Diana Taurasi once said, “I go to sleep every single night thinking I’m not good enough. I really do.” A startling admission from a six-time Olympic gold medalist, a legend who stunned the world on her draft night, and an icon who has defined an era of basketball across 2 decades. Caitlin Clark would call her a ‘Legend,’ and LeBron James deemed it an honor to watch her play. That’s a peck in the sea of tributes that have flowed in to prove DT’s doubts wrong. Perhaps that could be so to one analyst too who is questioning her greatness.

Jason Whitlock, a controversial sports commentator, downplayed the storied legacy, suggesting that Taurasi’s retirement wouldn’t even be a headline without Caitlin Clark’s presence. Has the rise of a new star really eclipsed one of the game’s all-time greats?

“ESPN tried to make Diana Taurasi’s retirement a big deal. This would’ve never been treated as major news until Caitlin Clark. As she exits, I hope she thanks Clark for the great year of relevancy,” he posted on X. His post was accompanied by a clip from his podcast, where he elaborated on his stance.

“If there was no Caitlin Clark, this would not be major news. Think of all the players that have retired from the WNBA—never been treated as major news until Caitlin Clark. And so Diana Taurasi, who welcomed Caitlin Clark to the WNBA saying, ‘She’s got a lot to learn, and it’s going to be a rough start,’ was part of the group that had a little animus toward her,” Whitlock said. “Caitlin Clark actually has made her retirement relevant and newsworthy. So as she exits the stage, I hope that she remembers to thank Caitlin Clark for that one year of relevancy.”

The 2024 ROTY has indeed drawn eyes to the league, with W recording its highest-attended opening month in 26 years at 400,000. Arenas sold out, Indiana Fever broke records, and every other feud with CC drew immense attention; one involved Taurasi saying, “Reality is coming. You look superhuman playing against 18-year-olds but you’re gonna come [play] with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.” 

The Pheonix Mercury legend got on the wrong side of the CC fandom early on. But this would not bury the records Dee set and held for years before the Fever icon set foot. “An iconic career that will never be replicated,” Brianna Turner worded her tribute. NCAA, WNBA, Olympics, and EuroLeague, Taurasi cements her legacy with every title in her bag. That was only accepted of a rookie who set draft night viewership record of 600,000 back in 2004.

So while Whitlock may view it as an impact of Caitlin Clark, the Fever icon herself has shown nothing but respect and admiration for Taurasi. After naming the matchup against the Mercury legend her favorite, CC called her a ‘legend’ on her Instagram stories upon hearing the retirement announcement. The respect is mutual. Seven months ago, Taurasi was all praise for the newbie and her passion.

“The one thing that I really love about her is she loves the game. You can tell she’s put the work in, and even throughout her short WNBA career, it’s been a lot of pressure, a lot of things thrown at her, and she keeps showing up and keeps getting better every single game. So her future is super bright,” she had said. But that dynamic, outsiders just seem to refuse taking in.

Caitlin Clark’s impact falls heavy on not just Diana Taurasi

Despite the mutual respect between Taurasi and Clark, the WNBA fanbase took a different approach. Many fans saw Taurasi as a Clark detractor, and some were happy to see her go. “Goodbye Clark hater, nobody will miss you, and Clark is already better than you,“ one user wrote online, highlighting the polarizing nature of Clark’s presence in the league.

But it hasn’t just been limited to fans.

Whitlock has been one of Clark’s most vocal supporters, defending her against what he sees as unfair criticism. “The Diana Taurasi’s, the Sue Bird’s, Breanna Stewart—they’re right there with them in terms of their hatred of Caitlin Clark,” he said in an earlier podcast. “Some of the stuff they’re doing is justified. But all of this complaining, and ‘WE ALL SHOULD GET THE SAME PUBLICITY!’, and ‘ANGEL REESE IS JUST AS BIG A PART OF THIS!’…. I just don’t think it’s going to stop, and eventually, I think it’s going to break her.”

But Clark herself has condemned any remarks disrespectful of other players. Fans is not what she calls them, “trolls,” more apt. “It’s a real disservice to the people in our league,” she had emphasized as the topic reached a boiling point in the W with players like Angel Reese, Alyssa Thomas, and more speaking up about the issues.

The 23-year-old has commanded spotlight, pulled players into spotlight, remained clear about her respect, but to each, it’s their own game that writes legacy.