$45 million worth Deion Sanders hypes up WNBA star Diana Taurasi during matchup against Indiana's Caitlin Clark 

When the Phoenix Mercury faced off against the Indiana Fever, star Diana Taurasi finally had the chance to go head-to-head with the much-heralded WNBA rookie Caitlin Clark for the first time since she claimed that it wouldn't be an easy transition for the ex-Iowa Hawkeyes star.

The contest was a close one ending 88-82 in favor of the Fever but on X, the $45 million worth Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders (as per Forbes) only had eyes for the veteran Taurasi praising her heartily.

"@WNBA @dianataurasi is HER!!!" Sanders wrote.

Diana Taurasi finished the contest with 19 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds while Caitlin Clark registered 15 points, 9 rebounds and 12 assists.

The Diana Taurasi versus Caitlin Clark saga

Over the past few months, anticipation has built up over the first meeting between Diana Taurasi who is known for her no-nonsense approach to the game against the Indiana Fever rookie, Caitlin Clark.

In April while appearing on ESPN's "SportsCenter," Taurasi gave her thoughts on how Caitlin Clark would adapt to the WNBA which prompted the huge backlash forming the basis for the interest in the pair before their clash.

"Look, SVP, reality is coming,” Taurasi said. “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 where 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. It might take a little bit longer for some people.”

For weeks after the fact, Diana Taurasi received a lot of backlash from the legion of Caitlin Clark fans that she had amassed as she blitzed all of college basketball records and became a force in the country.

For her part, Clark struggled in the first few weeks of her WNBA career exactly as Taurasi had predicted but she seems to have found her groove and is averaging 16.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists.

Diana Taurasi is 42 years old and has played in the WNBA for 20 years after being drafted No. 1 overall in the 2004 WNBA Draft so she might know a thing or two about the adaptation period required in the league.