Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi gave a blunt response when asked about her upcoming first matchup against Indiana Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark.
"Yeah, it'll be fun," Taurasi said after the Mercury's practice on Wednesday (June 26) before shifting her focus to another question via Desert Wave Media.
Taurasi, 42, widely regarded as one of the greatest players in WNBA history, had previously addressed Clark's hype entering the league in April, which some took as criticism.
“And that’s just life, we all went through it,” Taurasi told ESPN's Scott Van Pelt when asked about Clark, the No. 1 overall pick, and Kamilla Cardoso, who was by the Chicago Sky at No. 3 overall in the WNBA Draft. “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. Not saying it’s not gonna translate, because when you’re great at what you do, you’re just gonna get better.
“But there is gonna be a transition period, where you’re gonna have to give yourself some grace as a rookie.”
Taurasi later criticized "new fans" of the league as being "sensitive" following some of the backlash she received.
“It’s kind of like when you go from kindergarten to first grade there’s a learning adjustment, when you go from high school to college there’s a learning adjustment," Taurasi said via the New York Post. "I don’t think I said anything that wasn’t factually correct. Like anything, greatness is going to translate and she’s proven that in every level and I don’t see that being any different in the WNBA.”
Taurasi also addressed the uproar caused by Clark being snubbed from the U.S. women's basketball Olympics team, reassuring the rookie phenom that "everything will fall into place" once she fully adjusts from the collegiate level to the pros.
Clark, 22, has averaged 16.3 points, 6.6 assists and 5.4 rebounds through her first 18 games, though the Fever have struggled with a 7-11 record, which included losing eight of their first 10 games in 2024. The former University of Iowa standout is the all-time leading scorer in NCAA basketball history and her collegiate dominance has led to a significant spike in the popularity of women's basketball.
The Fever have accounted for all of the five most-watched WNBA games since 2002, which includes their June 16 win against the Chicago Sky (1.3 rating and 2.25 million viewers) surpassing Clark's WNBA debut on ESPN2 Opening Night as the league's most-watched game since the 2001 Memorial Day matchup between the Los Angeles Sparks and Houston Comets, which totaled 2.44 million viewers.
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