Diana Taurasi of the Mercury.

LAS VEGAS, NV – MAY 14: Diana Taurasi #3 of the Phoenix Mercury looks on during the game against the Las Vegas Aces on May 14, 2024 at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images)

David Becker/Getty Images

Back in April, WNBA legend Diana Taurasi received a lot of backlash for saying “reality is coming” for Caitlin Clark.

“Reality is coming,” Taurasi told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt. “There’s levels to this thing. 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-year-olds, but you’re going to come play with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time. Not saying it’s not going to translate, because when you’re great at what 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 may take a little bit longer for some people.”

Some people viewed this as a shot at Clark, and maybe – to some degree – she wanted her assessment to be harsh. However, Taurasi has to feel vindicated after seeing the former Iowa’s star WNBA debut.

Clark finished Tuesday night’s game with 10 turnovers, the most in Indiana Fever history. At times, it seemed like she struggled with the league’s physicality. To be fair, she did have 20 points and showed a lot more confidence in the second half.

Diana Taurasi Wants To 'Kill Rookies' Like Caitlin Clark In WNBA

After watching Clark struggle against WNBA competition, the sports world rushed to social media to say that people owe Taurasi an apology.

“Entirely too many people on this application owe Diana Taurasi an apology but they will never admit it,” one person wrote on X.

Another fan said, “A lot of people owe Diana Taurasi an apology for her FACTUAL comments regarding Clark’s entry to the WNBA.”

“We all owe Diana Taurasi an apology,” Emmanuel Acho said on FS1’s Speak. 

Of course, there’s still plenty of time for Clark to bounce back and prove why she’s a game-changer. It wouldn’t surprise us if she makes a statement as early as Thursday night.

As for this apparent rivalry between Taurasi and Clark, it’s worth noting they’ll square off June 30 in Phoenix. That game will be must-see TV.