Caitlin Clark-Diana Taurasi rivalry is forming: WNBA commissioner

NBA

By Bryan Fonseca

What’s better than stars coming into your league?

Rivalries forming once they enter it.

Caitlin Clark and Diana Taurasi have never faced each other on the basketball court, but the two No. 1 overall picks — Clark, the newest to that list, which came 20 years after Taurasi — will likely stage one of the WNBA’s most watched head-to-head matchups this coming regular season.

Even WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert acknowledged the potential old school vs. new school rivalry that may be brewing among the fellow guards.

“Business is booming,” Engelbert admitted during a Thursday appearance on CNBC.

She then added: “Hopefully, a rising tide lifts all boats and will lift all of our teams. We have some great rivalries forming with Caitlin-Sabrina (Ionescu) in New York, with Caitlin-Diana Taurasi in Phoenix, there’s a little edge there.”

On April 8, one week before Clark was officially selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever, the Mercury advertised their pending June 30 matchup with Indiana in Phoenix, billing the contest as “The GOAT vs. The Rook.”

This also comes on the heels of Taurasi saying that Clark could be in for somewhat of a rude awakening when playing her rookie season in the W.

“Reality is coming, there’s levels to this thing,” Taurasi said during an appearance on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt early in April when asked about Clark, along with South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso, who was later selected No. 3 overall by the Chicago Sky.

“And that’s just life, we all went through it,” Taurasi went on. “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. Not saying it’s not gonna translate, because when you’re great at what you do, you’re just gonna get better.

“But there is gonna be a transition period, where you’re gonna have to give yourself some grace as a rookie.”