Just a few months ago, WNBA legend Diana Taurasi insisted that “reality is coming” for Caitlin Clark as she suggested that she thought Clark would struggle when playing against professionals at the WNBA level. But after facing off against Clark for the first time on the court on Sunday, it seems like she has changed her tune.
On Sunday afternoon, Caitlin Clark had one of the best and most well-rounded performances of her young WNBA career as she helped lead the Indiana Fever to an 88-82 victory over Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury. And after the game, Taurasi was full of praise for the rookie sensation.
“I mean it’s amazing. What Caitlin’s been able to do in her short career so far has just been nothing short of remarkable,” Taurasi said according to On3. “And the one thing that I really love about her is she really loves the game. You can tell she’s put the work in.
“Even throughout her short WNBA career it’s been a lot of pressure, a lot of things thrown at her. She keeps showing up and keeps getting better every single game, so her future is super bright. Being a veteran, being in this league for a long, long time, it’s pretty cool to see that and going into the future.”
These comments are radically different than what Taurasi said about Clark back in April.
“Reality is coming,” Taurasi said in April. “There’s levels to this thing. And that’s just life, we all went through it. You see it on the NBA side and you’re going to see it on this side, you look superhuman playing against 18 years olds but you’re going to come play with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.”
Obviously, this massive change of tune led to a lot of reactions on social media.
Ok Diana, I hate you a little bit less now. Humility is an amazing thing… https://t.co/brhA8uCjIU
— OmaHawkeye (@OmaHawkeye03) June 30, 2024
End that discourse queen! Only Diana could bring this full circle. Can we never discuss vets vs CC again? Reality is that this whole league is filled with incredible competitors who want women’s sports to succeed. They’re the ones who put in the work year in year out. https://t.co/QcNyltXoK9
— raxileigh (@Raxileigh) June 30, 2024
Cool of Diana Taurasi to let down her guard a bit after their first matchup. https://t.co/4Wu3IfeSJa
— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) June 30, 2024
Finally… https://t.co/NvQMEDSKpc
— Christine VanDeVelde (@CKVanDeVelde) June 30, 2024
The legend speaks and hopefully puts an end to the silly hate https://t.co/doaNPamscs
— Eddie (@eddieb2) June 30, 2024
Impressed with DT today. Ive been pretty critical of her attitude towards Cait but it looks like she's earned that respect now. Good job, DT. https://t.co/WVbfpkHQeR
— Slackaveli999 (@KenSlackBledsoe) June 30, 2024
Clearly, Taurasi is impressed by the way Clark has proven herself at the WNBA level.
[On3]
