Phoenix Mercury Roasts Caitlin Clark Fans With Blunt Message

Earlier this year, Phoenix Mercury veteran Diana Taurasi rubbed a lot of Caitlin Clark fans the wrong way when she said “reality is coming” for Clark when she makes the jump to the WNBA level.

In Clark’s preseason debut, the former Iowa superstar didn’t seem to miss a beat — dropping 21 points through 28 minutes of action.

After Clark’s impressive debut performance, her fans took to social media with some jabs at Taurasi.

Oct 13, 2021; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi (3) looks on against the Chicago Sky during the second half of game two of the 2021 WNBA Finals at Footprint Center.

Diana Taurasi is Trending After Caitlin Clark’s Debut Performance

The Mercury responded with a simple message on Sunday.

“We love that our league is growing and that you’re here, but we have 27 years of exceptional women’s basketball history for you to catch up on,” the team wrote on X, linking to a video chronicling Taurasi’s greatness.

Here are Taurasi’s full comments regarding Clark’s upcoming transition to the WNBA level:

“Reality is coming. 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 come with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time,” Taurasi said.

“Not saying that it’s not going to translate, because when you’re great at what you do, you’re just going to get better. But there is going to be a transition period, where you’re just going to have to give yourself grace as a rookie, and it might take a little bit longer for some people.”

Clark and the Fever are scheduled to face off against Taurasi and the Mercury on June 30.

Whether or not Caitlin Clark can dominate is just pre-season so it’s too early to say, Diana Taurasi

Caitlin Clark’s fandom reignited their feud with Diana Taurasi following the Indiana Fever’s first preseason game By
Caitlin Clark, Diana Taurasi, Indiana Fever, Phoenix Mercury

 

The Indiana Fever concluded their first preseason game on Friday, and one takeaway from it all is how Caitlin Clark’s fans still have an ongoing feud with Diana Taurasi. Clark finished with 21 points and many of her followers couldn’t help but reference Taurasi due to the recent comments made by the Phoenix Mercury star.

 

A brief history of Diana Taurasi’s beef with the Caitlin Clark fandom

For more context, it all started when the hype surrounding Clark was at an all-time high during the March Madness tournament. Taurasi made headlines when she stated that Clark looked “superhuman” because the latter faced collegiate-level players.https://twitter.com/i/status/1786562343666688212

“Reality is coming,” Taurasi said, during an interview with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt. “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 where you look superhuman playing against 18-year-olds, but you’re going to come with some grown women who’ve been playing professional basketball for a long time.”

“(I’m) not saying that it’s not gonna translate, cause when you’re great at what you do, you’re just gonna get better. But there is gonna be a transition period, where you’re gonna have to give yourself some grace as a rookie.” (per BroBible’s Jorge Alonso)

This caused backlash from Clark’s multitude of followers, who mostly claimed that Taurasi’s comments stemmed out of jealousy. It didn’t end there, however. Days ago, the Mercury guard took a shot at her critics by labeling new WNBA fans as “sensitive”

“The new fans are really sensitive these days,” Taurasi stated. “You can’t say anything.” (per azcentral sports’ Dana Scott)

Still, Taurasi made it a point to further elaborate on her comments about undergoing a transition period.

“It’s kinda like when you go from kindergarten to first grade, there’s a learning adjustment…when you go from high school to college, there’s a learning adjustment. I don’t think I said anything that wasn’t factually correct.”

It remains to be seen how Caitlin Clark will perform in the long run

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) shoots over Dallas Wings guard Ashley Joens (1) during the second half at College Park Center.

While Taurasi’s comments may be unpopular with fans, one can argue that she does make sense. Whether it’s men’s or women’s basketball, transitioning to a higher level of play is no easy task, and even some of basketball’s top stars today endured their respective adjustment periods upon moving to the pros.

As to whether or not Caitlin Clark will be able to dominate, it’s only the preseason, so it’s too early to tell. Nevertheless, her first game alone showed promise. Clark’s 21 points included five makes from downtown, some of which were from way beyond the three-point line.

The Fever will play another preseason game this coming Thursday against the Atlanta Dream.