Diana Taurasi is broadly considered one of the greatest gamers in WNBA history. Meanwhile, rookie Caitlin Clark has helped carry an unprecedented quantity of consideration to girls’s basketball.
Clark and the Indiana Fever will faceoff with Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday. The sport will mark Clark’s first alternative to compete towards Taurasi in the WNBA.
Clark was requested about her emotions main as much as the extremely anticipated matchup with a participant she grew up idolizing.
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Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever warms up earlier than the sport /ah at Wintrust Arena on June 23, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
“It’s incredible,” Clark informed reporters on Saturday about Taurasi’s two-decade run in the league. “I don’t think people realize how hard that is to do.”
WNBA COMMISSIONER SCOFFS AT NOTION CAITLIN CLARK IS BEING TARGETED BY WNBA PLAYERS
Clark additionally stated taking the court docket for a sport towards a participant of Taurasi’s caliber was “a dream come true. You get to live out your dream while playing against the best.”
Diana Taurasi #3 of the Phoenix Mercury seems to be on throughout the sport towards the Las Vegas Aces on May 14, 2024 at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. (David Becker/NBAE through Getty Images)
Clark went on to explain Taurasi as one of the WNBA’s all-time greats. “Obviously, she’s one of the greatest players our game has ever seen, the greatest scorer our game has ever seen,” Clark stated.
Despite Clark’s newest reward, a budding rivalry between the two high-profile gamers could possibly be on the horizon.
When Taurasi was requested to share her ideas on dealing with Clark for the first time, she delivered a quick response. “Yeah, it’ll be fun,” she stated.
In April, Taurasi was requested about what incoming WNBA rookies might count on. She proceeded to recommend {that a} impolite awakening was in retailer.
“Look, SVP, reality is coming,” Taurasi told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt throughout an look on SportsHeart on April 6. “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. You look superhuman playing against 18-year-olds, but you’re going to (be playing against) some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.”
Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever seems to be on throughout the sport towards the Seattle Storm on June 27, 2024 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. (Mollie Handkins/NBAE through Getty Images)
While the feedback have been about the rookie class as an entire, some believed the remarks have been a direct jab at Clark, who dominated at the college basketball degree.
Nevertheless, Taurasi and Clark additionally share some similarities. Taurasi is the WNBA’s profession scoring chief, whereas nobody scored extra factors at the NCAA Division I degree than Clark. Both level guards are additionally robust 3-point shooters.
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Taurasi is one of three gamers on the Mercury’s roster who will symbolize the US in Paris subsequent month for the Olympics, becoming a member of Brittney Griner and guard Kahleah Copper. Team USA will probably be competing for a file eight consecutive Olympic gold medal.
The 2024 Olympic roster notably doesn’t embrace any gamers who lately rose from the collegiate ranks. Clark’s exclusion from the roster sparked appreciable debate. Her teammate and the league’s reigning rookie of the yr, Aliyah Boston was additionally left off the roster.
The Fever and Mercury tipoff at 3:00 p.m. EST on June 30.
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