Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Diana Taurasi, who has been critical of Caitlin Clark in the past, breaks silence on the Fever star’s exclusion from Olympics

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Satvika Deshpande | Last updated Jun 12, 2024 9:02 AM ET

After thriving at the college level, Caitlin Clark is not having the best time in the WNBA. First, the Indiana Fever’s guard was welcomed with brutal physical defense by her seniors. Now, the star is snubbed from Team USA for the 2024 Paris Olympics. As the decision has caused a lot of controversy, WNBA veteran Diana Taurasi reflected on the topic.

While Caitlin Clark was almost bullied by her seniors, Diana Taurasi gave the player a ‘reality check‘ of playing in the WNBA. After stating that, while talking to USA Today Sports, Taurasi claimed that Clark will do just fine in the long run as she will evolve after having a great college career.

The game of basketball is all about evolving. It's all about getting comfortable with your surroundings. College basketball is much different than the WNBA than it is overseas. Each one almost is like a different dance you have to learn. Diana Taurasi via USA Today Sports

Taurasi stated that young players need to ‘learn the steps’ while transitioning from college to professional basketball. However with time, according to Taurasi, players eventually develop a skill set that makes them ‘superior’ to others.

'It's always a hard team to make no matter what'

Diana Taurasi on Caitlin Clark likely missing Paris Olympics pic.twitter.com/8z7NHzM6yJ
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) June 10, 2024

Taurasi getting chosen over Clark also created a lot of controversy. However, Clark showed a positive attitude about the snub while talking to the press. The star revealed looking forward to cheering the team on the international level.

Diana Taurasi defended Team USA after Caitlin Clark snub

The Team USA’s roster is filled with incredibly talented players from the WNBA. The team has former champions, MVPs, and veterans of the WNBA. Hence, Taurasi kept it straightforward while reacting to the controversy regarding Clark’s snub.

While speaking with Yahoo Sports, the 42-year-old stated that the team is built with players who are fit to be part of the best team. It is not necessarily about the best players individually. The star defended USA basketball while addressing the controversy.

You know, whenever you’re trying to cut down to 12 players from this amazing pool of players, there’s always going to be controversy. There’s always going to be names like, ‘How’d that person not make it?’ I think you see that with All-Star teams, and the Olympic team really is just a collection of the best players.
Diana Taurasi via USA Today Sports

Diana Taurasi spoke on Caitlin Clark left off of the USA Basketball women's roster. pic.twitter.com/itEWsPYYYC
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 11, 2024

Taurasi is not entirely wrong as the roster combined has 15 Olympic gold medals and 18 FIBA World Cups. The team’s unreal experience will certainly play a huge role for Team USA and add another gold medal to the list. All eyes will be set on this team as the competition starts next month.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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