two days later.
“The University of Iowa announced that basketball star Caitlin Clark will have her jersey retired—and replaced with an apron,” Che delivered to groans from the audience.
Che then feigned surprise as Clark appeared and made him answer for several WNBA jokes he’d made over the years . When Che denied that he had made “a lot” of jokes about the league, Colin Jost rolled a supercut of past digs that proved him wrong. Clark then forced Che to deliver several jokes about himself that she claimed to have written.
“This year, Caitlin Clark broke the record for three-pointers in a single season,” one joke went. “And I have three pointers for Michael Che: 1) Be, 2) Funnier, 3) Dumbass.”
Clark closed that segment with a shoutout to the WNBA stars who came before her and “kicked down the door so I could walk inside.” She then gifted Che a signed apron.
