Diana Taurasi was left with an egg on her face after she and the Phoenix Mercury suffered a season sweep to the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark - just a handful of months after the guard issued a stark WNBA warning to the star rookie.
On Friday, Clark returned with a vengeance from the Olympic break after being left off of the Team USA roster, propelling the Fever to a 98-89 win over the Mercury - Indiana’s third victory over Phoenix in as many tries this year. She finished the night with 29 points, 10 assists and five rebounds while shooting 8-of-16 from the field.
Taurasi , meanwhile, looked to be feeling the after effects of winning gold at the Paris Games just last week, thereby having little time to regain her bearings with the Mercury. She ended with 16 points, four rebounds, three assists and three turnovers, as well as a tech that she received in the first quarter for an interaction with referees following a foul call on Brittney Griner.
Clark’s triumph over Taurasi is all the more sweet considering the Mercury’s social media team took a direct shot at the 22-year-old ahead of Friday’s matchup. Two days prior, Phoenix posted a clip of a young fan holding a sign that read: “Who is Caitlin? I’m here for Taurasi” alongside a montage of the veteran raining down shots from behind the arc.
It hasn’t taken long for Clark to make her presence felt in the WNBA, despite Taurasi previously asserting that a significant transition period awaited her once she turned pro. While speaking to ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt shortly after Iowa advanced to their second consecutive NCAA women’s basketball title game, the 42-year-old was asked how the league’s stars would greet the incoming rookie class featuring the likes of Clark, Kamilla Cardoso, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink and more.
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“When the college guys come out, they're waiting for them. I mean, Kamilla’s coming, Caitlin’s coming, there's more than just that that are coming. What will the league have in store for them when they get there?” Van Pelt said.
“Look, SVP, reality is coming. You know, there's levels to this thing. And that's just life. We all went through it,” Taurasi replied. “And you see it on the NBA side, and you're going to see it on this side, where, you know, you look superhuman playing against 18-year-olds, but you're going to come with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.
“Not saying that it's not going to translate, because when you're great at what you do, you're just going to get better. But there is going to be a transition period where you're going to have to give yourself some grace as a rookie, and, you know, it might take a little bit longer for some people.”
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