ESPN: A press conference held recently left many of Caitlin Clark’s admirers feeling “heartbroken” for her.
A press conference held recently left many of Caitlin Clark’s admirers feeling “heartbroken” for her.
After talking about WNBA veterans and rookies for months, Caitlin Clark recently praised Diana Taurasi.
Diana Taurasi, a 20-year veteran and six-time Olympian with the Phoenix Mercury, received criticism for her contentious statement prior of the WNBA season this year that “reality is coming” for new rookies.
“This item has levels to it. And that’s simply life; everyone has experienced that,” the 41-year-old said in an April interview with Scott Van Pelt of SportsCenter. You will witness it on this side as well as the NBA side. You play against 18-year-olds and appear superhuman, but you’ll be up against some mature ladies who have a lot of experience playing professional basketball.
Ever since, some of Clark’s supporters have harbored resentment at the veterinarian, although it doesn’t seem like Taurasi and Clark are at odds. When Taurasi spoke to Desert Wave on June 26, he said that playing Clark in the Mercury’s opening game of the season on June 30 against the Fever would be “fun.”
In the meantime, Clark expressed her excitement for the game in a June 29 discussion with Desert Wave. Clark remarked, “That’s just someone I looked up to and idolized growing up and wanted to be like one day.” It goes without saying that she is among the best players and scorers our game has ever seen. I’m happy about that because I think it’s fun. Definitely more like a dream. It’s great because, well, we get to play against the best—one of the best ever—while living out your dream.
Only a few days have passed since the Indiana Fever’s heartbreaking loss to the Seattle Storm. When Clark was told that she didn’t seem to be “having a lot of fun” at a post-game news conference on June 26, she responded by saying that “nobody enjoys losing.”
Clark went on, “We’re not going to be walking around the court like smiling when you’re down 15 points,” according to a video that went viral on TikTok. Finding a competitive edge while maintaining your optimism can be challenging at times, but I think we can all improve a little bit and keep encouraging one another. Because, well, you’re going to have excellent games and poor games occasionally. However, since it’s a team sport, you must learn how to rely on and maintain relationships with your teammates.
That’s a very reasonable perspective, but another statement from Clark’s interview had a lot of fans “heartbroken” for the leading scorer in the NCAA. Another video that is circulating on X.com asks Clark what the best advise she’s ever received from WNBA veterans “in-game,” with apparent reference to on-court interactions with players from the opposite side.
According to a widely shared video, Clark retorted, “Nobody gives me advice in game.” “I hope.”
During online discussions about WNBA veterans’ lack of support for this year’s rookie class—a storyline that has recently been refuted by both Clark and fellow star rookie Angel Reese—this comment greatly infuriated Clark’s fan base. One fan account on X.com remarked, “You can hear the pain in Caitlin Clark’s voice,” and a large number of TikTok users wrote, “This broke my heart.” CC is so deserving of love and joy.
Some have advised Clark to get in touch with veterinarians directly. One TikTok user commented on the video, saying, “Rookies are supposed to reach out to vets; vets don’t reach out to rookies.” “If Caitlin wants advice, she needs to come out of her shell.”
Maybe Taurasi will be available to give Clark some advise either during or after today’s game. On June 30, the much awaited game can be seen on ESPN and ESPN+ at 3 p.m. EST/12 p.m. PST.
