VIDEO: Diana Taurasi Hit One Notable WNBA Rookie With A Nasty Reality Check As She Bullied Her During Preseason Game
Diana Taurasi has a point to prove against rookies in the WNBA this season and has gotten down to it in quick time as she made an example against one of them during a preseason fixture on Tuesday night.
With the Phoenix Mercury squaring off against the Seattle Storm on the night, Taurasi got to face Croatian sensation Nika Muhl, who saw her popularity soar during the NCAA Tournament, especially after she locked Caitlin Clark up on defense during UConn’s Final Four clash against Iowa.
Taurasi, who warned Clark and the rest of the 2024 rookie class that “reality is coming,” bullied Muhl during her 40-minute outing, having gotten roasted online following the former Hawkeyes star’s debut on the weekend.
The veteran has always been keen on going hard at rookies and did so vs. Muhl on Tuesday, with one particular play standing out as she put a body on the young Croatian for a layup. She finished through the contact and looked down at her floored counterpart as if to let her know that reality had indeed hit.
Diana Taurasi Really Wants Caitlin Clark
The Mercury also hyped up the supposed beef between Taurasi and the entire rookie class with its video caption.
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Still, Muhl’s Storm came out on top, blowing Phoenix out 85-59.
The two players met up after the game to have a friendly chat, putting their Huskies ties on show, with Muhl claiming the older star was “pushing me all over the court.”
Taurasi told Muhl she had been “waiting for” her.
Diana Taurasi is out for Caitlin Clark, however, and will have her first opportunity to school the WNBA’s newcomer when their teams clash on June 30.
The Entire Internet Is Roasting Diana Taurasi Following Caitlin Clark’s WNBA Debut
Diana Taurasi and Caitlin Clark (Photos via Getty Images)
Caitlin Clark had Diana Taurasi catching strays after her sensational debut on Friday night.
The former Iowa Hawkeyes star suited up for the Indiana Fever for a preseason fixture against the Dallas Wings on the night. And she kicked things off with a trademark three, followed by four more.
Clark registered 21 points, leading all scorers, scoring 16 in the first half.
You can check out her debut highlights below:
As for Taurasi, the veteran superstar had warned that “reality” would be coming for Caitlin following her exploits in college.
“Look, SVP, reality is coming. There’s levels to this thing,” she told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt prior to the WNBA Draft. “That’s just life. We all went through it. You see it on the NBA side, and you’re going to see it on this side. You look superhuman playing against some 18 years olds but you’re going to come play with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.
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“Not saying that it’s not going to translate because when you’re great at you do you’re just going to get better, but there is going to be a transition period when you have to give some grace as a rookie. It make take a little bit longer for some people.”
Also Read: VIDEO: Diana Taurasi Goes Off On “New WNBA Fans” While Explaining Her Beef With Caitlin Clark
Fans Went In On Diana Taurasi After Caitlin Clark Showed Out
It didn’t seem like there was much of a learning curve for Caitlin Clark on Friday night, as she scored 11 of her team’s first 19 points to finish the game with 21.
“It’s only one game, and it’s the preseason, but if this is how Caitlin Clark is going to perform as a pro, so much for Diana Taurasi’s notion that ‘reality is coming.’ Actually, I think it’s more accurate to say Paris is coming,” one fan wrote.
“Remember when Diana Taurasi tried to convince us logo 3s don’t go in against 25 year olds the way they do against 20 year olds???” another commented.
You can check some more reactions out here:
Of course, it’s still early days. But there aren’t many people out there expecting Caitlin Clark to struggle as a pro. All of them are just waiting for the Fever to play the Phoenix Mercury next month after watching Caitlin ball out on Friday.
