“Always a Hard Team to Make”: Diana Taurasi Drops Unapologetic Take On Caitlin Clark’s Olympic Snub

A range of emotions and opinions have come to the surface ever since Team USA left out Caitlin Clark for the Olympics. After a divided reaction among fans regarding her exclusion, eminent basketball analysts also have contradictory viewpoints. Now, it was time for her fellow WNBA peers to weigh in and reflect on this latest development. And who better to provide a clearer picture than a 5 x Olympic gold medalist, Diana Taurasi?

The 3× WNBA champion put forth her unfiltered views regarding the USA basketball’s decision. Talking to USA Today, she said, “I think I can say is it’s always a hard team to make no matter what. You go down the line the last 20 years and USA basketball is special. You know a lot of people sacrifice a lot of time throughout the year in camps in the junior basketball system.” 

Anyhow, Taurasi was confident that things would eventually shape up for the Indiana Fever rookie. She pointed out, “The game of basketball is all about evolving. It’s all about getting comfortable with your surroundings. And once you learn the steps and the rhythm and you have a skill set that is superior to everyone else, everything else will fall into place.” 

Taurasi, who made it to the Olympics the year she graduated, spoke of her experience as a rookie on the national team. “I was the youngest on that team by far. Just amazing amazing veterans took me under their wing and really showed me the ropes.” 

Soon after, she also mentioned the role of veterans such as Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Dawn Staley, and Tina Thompson in the development of her game. ‘Mount Rushmore of basketball’ she termed the bunch. “I was right there watching their every move. The way they prepared. How serious they took it. I had to learn the ropes too.” One can’t deny, the Mercury guard has herself grown to be one to look forward to.

Taurasi won her first Olympic gold in 2004, soon after she was drafted by Pheonix Mercury. The star guard fetched a place on every Olympic roster thereafter, bringing her gold medal tally to 5. She also came to be known as the ‘White Mamba” for her scoring ability in crucial situations. As a popular face in the NCAA (2004  Naismith College Player of the Year) and the WNBA (3X champion), this wasn’t the first time Taurasi has spoken about the NCAA Division I all-time leading score.

The history between Diana Taurasi and Caitlin Clark

Before Clark’s national championship game, Diana Taurasi issued a clear warning to the 6-foot guard before her advent to the WNBA. In an interview with ESPN, she had conveyed, “You look superhuman playing against some 18-year-olds but you’re going to come play with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time. There is gonna be a transition period where you’re going to have to give yourself some grace as a rookie.” 

However, she had to face severe criticism about her comments on social media. As a result, she has to come forward and clarify herself on Arizona Sports 98.7 by saying everything took a life of its own. “Every little comment.” The major disappointment out of it was being taken out of context.

Indeed, fans will hope that Caitlin Clark soon gets her national call. Nonetheless, they’ll still be enjoying what Caitlin Clark has managed to accomplish on the professional court until now. Hardly anyone would argue that there is more to come.