It’s not often that a star-studded team like the Minnesota Lynx’s performance is transcended by a celebration that goes far beyond basketball. After all, it’s quite certain that a team featuring Courtney Williams, Natasha Howard, and Kayla McBride should get prominence for their skill set on the court. But on Friday, it was different. The Lynx won their final preseason game against the Toronto Tempo 66-73 at the Target Center, but it was a postgame ritual that had the fans talking.
Right after the win, the entire Lynx roster took the court and did the electric slide dance that has been synonymous with the franchise. Notably, Napheesa Collier, who is currently recovering from an injury and hasn’t played any preseason games, was also with the team, immediately involved in their dance ritual. An X handle shares a glimpse of how this ritual went on Friday.
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Liv’s first dance as a Lynx🙂↔️🙂↕️ pic.twitter.com/30IAK1KUUu
Now, it’s practice: Lynx does the electric dance ritual after every win at the Target Center. Even last season, we’ve seen them do the ritual after high-profile wins over the Indiana Fever and the Los Angeles Sparks. And on similar lines, the win over the Toronto Tempo also asked for a similar celebration.
From a game perspective, the Lynx were quite spot-on in their approach. It’s true that the team committed a high number of turnovers (15). But their precise shooting (43% from the field) and dominant rebounding compensated for it far more. Their WNBA No.2 pick, Olivia Miles, and Kayla McBride had 13 each in the game as Emma Cechova added 16 from the bench.
But none of it was the fans’ talking point after the game, as all the attention was reserved for their dance ritual, which created a stir on social media and, in turn, gave the fans plenty to share.
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Fans Say Minnesota Lynx’s Dance Ritual After Preseason Game Was ‘WILD’
“You’d think they would actually TEACH them the dance before doing it live lol just left Poffenbarger confused,” a fan wrote.
“22 needs help,” stated another.
The electric dance slide after the win will, of course, come as a surprise to the young players on the team. After all, this isn’t a regular occurrence for a basketball team to dance after every home win. And in this case, it’s only natural for new players like Saylor Poffenbarger and Emma Cechova to feel a bit out of sorts.
For the first comment, though, Cechova clearly mentioned it in the post-game press conference that she practiced a few moves with her teammates before the game, as she doesn’t take much interest in basketball. “Oh god yeah(laughing),” she said in the press conference. “That’s a really really new thing to me. I never danced before after the game, I’m not good at dancing… The girls helped us to learn the dance before the game but I didn’t know that we’d be dancing after the game to the fans, next time I need to go in the middle of the crowd.”
“Corny as hell,” remarked another.
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“I would refuse to play for the Lynx if they make me do a dance tbh, probably why half the team left them,” chimed in another.
Several fans, including this one, resented Lynx’s celebration after the win. But it isn’t just a circumstantial celebration that has popped up out of the blue. In fact, it’s been with the franchise for more than a decade now, and even before their veteran head coach and current President of Basketball Operations, Cheryl Reeve, took charge of the team in 2010.
“This was a tradition that was started in the Minnesota Lynx. Long before I got to the Minnesota Lynx…What they’re doing now is whatever they put their stamp on. But that’s a tradition that’s long been a Minnesota Lynx thing before we all got here,” Reeve said when asked about the tradition back in 2024. According to some reports, the tradition dates back to 2008-2009. And subsequently, every player who has joined the team has followed it without questioning the actual reason.
For instance, one of the senior pros, Napheesa Collier, said in 2024, “They told me to do it when I got there and I tell other people to do it when they get there.”
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“Dancing on a preseason game is WILD,” stated another.
Now, some might definitely feel that Lynx’s celebration after a preseason game is a bit of overexaggeration. But they were just following the traditions of players who had played for the franchise long before they joined the team. Thus, it’s a kind gesture of respect for the team’s way of celebrating their success.
Additionally, the game marked a clean sweep for the team in the preseason. With the 73-66 win, they made it three on the trot after wins against the Washington Mystics and the Nigerian National team. And that too, without their franchise cornerstone, Napheesa Collier, who is currently recovering from her ankle surgery. Thus, such a bright start to their 2026 season does leave some room for celebration before a hectic regular season kicks in a few days.
Notably, the Minnesota Lynx will tip off their first official game of the season on May 9 against the Atlanta Dream.
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The post “Corny as Hell”: WNBA World Reacts to Lynx’s Viral Postgame Ritual Following Toronto Win appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
