Diana Taurasi May Be the Queen of WNBA Trash Talk, New Fans Need To Get Used To It

Trash-talking in sports dates back to the cavemen, who used to carve pictures into caves showing how they had conquered some beasts they were hunting. While the majority of humans now live in houses and drink $10 cups of coffee, we all still love to trash-talk, which is why Charles Barkley has been so successful in his post-playing career.

Enter Diana Taurasi, who has been talking trash in the WNBA for some 20 years. If you give her access to a live microphone during a live telecast of the NCAA basketball tournament, of course, she is going to talk trash. That’s why most networks now have alternative broadcasts for major sporting events in the first place. 

How else can you explain Kevin Hart's recent involvement in ESPN’s alternative NBA broadcasts with NBA Unplunged with Kevin Hart? You didn’t turn off the main broadcast for Hart's deep, analytical knowledge of the NBA; no, you switched over to hear him entertain you with trash talk about the NBA.

As humans, we want to hear and watch people talk trash. It's part of what makes sports fun and is also one of the main reasons for the social media explosion over the last 15 years. Sure, some important news occasionally pops up in your IG feed, but let's face it: most social media networks are entertainment platforms that allow and even encourage trash-talking. 

As the WNBA's new rookies embark on their journeys, it would be naive to believe that they are not like all the other players in men's or women's sports around the globe who enjoy and even thrive on trash-talking.

Taurasi, who received her fair share of criticism for her comments about Caitlin Clark during the NCAA tournament, said this recently:

“Look, SVP, reality is coming,” Taurasi told SportsCenter’s Scott Van Pelt about Clark on April 6. “There’s levels to this thing. And 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 18-year-olds, but you’re going to (be playing against) some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.”  

Taurasi continued: "Not saying (Clark’s skills) are 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.” 

To be clear, her comments would barely be considered trash talk if she had said them during a game. Yes, the media took her comments and ran with them without actually considering Taurasi's true context.    

During the NCAA broadcast, Taurasi took indirect shots at Caitlin Clark, clarifying that she thinks Paige Bueckers is superior to Clark.

"I'm taking Paige," Taurasi replied. "Next question." 

Sue Bird attempted to give an explanation as to why she'd take Clark with the No. 1 pick. 

"I think you have to take Caitlin for one reason," Bird said. "You can't go wrong with choosing either one. The fan energy behind Caitlin is going to be a game-changer for a WNBA franchise. For that reason, right now, you have to take her. From a basketball standpoint, I can make an argument for Paige." 

The rest of the media completely ignored that both Bird and Taurasi were teammates at UConn, which, from a trash talk code perspective, is why they supported Buecker over Clark. 

So early in the week, Taurasi was asked about her Caitlin Clark comments during a press interview.

"The new fans are really sensitive these days. You can't say anything," Taurasi said, per Dana Scott of The Arizona Republic. 

"It's kind of like when you go from kindergarten to first grade there's a learning adjustment; when you go from high school to college there's a learning adjustment. I don't think I said anything that wasn't factually correct. Like anything, greatness is going to translate and [Clark has] proven that at every level. I don't see it being any different in the WNBA."

THE UNDERRATED OPINION
I would hate a sporting world that was entirely politically correct. There is absolutely nothing wrong with what Taurasi has said about Clark to this point. 

You have to remember that Taurasi has been trash-talking her way through the WNBA for some 20 years now and as great as she has been on the court, I think her trash-talking skills have been equally as entertaining.

Take her reply to the offseason Mercury hiring of new head coach Nate Tibbetts, a longtime NBA assistant with zero coaching experience in the women’s game.

“I mean, I hate men,” Taurasi said. “I don’t know how they hired him.”

She paused for effect and laughed.

“That’s just all hot smoke, click-bait,” she said Sunday. “The man is a coach, that’s what he does for his whole life. He coached at the highest level in the NBA and to now have an opportunity to be around him these last four or five months [has] been refreshing.”

The reality is people are sensitive about the things they are passionate about, but still trash talk in the WNBA is just like trash talk in any other sport, and the rookies entering the league are well-equipped to hold their own in a trash-talking world