Although her maturity and polish in dealing with her immense fame has made Caitlin Clark oddly solid as a lightning rod, the Indiana Fever rookie has nonetheless been one of the crucial breathlessly mentioned and polarizing athletes within the broader American sports activities panorama.
That fixed chatter has inevitably included criticism as she has made the transition from a record-setting faculty profession at Iowa to the WNBA, with some lively WNBA gamers sometimes introduced as a foil to her.
This weekend, she received to face off in opposition to a kind of folks — and the matchup opened with a cordial alternate.
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Within the seconds earlier than tip-off of the Fever’s recreation Sunday in opposition to the Phoenix Mercury, Clark slapped fingers with and briefly hugged Mercury star Diana Taurasi in a symbolic assembly between the WNBA’s longstanding face of the league and its contemporary new phenom.
Clark additionally shared an embrace and a few fast phrases with Phoenix middle Brittney Griner, a nine-time WNBA all-star, two-time WNBA scoring champion and two-time WNBA defensive participant of the yr.
Taurasi attracted consideration in April, when she appeared on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” after Clark and Iowa defeated UConn, Taurasi’s alma mater, within the Ultimate 4. When requested by host Scott Van Pelt what Clark may expertise in her transfer to the WNBA, Taurasi supplied up what some interpreted as a harsh message to the two-time nationwide faculty participant of the yr.
“Look, SVP, actuality is coming,” Taurasi mentioned. “There’s ranges to this factor, and that is simply life. All of us went by means of it. You see it on the NBA facet, and you are going to see it on this facet the place you look superhuman taking part in in opposition to 18-year-olds, however you are going to include some grown girls which have been taking part in skilled basketball for a very long time.
“Not saying that it isn’t going to translate, as a result of if you’re nice at what you do, you are simply going to get higher, however there may be going to be a transition interval the place you are going to have to present your self some grace as a rookie. It would take slightly bit longer for some folks.”
Taurasi’s phrases weren’t notably controversial — rookies in any skilled sport endure their share of rising pains — and given a few of Clark’s early struggles after attending to Indiana, Taurasi might effectively have been right in her evaluation.
REQUIRED READING:Caitlin Clark grew up idolizing Diana Taurasi. Taking part in her is ‘virtually a dream come true.’
Nonetheless, the 10-time all-WNBA first workforce honoree turned one in all a number of voices who have been considered as crucial of Clark as she entered the league as maybe its most anticipated prospect ever.
The Fever’s recreation in opposition to the Mercury was unusually contentious, with 5 technical fouls between the 2 groups within the first half, although none of these concerned Clark or Taurasi. Actually, the 2 have been caught sharing a dialog mid-game.
For Clark, the chance to play in opposition to Taurasi for the primary time was yet one more milestone in a burgeoning profession already stuffed with them.
“That is anyone I grew up idolizing and looking out as much as and eager to be like sooner or later,” Clark mentioned heading into the sport in opposition to the Mercury. “Clearly, she’s one of many biggest gamers our recreation has ever seen, biggest scorer our recreation has ever seen, so for me, I am excited. It is enjoyable. It is virtually like a dream come true. You get to stay out your dream whereas taking part in in opposition to the very best, or top-of-the-line there ever has been.”