TEMPE, Ariz. — The Phoenix Mercury and Indiana Fever are set to square off in a game the team and the X-Factor have been waiting for since before Caitlin Clark was even drafted into the WNBA.
On April 8, just one day after Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes lost to South Carolina in the NCAA Women's National Championship game and a week before the WNBA Draft, the Mercury posted a graphic on X (formerly Twitter), highlighting their matchup on June 30 against the Indiana Fever.
The graphic featured the phrase, "The GOAT vs. The Rook," and had a picture of Diana Taurasi on the top, and a silhouette of Clark on the bottom (as it was by then a foregone conclusion that the Fever would take Clark with the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft, which, as we now know, they did).
Now, we are on the eve of the first-ever meeting between Taurasi, who was voted as the WNBA's greatest player of all time by fans in 2021, and Clark, the player who dominated women's college basketball for the past four seasons en route to becoming a two-time consensus National Player of the Year.
And for Clark, the chance to come to the Footprint Center to take on Taurasi is something she could only have dreamt of.
"Yeah, for sure, like that’s somebody I grew up, you know, idolizing and looking up to and wanting to be like one day, so obviously, she’s like one of the greatest players our game has ever seen, greatest scorer our game has ever seen, so for me, like, I’m excited," Clark said Saturday during the Fever's practice at ASU's Weatherup Center in Tempe. "That’s fun. Like, it’s almost like kind of like a dream come true. Like you get to live out your dream while playing against the best, one of the best there ever has been, so it’s fun for me for sure."
Taurasi, on the other hand, was more brief when giving her thought's about Sunday's matchup.
"Yeah, it'll be fun," Taurasi said on Wednesday.
Taurasi paved the way for players like Clark in today's WNBA. After starring at UConn, becoming a two-time National Player of the Year and leading the Huskies to three consecutive national championships, Taurasi was drafted by the Mercury in 2004 and has led the franchised to three WNBA titles. Taurasi is also a five-time Olympic gold medalist (and is headed to her sixth Olympics next month), a two-time WNBA Finals MVP, a one-time WNBA MVP and a 10-time All-Star.
Over her 20 years in the WNBA, Taurasi has shot 42.5% from the floor, 36.2% from behind the three-point line and averaged 19 points per game, 3.9 rebounds per game and 4.2 assists per game.
This year, at the age of 42, Taurasi is still showing she can play with the best, no matter the age. She's averaging 16.5 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game and 2.5 assists per game.
Clark made sure to pay her dues to Taurasi when speaking on Saturday.
"Incredible. It’s incredible," Clark said. "Like I said, I don’t think people realize how hard that is to do and obviously, she’s done everything that she’s needed to do to continue to play at such a high level. Like take care of her body, like continue to perform at the highest level and, like I think about as my rookie year, like, it’s incredible to think she’s been in this league for 20 years. Like, that’s just super cool. It’s a feat that not a lot of people will ever accomplish in their career, but for her to do that and to continue to do it at a high level is pretty, you know, I don’t know if there’s going to be many people to do it like her."
The Mercury and Fever will play at Noon on Sunday at the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix. But could Clark be back in the Valley soon, say for the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game on July 20?
"I don’t know if I’ll be there, so, I mean, whatever, I’m not going to talk in hypotheticals," Clark said. "My focus is on playing basketball and all that takes care of itself, but, like, my main focus is on this team, so. But I would say, like, it’s super cool for me to travel around to all these new cities and play in these new arenas and venues, like for my first time. That will be something that will be very memorable for myself as I go throughout my career, like, my first time at all these new places."
The 2024 WNBA All-Star Game will see a team of the WNBA's top players take on the U.S. Olympic Women's Basketball team, which features three players from the Mercury: Taurasi, Brittney Griner and Kahleah Copper.
Clark is currently second in All-Star voting, right behind A'ja Wilson from the Las Vegas Aces. However, as Wilson is a member of Team USA, Clark is the top non-Olympian in the voting.
Fan voting for the WNBA All-Star Game ends Saturday. The top 10 vote-getters will be named All-Stars, whether they are Olympians or not, and 12 other players will be chosen by WNBA coaches from a pool of the next 36 highest vote-getters.
The top 10 players in the voting as of June 21 were:
- A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces (217,773 votes)
- Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever (216,427 votes)
- Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever (171,864 votes)
- Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty (151,984 votes)
- Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas Wings (130,838 votes)
- Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty (118,949 votes)
- Angel Reese, Chicago Sky (118,490 votes)
- Kelsey Plum, Las Vegas Aces (117,217 votes)
- Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx (103,550 votes)
- Dearica Hamby, Los Angeles Sparks (97,094 votes)
Wilson, Stewart, Ionescu, Plum and Collier are all members of Team USA and are already guaranteed to be in Phoenix for All-Star Weekend.
The final All-Star Game rosters will be announced on June 2.
The Mercury will play Clark and the Fever in Indianapolis on July 12 and Aug. 16. This is Indiana's lone trip to Phoenix this season.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to four major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events every year, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
12Sports on YouTube
Get the latest news and stories from 12Sports on the 12News YouTube channel. And don't forget to subscribe!