Olympics legend gives classy response to Caitlin Clark wearing iconic Team USA jersey despite chequered history
For the best part of two decades, Diana Taurasi wore the No. 12 underneath the Team USA women’s basketball logo that was branded across her chest.
Now, that honor belongs to none other than Caitlin Clark.
Already a WNBA superstar at just 24-years-old, the Indiana Fever guard had to bide her time to make her senior debut for the US National Team.
Selected to the 12-player roster for the FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifiers in March, Clark averaged 11.6 points and a team-leading 6.4 assists in 21.2 minutes per game during her first five outings for her country.
She did so repping the same No. 12 jersey that had been vacated by Taurasi following her retirement after winning gold – the sixth gold medal of her career – at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Having belonged to one of the greatest women’s basketball players of all time since 2004, having a rising star like Clark assume the weight and responsibility that comes with Taurasi’s No. 12 jersey is almost like passing the baton from one great to another (potentially).
“It’s so cool to see Caitlin not only wear the USA jersey, number 12,” Taurasi told Sports Illustrated on March 23.
“I spent two decades wearing that jersey and that number, and I couldn’t think of anyone better to take it and put it on and just have an amazing career. And Caitlin will do that.
“She had a great qualifier down in Puerto Rico. It’s just going to be fun to watch her play in the summer, in Germany, and then, the Olympics. No one better to wear the 12, and Caitlin’s going to put some gold medals on that jersey.”
High praise from the 14-time All-WNBA honoree and three-time champion.
But Taurasi suspects that fellow legend and long-time USA teammate Sue Bird, who is now the USA Women’s National Team managing director, may have deliberately handed Clark her the No. 12.
“You know, once I’m out of things, I’m out,” Taurasi added when asked whether the No. 12 being handed to Clark was calculated or accidental.
“Maybe Sue, you know she’s a little bit more calculated than people think. So maybe that was a Sue job. That wouldn’t surprise me.”
Accepted her humble pie
While Taurasi’s comments over Clark being given her iconic Team USA jersey number were classy, the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer once had some harsh words for the former Iowa prodigy.
During the 2024 NCAA March Madness Tournament, when Clark was attempting to spearhead her Hawkeyes to a National Championship, Taurasi administered a warning to the collegiate athlete about how much of a jump it was to the WNBA.
“Reality is coming [for Clark]. There’s levels to this thing,” Taurasi said before Clark had even stepped foot onto an 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.”
After being drafted No. 1 overall to the Fever, Clark went on to lead the team in scoring with 19.2 points per contest, along with 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.3 steals as she earned All-Star honors and claimed the Rookie of the Year award.
Taurasi was ultimately forced to eat her words.
A year later, with Clark making a special guest appearance on the now-defunct The Bird and Taurasi show by ESPN in which she congratulated the Phoenix Mercury legend on her retirement, the veteran said in jest: “Thank you, unfortunately, reality is coming to me now.”
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