WNBA veteran Diana Taurasi calls out ‘sensitive’ Caitlin Clark fans after online backlash

WNBA veteran Diana Taurasi has called out Caitlin Clark fans for being too “sensitive” after she was criticized online for her “reality” warning against this year’s No. 1 draft pick.

Earlier this month, Taurasi, 41, who will begin her 20th season with the Phoenix Mercury in a few weeks, warned Clark, claiming the ex-Iowa star would face her fair share of fighting against her. Sue Bird’s talk show on ESPN.

“Reality is coming,” she said on April 6, nine days before the WNBA Draft took place in Brooklyn. “Things have levels. That’s just life. We’ve all been through it.’

“You look superhuman playing against 18-year-olds, but you’re going to come play with grown women who have been playing basketball for a long time — I’m not saying that won’t translate.”

Taurasi added, “There’s going to be a transition period where you have to give yourself some grace as a rookie.”

Diana Taurasi – a three-time WNBA champion with the Phoenix Mercury – said Clark’s greatness will ultimately translate into the league once she suits up against ‘grown women’

Clark fans didn’t take too kindly to the three-time WNBA champion’s opinion, describing Taurasi as “rude” and “jealous,” though the latter remains apologetic for what she said despite the hate.

“The new fans these days are very sensitive,” Taurasi told azcentral’s Jeff Metcalfe on Tuesday, adding, “you can’t say anything.

“It’s kind of like when you go [from] from kindergarten to first grade, there is a learning adjustment. When you go from high school to college, there is a learning adjustment.

Taurasi holds the all-time WNBA scoring record, surpassing 9,000 points in 2023

‘I don’t think I said anything that was factually incorrect. Like anything, greatness will translate. And she proves that on every level. I don’t see why it would be any different in the WNBA.”

Taurasi, whose penchant for scoring in crucial situations earned the nickname “White Mamba” coined by Kobe Bryant, won the 2004 WNBA Rookie of the Year Award and five historic Olympic gold medals (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020) in addition to her three national titles.

She was also the WNBA MVP in 2009 and has earned five scoring titles and three FIBA ​​World Cups. She has been selected to ten WNBA All-Star teams and fourteen All-WNBA teams in the past (including ten first-team selections).

Additionally, Taurasi is also the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, becoming the first player to surpass 9,000 points in 2023. She was voted by fans as the league’s all-time greatest player in 2021.