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WNBA legend Diana Taurasi acknowledged she made a mistake when predicting how Caitlin Clark would fare once she made it to the pros. Although Clark had a rough start to her rookie season, she got the hang of the league as the weeks went by, leading the Indiana Fever to the postseason, turning a 1-9 start to a 20-20 final record.
Clark and Taurasi reunited on Taurasi's ESPN show with Sue Bird. While watching the NCAA women's basketball tournament championship game on Sunday, Taurasi mocked herself to praise Clark.
"Thank you," Taurasi said. "Unfortunately, reality is coming to me now."
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The comment referred to Taurasi's words about how different things would be for Caitlin Clark once she entered the WNBA out of Iowa a year ago. In April 2024, Taurasi said that Clark wouldn't have an easy walk to dominate as she did in college.
"Reality is coming. ... You know, there is levels to this thing. And that's just life, we've all been through it," Taurasi said. "You see it on the NBA side, and you're going to see it on this side. You look superhuman playing against some 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 it's not gonna translate. Because when you are great at what you do, it's just gonna get better. But there is gonna be a transition period where you're gonna need to give yourself some grace as a rookie. It might take a little bit longer for some people."
Diana Taurasi says she gets "PTSD" with every Caitlin Clark's 3-pointer
Diana Taurasi couldn't stop praising Caitlin Clark during their Sunday conversation. She added that whenever she saw CC hit a 3-pointer, she got PTSD.
Clark made 122 3-pointers during her rookie season, ranking first in the league and becoming a member of the first teammates to hit 100-plus 3-pointers in a season alongside Kelsey Mitchell.
Before the All-Star break, Caitlin Clark averaged 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game, shooting 40.5% from the field, 32.7% from 3-point range and 89.1% from the free-throw line.
Once the second half of the season started, she posted 23.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 8.9 apg and 1.1 spg, shooting 43.5% from the floor, 37% from deep and 92.9% from the free throw line. It took her a while, but Clark adjusted to the WNBA and closed out the regular season in strong fashion.
