“Reality is coming. You look superhuman playing against 18-year-olds, gonna come [play] with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.” Those were the words of WNBA legend Diana Taurasi aimed at college star Caitlin Clark. At first, it seemed Taurasi had underestimated her. And that she did.
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Clark delivered one of the most explosive debuts the league had ever seen. Rookie of the Year, league leader in assists, two-time WNBA All-Star, and more accolades piling up in rapid succession. Taurasi even later admitted with a laugh that she had been wrong, quipping that “reality is coming to me now.” But now, it appears there may have been some truth in Taurasi’s original warning, and the surprising person to acknowledge it is the Indiana Fever guard herself.
Although she did not say it outright, Caitlin Clark’s reflections on her college days gave weight to Diana Taurasi’s earlier warning. “I think it’s been different professionally than definitely in college. Like in college, I always had to keep shooting. That was just reality. Like keep shooting, keep shooting, keep shooting. And not that it’s not like that professionally. But I’m not taking 25 shots a game [in WNBA] like I’m taking 25 shots a game in college,” Clark said while sitting down with WNBA legend Sue Bird for an interview.
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This candid admission comes as Clark is sidelined for multiple games in the W due to injury. Now in just her sophomore year in the league, she is acknowledging the heightened physicality and tactical depth that define professional play. To her credit, Clark is still putting up stellar numbers. She’s averaging 18.5 points, 8.5 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game in her WNBA career, far above league norms. Yet at only 23, she already has a retirement plan in mind for life after basketball.
What will Caitlin Clark do after her WNBA career?
Many players stay connected to the WNBA even after retiring, though their roles shift. Stephanie White and Becky Hammon chose to guide teams from the sidelines, while others like Chiney Ogwumike and Candace Parker have carved out careers in basketball analysis. As for Caitlin Clark? She envisions returning to the college game, this time as a coach.
“Honestly, I might go back at one point in my life and coach college basketball. Just because, looking back, obviously, at the time, that was all I knew. And then you get into the pros, and it’s just like, why didn’t people guard me like this?” she said. Clark hopes to pass on lessons about the challenges and adjustments awaiting young players in the professional world.
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Jun 19, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) talks to teammates during the third quarter against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
She is also realistic about the odds her future players will face. “You have to take into account that most people who are in college aren’t going to go on to play professional basketball. They just don’t have the IQ. Like doesn’t mean they’re not good players. Doesn’t mean they don’t love the game. But it’s just not the same at the end of the day,” she explained.
With such unfiltered reflections, Clark has, perhaps unintentionally, reinforced the very point Diana Taurasi made last year. While she now holds a deeper appreciation for the demands of the WNBA, her career is still in its early stages. And given the explosive start she has already made, there is every chance she will go on to both set and shatter records before her playing days are done.
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Edited by
Liya Shanawas