WNBA legend Diana Taurasi seems to have gone from attack mode to praise for rising star Caitlin Clark after the two faced each other on the court Sunday.
In the days before the 2024 WNBA Draft in April, Taurasi dismissed Clark, treated her as a child, and hinted that she thought it was easy to be a star in college but that women’s pro ball was a whole different world.
In fact, Taurasi seemed sure that Clark would be a disappointment at the very start of her WNBA career and insisted that she should give herself “some grace” as she faced a learning curve.
“Reality is coming,” Taurasi told ESPN early in April. “You look superhuman playing against some 18-year-olds, but you’re going to come play with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.”
She further condescended to Clark, adding, “There is gonna be a transition period where you’re going to have to give yourself some grace as a rookie.”
Of course, we now know that Clark proved herself to be a star in the pros, too, after coming out of the gate, racking up an impressive list of WNBA records, and bringing more viewers than the league has ever had.
Now, all of Taurasi’s condescending attitudes toward Clark seem to have dissipated, and Taurasi is now full of praise for the league’s biggest star.
After Clark and her Indiana Fever put down Taurasi’s Phoenix Mercury in a comeback win on Sunday, Taurasi was suddenly all about positive vibes for Clark.
“It’s amazing what Caitlin’s been able to do in her short career so far,” Taurasi told ESPN. “The one thing that I really love about her is she loves the game. You can tell she’s put the work in. … It’s been a lot of pressure, a lot of things thrown at her, and she keeps showing up and keeps getting better every single game.”
The Mercury legend added, “So, her future is super bright, and being a veteran and being in this league for a long, long time, it is pretty cool to see that and go into the future.”
Clark replied in kind and insisted that Taurasi was her “girlhood idol” and that she was thrilled to be able to play against her.
“I’m just happy we won,” Clark said after the game. “It was cool to play against [Taurasi], and obviously a really great game. This crowd was absolutely incredible.”
Clark ended the game with 15 points, 12 assists, and nine rebounds as her team overtook the Mercury for the win.
No. 22 wasn’t the only Fever player to excel on Sunday. Aliyah Boston led the Fever with 17 points. Kelsey Mitchell and NaLyssa Smith chipped in 16 and 12 points respectively.
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