Diana Taruasi made headlines during the NCAA tournament as one of the loudest WNBA athlete voices doubting Caitlin Clark and her ability to dominate in the pros immediately. While the basketball world dreamed of incredible heights for the deep-shooting rookie, Taurasi used an alternate broadcast of the Final Four to pump the brakes ahead of Clark’s rookie season in the W.
In an interview on Bickley & Marotta in Phoenix on Friday following Clark’s home debut, Taurasi clarified her “reality is coming” quip about Clark and expressed confidence in the rookie going forward.
“These days, everything takes a life of their own,” Taurasi said. “You watch college football, college baseball, college hockey, college basketball … and that’s the way I look at the game: How will it translate?”
On @AZSports, Diana Taurasi shares some encouragement for Caitlin Clark as she acclimates to play in the WNBA: pic.twitter.com/6wJsmNPXpK
— Sarah Kezele 🌵 (@SarahKezele) May 17, 2024
Taurasi said she believes Clark will need to find strength within herself and get back to being “creative” on the court and dominating.
“Sometimes you’ve just got to cut the white noise out and get back to what the game is,” Taurasi said. “Sometimes you get to a position where there’s just so much attention and so many eyes on you that you’re not really having fun out there.”
On @AZSports, Diana Taurasi shares some encouragement for Caitlin Clark as she acclimates to play in the WNBA: pic.twitter.com/6wJsmNPXpK
— Sarah Kezele 🌵 (@SarahKezele) May 17, 2024
Taurasi expects Clark to regain her form after two disappointing performances to start the season with the Indiana Fever.
“The one thing I’ve always admired about Caitlin is when there’s a moment, she always steps up to the plate, which is just an unbelievable trait to have,” Taurasi said.
Now, it’s worth noting Taurasi’s comments were among the more heavily publicized negative quotes about Clark throughout her tournament run. She added to the negativity that she is now hoping Clark pulls out of.
Still, it’s good that Taurasi was willing to add context to her thoughts and take off the villain mask a bit in a more casual interview.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.