Diana Taurasi made her thoughts on first-year WNBA players very clear. The 41-year-old veteran wants rookies to learn their place and will go out of her way to teach them where they belong.
She baptized yet another first-year player into the league on Thursday night!
Taurasi, one of the greatest of all-time, is known for being stoic and intense. That translates to her on-court play, which is all business all of the time. It doesn’t matter what year it is in her career, there is a chip on her shoulder every time she steps onto the floor.
The three-time WNBA champion and 10-time All-Star has worked hard to get to where she is today and wants to make that clear to the next generation. Taurasi publicly stated that she wants to “kill rookies” in the past, which directly aligns with a strong warning to Caitlin Clark about reality.
Although her words were blown out of proportion, the sentiment was entirely valid.
Taurasi made sure of it! She bullied Nika Mühl during their first meeting on the hardwood during the preseason and sent a message to Julie VanLoo!
VanLoo, who technically qualifies as a rookie, is 31 years old and has played professional basketball overseas since 2003. Doesn’t matter. Taurasi made sure she knew what is up.
Phoenix moved to 3-1 with a win over Washington on Thursday night. Taurasi scored 20 points with six boards and an assist. Her first two points came off of a high pick-and-roll in the first quarter.
The “pick” was more of a shove to get VanLoo off of the ball. And not a kind one!
— – (@Spicoli_____) May 24, 2024
Welcome to the W, VanLoo! Diana Taurasi has been at the top of this league for 20 years. She doesn’t care who you are or what you accomplished in the past. She is going to make her presence felt!