“Reality is coming [for Clark]. There’s levels to this thing,” Diana Taurasi said a year ago, before Caitlin Clark had even stepped on a WNBA court. “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.” A season in, the Phoenix legend has taken Clark off the ‘rookie welcome’ list. But fans? They are holding on to the receipts.
Well, turns out Caitlin Clark didn’t just survive the WNBA—she owned it. The Fever guard averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 8.4 assists on 41.7% shooting in her rookie season and led Indiana to its first playoff berth since 2016. She bagged Rookie of the Year, became the fastest player in league history to hit 350 points and 150 assists, and dropped 100 threes in just 34 games. Oh—and she also finished 4th on the MVP ladder. So yeah, Clark may have struggled with the physicality, but she rose against hurdles.
So after a few conversations since, and maybe a little behind-the-scenes bonding, DT has officially cleared the air and maybe even walked back those viral “reality is coming” comments. She shut down any perceived negative sentiment during the recent National Sports Collector Convention. The three-time WNBA champ and certified GOAT made it crystal clear: there’s no drama. In fact, she says they’re actually friends. “We get along really well. We got some great interactions,” Taurasi said. “I just absolutely love what she does on the court, off the court.”
Diana Taurasi on Caitlin
“Me and Caitlin are really good friends. We get along really well…I just absolutely love what she does on the court, off the court…the way she goes about her business there’s a seriousness about it that I love. She’s taking this game to new heights.” pic.twitter.com/iS5hCIYD2l
— correlation (@nosyone4) August 2, 2025
And she didn’t stop there. Taurasi had nothing but praise for Clark’s impact, adding, “When I watch her play, and the way she goes about her business, there’s a seriousness about it that I love. You know, she’s taking this game to new heights and it’s been amazing to watch and follow her. You know, it’s only gonna get better for our league and for Caitlin.” So if there was ever any doubt—Taurasi’s clearly on board the Caitlin Clark train now.
Fans weigh in as Diana Taurasi and Clark go from tension to mutual respect
Early on, there was so much noise about Diana Taurasi throwing shade—between her choosing Paige Bueckers over Clark on the “Bird & Taurasi Show” and that infamous “reality is coming” line, some fans read it as animosity. For some, that still holds. “The people who potentially decided that they somehow disliked (I think haters is wrong) Caitlin Clark will eventually come around to be her biggest supporters as they eventually believe, what is there about Caitlin that we dislike, the answer is, they don’t know,” one of them claimed.
But here’s the thing: it was never personal. Taurasi was just being, well, Taurasi—competitive, blunt, and real. She doesn’t spare the first years a ‘rookie welcome’ and Clark was no exception. And picking Paige? Well, that’s her baby Husky. But once fans turned sour, they did not flip.
“She’s jealous and a hater. We ain’t rocking with her. Kick rocks Diana.” That one came in hot. But before you fully cancel the GOAT, it’s worth looking a little deeper. Taurasi’s initial comments were followed up not with more jabs, but with some genuine praise—especially after their first game in the league together, where Clark notched 15 points and 12 assists to help the Fever beat Taurasi’s Mercury. Diana, who dropped 19 herself that night, told the press: “It’s amazing what Caitlin’s been able to do… She loves the game. You can tell she’s put the work in.” That doesn’t sound like jealousy—it sounds like respect.
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. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
“Reality came to her and now she’s friends with Caitlin,” and “I guess reality came. ” Well it came way before the recent saga. When time Clark appeared on the “Bird & Taurasi Show” this year, she was congratulating Diana on retirement, and Taurasi? She jokingly flipped her old comment, saying, “Reality is coming to me now.” That right there felt like a full-circle moment. Fans immediately caught the callback—and Clark? She just smiled.
Clark never took Taurasi’s comments to heart. She hailed her once as her favorite opponent.“She’s such an icon in our sport and has been in the game for so long. You know, getting to share the court with her was pretty fun, and you just see her competitive spirit”. Those who loved that moment, are loving DT’s recent revelation too.
“Very nice to hear,” another noted. Exactly. This whole rivalry thing? Mostly fan-fueled. Even when Taurasi was giving Clark a hard foul and some classic trash talk during their 2024 regular-season matchup, it was clearly mutual fun. As Clark told David Letterman later: “She came back at me and I’m like ‘Alright, do it again!’… Then we were standing outside the three-point line and she just came up to me and was like ‘I just love ya.’”
That’s not beef—that’s bonding. Clark even said she idolized Taurasi growing up, and despite the tough love, she never took any of it to heart. Sometimes, it’s just two competitors having fun in the middle of battle.
“It was just her competitive nature, she’s retired now so it’s all good.”And that’s really what it comes down to. Diana Taurasi has always been unapologetically fierce—she built a once-in-a-generation career on that edge. The only WNBA player to score over 10,000 points, Taurasi racked up 10,646 regular-season points and another 1,476 in the playoffs. She led the Phoenix Mercury to three WNBA championships , won five scoring titles, was named league MVP in 2009, and Finals MVP twice. And let’s not forget—she became the first basketball player, man or woman, to win six Olympic gold medals.
So when she made that “reality” comment? It wasn’t hate—it was just that trademark edge. So yes, it’s all good. No drama, no feud—just two eras of greatness, passing the torch with a little trash talk and a whole lot of mutual respect.
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