On an intense Wednesday night of basketball, good friends Saniya Rivers and Marina Mabrey found themselves on opposite sides in a WNBA game. Mabrey’s Toronto Tempo ended up defeating Rivers’ Connecticut Sun 106-102 in an overtime encounter.
A clip from that tightly contested game went viral, and it involves both Rivers and Mabrey. At one point in the extra period, Sun forward Diamond Miller took an aggressive swipe at the ball held by Mabrey, prompting the Tempo guard to initiate a confrontation. Rivers then walked into the situation and gently shoved Miller away.
On social media, some fans took issue with Mabrey’s emotional reaction. Other fans had something to say about Rivers pushing Miller away from Mabrey.
“Damn but if this was Caitlin Clark….She would entitled, privileged, & any other negative connotation. But when Marina Mabrey encouraged & celebrated…” one fan tweeted.
“Saniya told Diamond to keep it cute with Marina,” another fan claimed.
“Marina is such a loser and Saniya just divided the locker room,” one fan speculated.
“Saniya pushing her own teammate for her girl Marina . Diamond wasn’t feeling that tho,” another fan said.
“Saniya Rivers pushing her own teammate for Marina Mabrey while the Connecticut Sun are 2–12 is Crazy. Priorities,” one fan pointed out.
“Marina gets away with so much. I get the passion and all, but she has multiple incidents of going after other players outside of basketball play. She definitely has anger issues,” another fan argued.
For what it’s worth, Rivers and Mabrey have been close buddies since last year, when Rivers was drafted by a Connecticut team that was banking on Mabrey as one of its veteran leaders.
The two went viral in July when the WNBA posted a clip of a photoshoot, in which Rivers was affectionately hugging Mabrey from behind. There is no confirmation, however, that the two athletes are in a romantic relationship.
Saniya Rivers and Marina Mabrey Run Pregame Race in Viral Clip
Interestingly, Saniya Rivers and Marina Mabrey took some time to catch up with each other before their Wednesday night game.
In a viral clip posted by Tempo beat reporter Chelsea Leite, the two are seen racing along the halfcourt line of Coca-Cola Coliseum, with Mabrey appearing to claim victory.
After their race, the two then pose for a photo and share a few more laughs together.
READ MORE: Tempo Dealt Blow as Rookie Kiki Rice Expected to Miss a Few Weeks
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