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Diana Taurasi Calls Back to Infamous Caitlin Clark Comment With Self-Owning Wisecrack

WNBA legend Diana Taurasi had a hilarious self-diss when speaking to Caitlin Clark about her notorious "reality is coming" comment.

Grant Young

WNBA All-Star Diana Taurasi reflects on her 20 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury during a retirement news conference at the Phoenix Mercury's practice facility on March 13, 2025.
WNBA All-Star Diana Taurasi reflects on her 20 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury during a retirement news conference at the Phoenix Mercury's practice facility on March 13, 2025. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The recently retired women's basketball legend Diana Taurasi isn't typically incorrect when it comes to anything regarding that sport that she's an all-time great at.

However, she got one take completely wrong when it came to Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark. Last April, when speaking with ESPN's Scott Van Pelt about what the WNBA will have in store when Clark (who was then still playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes) arrives, Taurasi infamously said, "Look, SVP. Reality is coming."

She then added, "There's levels to this thing... You look superhuman playing against 18-year-olds but you're gonna come [play] with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time."

Of course, Clark then went on to produce one of the best rookie seasons in WNBA history and immediately became one of the league's best players, essentially proving Taurasi completely wrong without ever even needing to address the legend's sentiment.

Taurasi has since shown Clark a ton of respect, and there's clearly no bad blood between them. In fact, Clark was a featured guest on ESPN's Bird & Taurasi Show during the 2025 NCAA national championship. And at one point during their discussion, Taurasi called back to this comment in a hilarious way.

When Clark congratulated her on her retirement, Taurasi said, "Thank you. Unfortunately, reality is coming to me now."

This caught both Clark and Sue Bird off guard, as they both burst out in laughter.

Taurasi deserves a lot of respect for being humble enough to call back to this infamous moment.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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