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Before she was drafted No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever last April, Caitlin Clark seemingly had a target on her back.
Many WNBA veterans took exception to the predraft buzz that Clark had received, and they didn’t take kindly to the droves of analysts who predicted Clark would dominate in the pros just like she did at Iowa.
Once Clark got to the WNBA, some of those same veterans made it known they weren’t going to take it easy on her, and she seemingly got everyone’s best shot when they played the Fever.
But for as much as Clark was singled out during her rookie season, she recently revealed during an appearance on “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction” with David Letterman that only one WNBA veteran actually smack-talked her during her rookie season.
“No one really talks trash to me, honestly,” Clark said. “Like, I swear to you. Maybe that’ll happen next year, but the only thing is, if somebody says something to me, I probably will go back at you, but I’m not going to really start it. Somebody that did talk trash was Diana Taurasi, but all in good fun.
“We were playing them at home and she fouled me, like pretty hard, kind of from behind, and I turned around and like I said to the ref, I said to her, ‘It’s intentional; you didn’t even go for the ball.’ And she came back at me like, ‘Alright, do it again,’ and we just kept going back and forth at each other.
“Then we went down to the other end and one of her teammates got fouled and we were standing outside the 3-point line with each other while her teammate was shooting the free throw, and she came up to me and she’s like, ‘I just love you.’”
Caitlin says no one talked trash to her except Diana Taurasi
— correlation (@nosyone4) April 8, 2025
“We just kept going back and forth at each other…then she came up to me and she’s like ‘I just love ya’…and I was like ‘I love you too.’
❤️❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/fwiVWAOsOr
That situation that Clark referred to wasn’t her first run-in with the 11-time All-Star.
Not long before the 2024 WNBA Draft, Taurasi appeared on an episode of “SportsCenter” and she subtly told host Scott Van Pelt that the incoming rookie class — and specifically Clark — were in for a rude awakening.
“Reality is coming,” Taurasi said. “You look superhuman playing against 18-year-olds, but you’re going to come with some grown women who’ve been playing professional basketball for a long time.”
Of course, the two have since buried the hatchet and Clark even appeared on Taurasi’s “The Bird & Taurasi Show” on Sunday during the women’s national championship game and shared a laugh with Taurasi about the incident.
More must-reads:
- Footage from Caitlin Clark's legendary scrimmage against men's team emerges
- Only Caitlin Clark left off this amazing 2020 recruiting list
- The 'WNBA all-time rookie scoring leaders' quiz
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Mercury erupt for 30 points in 4th to claim win over Valkyries
Kahleah Copper poured in a game-high 25 points, four teammates also scored in double figures and the Phoenix Mercury's depth wore down the short-handed Golden State Valkyries in the fourth quarter en route to a 98-91 triumph Tuesday night in San Francisco. Satou Sabally chipped in with 17 points, Natasha Mack 14, Alyssa Thomas 13 and DeWanna Bonner 12 for the Mercury, who won their second straight to start a three-game trip. Riding outstanding 3-point shooting, the Valkyries led by as many as 12 and were still up 73-68 entering the fourth period before the Mercury dominated the final 10 minutes. Bonner and Sabally each drilled a 3-pointer among five points apiece as Phoenix opened the final quarter with a 10-4 burst that gave the visitors a 78-77 lead. The Mercury then dominated the weary Valkyries at both ends of the court, pulling away with a 30-point period while limiting Golden State into 1-for-8 shooting from beyond the arc. The hosts had been 9-for-18 on 3-pointers while retaining the upper hand throughout the first half. Veronica Burton had 18 of her team-high 24 points and seven of her season-high 14 assists over the first 20 minutes. Copper shot 9-for-20 overall and 5-for-9 from deep as the Mercury hit 49.3 percent of their field goal attempts and 11 of 31 (35.5 percent) from beyond the arc. Mack complemented her 14 points with seven rebounds, three on the offensive end, while Thomas also had a game-high nine rebounds to go with a team-high eight assists in the well-rounded Phoenix attack. Playing without backcourt mate Tiffany Hayes, one of five Valkyries regulars out of action, Burton's double-double was her third of the season. Carla Leite added 15 points and Kate Martin, who shot 4-for-16 on 3-pointers, had 14 for the Valkyries, who lost their second straight after a four-game winning streak. Janelle Salaun and Laeticia Amihere also reached double figures in scoring with 13 and 11 points, respectively. After scoring a season-high-tying 59 points in the first half, Golden State shot just 3-for-15 on 3-pointers in the second half and added just 32 points to its total. The Valkyries shot 41.6 percent overall.
Chicago Bears looking at bringing back familiar face at running back
The Chicago Bears don’t appear satisfied with their running back room with one week left to decide the 53-man roster. The Bears have until Aug. 26 to make their final cuts before preparing for the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. The Bears entered training camp with questions at running back. Veteran D’Andre Swift had a down year in 2024. Roschon Johnson isn’t a long-term solution, and seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai will have a steep learning curve when the regular season begins. The Chicago Bears worked out a former running back Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC, the Bears worked out running backs Royce Freeman, undrafted rookie Kylin James and former Carolina Panthers practice-squad player Dillon Johnson. Royce Freeman played with the Bears in 2024 Of the three, Freeman is the only running back with stats at the NFL level. Freeman, a third-round pick by the Denver Broncos in 2018, has appeared in 79 games and started nine games. He’s rushed 471 times for 1,472 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Bears signed Freeman to the practice squad in December. He was then signed to the Los Angeles Rams practice squad in January. He last played a regular-season game in 2023, when he added 319 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games for the Rams. The Bears are signaling their need for a running back this summer. There are other options available in the trade market, as the Washington Commanders are shopping Brian Robinson Jr. during the preseason. More running backs will be available after other teams trim their rosters to 53 players, but they might not be the type of athletes to make a significant boost for the offense early in the regular season.
What teams are asking about Commanders’ Brian Robinson Jr. amid trade interest
After reports surrounding Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr.’s imminent exit amid trade interest, that notion was confirmed this week. Coach Dan Quinn confirmed the Commanders’ plans for Robinson Jr. as he was also inactive in Monday’s 31-17 preseason loss against the Cincinnati Bengals. After the loss, Quinn released a statement that the Commanders and Robinson Jr. would be going their separate ways, which means a potential trade should be coming down the pike soon, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. “Brian Robinson Jr. did not play, and Dan Quinn pretty much, confirming that they’re going to move on from Robinson here,” Garafolo said. “He is set to make a total of $3.5 million per this season in the final year of his deal. So, it’s looking like a potential trade. Both sides agreed he’s not going to play to play in that game to keep a trade alive — didn’t want him to get hurt in that case.” Still, there isn’t an apparent reason why the Commanders are actively shopping Robinson Jr. for potential suitors. “I know there’s interest because, as I’ve reported this, I’ve heard from teams that are saying, “What happened there?” How did he fall out of favor? Does he want a new contract? Yeah, I mean, eventually he does,” Garafolo added. “But this is a contract year, and right now, given this situation, my understanding is he wants the best possible situation for him to have the best possible season to set him up for a payday this offseason as a free agent. “So, right now, all about fit for Brian Robinson. I believe he’s going to have a new home. If it’s not via trade and they got to cut him, he’ll have a new home in short order,” Garafolo concluded. Dan Quinn hints at Brian Robinson Jr’s Commanders exit The plans to sit Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. against the Bengals only fueled trade interest until head coach Dan Quinn’s public interest confirmed suspicion. “There’s just a lot of moving parts this time of year,” Quinn said via a team transcript. “Those things take place. And so I just wanted to make sure that’s my responsibility to let the team know whenever I can, so they’re not hearing any information from anywhere else. So that was all more of the standard operating procedure for me.” Quinn added that he has too much respect for Robinson Jr. to reveal what led to the Commanders’ decision to part ways with their veteran running back.
MLB sends message by suspending Victor Robles for bat-throwing incident
Major League Baseball announced that Mariners outfielder Víctor Robles has received a 10-game suspension and an undisclosed fine from the league. The suspension will begin as soon as Robles is reinstated from the injured list, though Robles has filed an appeal and the suspension is being held in abeyance until the appeals process is complete. Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reported these details prior to the official announcement. Divish notes that the M’s would have to play a man short during the suspension. Robles has been on the injured list for most of the year. Back in early April, he made a sensational catch in San Francisco but crashed into the sideline netting and dislocated his left shoulder, causing a small fracture in the humeral head of said shoulder. A week ago, he was finally able to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma. During that week, he was hit by pitches multiple times, as shown in this video breakdown from Jomboy Media. Although he was hit five times, only three of them were technically counted as hit-by-pitches, with the other two counting as swings. Regardless, the final incident saw Robles hit by Joey Estes of the Las Vegas Aviators. Of the five times Robles was hit, three of them were out of the hand of Estes, though the final two were counted as swinging strikes. Regardless of how it was scored, Robles was clearly upset and threw his bat toward the pitcher’s mound. It doesn’t appear as though it hit Estes or anyone else, but MLB is understandably taking a firm stance against a player using his bat in this dangerous manner and sending Robles a message. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto spoke to members of the media, including Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, noting that the club tentatively planned to reinstate Robles from the IL next week but those plans may change with the suspension. Divish suggests that perhaps the best plan is to reinstate Robles on Sept. 1, so that the M’s can at least play with a 27-man roster, though that would push his reinstatement into the middle of September. Reinstating him earlier would mean playing with a 25-man roster for a while, though that would also mean Robles would be able to be reinstated for more games. It’s also unclear how long the appeals process will take. Sometimes, players appealing a suspension will hang in limbo until their team goes to New York, where the MLB head offices are located. The M’s don’t play in New York again this year, so it’s not clear when the appeal would be scheduled for. Robles being in the minors could also complicate factors. The M’s would surely love for the appeal to drag out into the winter and for Robles to serve his suspension next year, since they are currently in a playoff race, though MLB presumably wouldn’t let it play out like that.
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