[Applause] um there's there's really um no place to start but there's always a place to finish and uh it seems to be in the same place I think Diana terasi had it wrong I think I think she was the reality I think Caitlyn they should call her the reality Diana terasi the legend of the Phoenix Mercury who once brutally roasted Caitlyn Clark is now retiring at the age of 42 yeah the same rookie she mocked is the one who pushed her to call it quits it's not surprising if you've been paying attention sure terasi didn't
make her retirement official right away but after getting dragged for roasting Clark earlier in the season she's finally waving that white flag now no one's denying that terasi was a legend but let's be real her Digs at Clark weren't just unnecessary they backfired and and and and then when you throw on the Animus and the jealousy and the media being against her Caitlyn didn't just take the insult she came back and obliterated the Phoenix Mercury showing everyone exactly why terasi was dead wrong about her but what did Clark do that made terasi rethink her entire
career why did Diana underestimate her so badly and how did Clark react to all of this let's break it all down because nobody else is going to give you the full story like this so Diana terasi a name synonymous with WNBA greatness set the tone for one of the League's most heated discussions when she said reality is coming Caitlyn it wasn't just a casual ual welcome to the club kind of thing no no this was like terasi sitting in her queen's chair side eyeing the Newbie from across the court and dropping a mic in the
middle of an ESPN interview with Scott Van Pelt basically saying girl I see you but I've been running this game while you were still perfecting your jump shot at Iowa where you know they you look super human playing against 18-year-olds but you going to come with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time tas's arrogance was crystal clear during the interview saying that Caitlyn Clark might be the hot new thing but the WNBA is a different ball game it's not about dunking on some college kids and getting cute highlight reels
no way the WNBA is a Jungle full of experienced Ballers who've been clawing their way through the grind for years Diana's got those I've been through War Vibes and when she said you're going to come with some grown women you just know she's not talking about brunch with mimosas she's talking about bruises sweat and an unforgiving schedule spoiler alert the same grown woman was defeated badly by Clark but here's the thing was Diana really just giving Caitlyn a little friendly heads up or was this personal I mean Caitlyn's rise was like a meteor heading straight
for tas's WNBA Legacy it's like one minute terasi is the queen of the castle and the next ESPN can't shut up about Clark being the future of women's basketball terasi spent over 20 years building this league into what it is and now this kid from Iowa is about to waltz in and steal the spotlight yeah no wonder there was some tension not saying that it's not going to translate cuz when you're great at what you do you're just going to get better but there is going to be a transition period where you're going to have
to give yourself some Grace as a rookie and uh you know it might take a little bit longer for some people I mean Caitlyn isn't just any up incomer who will need time to prove to everyone what she's capable of she just came to the league and shined like no one else could she's got the hype machine cranked up to 11 everywhere you look it's Caitlyn but the bigger question was Diana more concerned about Clark's ability to handle the WNBA or was she really wrestling with her own ticking clock because let's face it no matter
how many three-pointers terasi drills no matter how many Defenders she breaks times got a way of catching up to everyone and Caitlyn's rise was like the universe reminding her that the next generation is already knocking on the door the torch passing narrative it's looming whether Diana likes it or not that's just the arrogance of the vets and they say we all had a learning curve and you're going to come in and you're going to be fine and the media oh they're not helping one bit they've practically built a Caitlyn Clark shrine at this point dubbing
her as the future of women's basketball and probably already sketching out murals in her honor and Caitlyn well she's not just knocking she's practically kicked the door down already and whether Diana likes it or not Caitlyn Clark isn't waiting for anyone's permission to take her place in the spotlight she's here and if Diana's feeling some type of way about it well she's only human the uh Caitlyn Clark um she is obviously the Superstar of women's college basketball in this hour she is the most talked about player in women's basketball period WNBA or college August 15th
2024 Mark that day in basketball history because that's when the world stopped just to watch a WNBA game the Indiana Fever facing off against the Phoenix Mercury sure sounds like a typical matchup right wrong this was no ordinary game this was the moment Caitlyn Clark the rookie everyone's been drooling over and Diana terasi the queen of the WNBA herself went head-to-head in what can only be described as a straightup basketball soap opera when asked about her anticipation of facing clock for the first time terasi only had four words your thoughts going to facing Caitlyn park
for the first time on Sunday yeah it'll be fun before the game terasi was calm like weirdly calm you'd think she'd be revving up for war but when asked about facing Clark she just Shrugged and said it'll be fun fun where's the fire where's the classic terasi smack talk we know and love the woman who usually plays like she's got a personal Vendetta against every basketball hoop was suddenly acting like she was gearing up for a casual pickup game at the YMCA fans were like uh hello Diana this is supposed to be the showdowns suspiciously
Chill Vibes to say the least and Caitlyn Clark is now 4-0 against Diana toosi in the WNBA as well as the two other Olympians on that team anybody who says she shouldn't have been on that Team USA roster is just lying out of their back sides from the jump Caitlyn Clark had this look in her eye like she wasn't just there to play she was there to own the court and boy did she deliver she didn't just ball out she put on a clinic by the time the buzzer sounded Clark was one rebound and one
assist shy of a triple double let that sink in for a second 40 points nine assists and eight rebounds but it wasn't just the stats that had everyone's Jaws on the floor oh no it was the way she did it those ridiculous threes from downtown the kind that makes you think she's just messing with the defense at this point yeah she was raining those down like confetti and then there was the moment as Clark races down the floor goes right by grer is slapped in the face but still gets another three point play the oldfashioned
way that's 10 points for number 22 and we're not even halfway through the first quarter with less than 2 minutes left the fever clinging to a slim lead Clark strolls across half court gives the defense a quick once over and then casually pulls up from the logo the logo and of course the ball swished through the net like it was magnetized the crowd went nuts but Clark she had other plans she turned looked right at terasi and basically said with her eyes yeah this this is my league now and torsi could do nothing but praise
her after the game I mean it's amazing uh you know what Caitlyn's been able to do um in her short career so far has just been uh nothing short or remarkable um and you know the one thing that I really love about her she loves the game but what really made everyone sit up straight though was what happened after the game the plot twist no one saw coming after the game when everyone was still buzzing from Clark's ridiculous performance terasi strolls into the post game press conference calm as ever and drops the biggest bomb of
the night it's been a great ride she says her voice cracking just a bit but maybe it's time to step aside wait what just like that no Fanfare no farewell tour just Diana casually saying she's done the room went dead silent reporters were probably scrambling to pick their jaws off the floor because no one no one saw this coming we're thankful for you guys and we're thankful for the Next Generation [Music] but it if it is the last time it felt like the first time I love you guys so naturally the internet exploded did Caitlyn
Clark the rookie just retired the goat was terasi so shook by that logo 3 that she decided yeah that's enough for me or had this been in the works and Clark's performance was just the cherry on top of tas's career Sunday either either way it was a moment the ultimate mic drop in the end this wasn't just another game it was the moment the WNBA officially shifted gears from terasi the Undisputed Legend to Clark the next big thing and as Bittersweet as it was you can't help but feel like Teri's exit quiet and understated as
it was was exactly how she wanted it a legend knowing when it's time to step aside and let the new generation shine um her future is is super bright and uh you know being a veteran and being this league for a long long time uh you know it's pretty cool to see that and you know going into the future then Q the media circus Stephen A Smith never want to hold back his opinions jumped into the conversation like he was ready to duel anyone who dared question Caitlyn Clark's greatness if there's one person who's been
on the Clark hype train since day one it's Smith and boy did he come out swinging I've been saying this for months Caitlyn Clark is the truth and if terasi can't admit that she's not being honest with herself Smith was practically foaming at the mouth defending Clark's Newfound status as the wnba's future I expected more from Diana tozi ain't going to lie about that I expected something like can't wait I expected something like get your popcorn ready I expected something like oh yeah I've been waiting for this something like that but it wasn't just Smith
making noise Monica mcnut another ESPN commentator had previously thrown some shade at all the Clark hype she wasn't exactly thrilled with the way the media had been pushing the younger stars to the front of the line while in her view veterans like terasi weren't getting the respect they deserved mcnut wasn't shy about saying look we're acting like the ogs don't matter anymore let's not rush to Crown the new kids before they've earned it and you know what she had a point The Divide between mcnut and Smith was deeper than just who they thought should get
more airtime it was this generational tug of war about how women's sports are being covered now another thing to back it up and to let everybody know you ain't shying away from The Challenge one bit Smith however wasn't having any of it disrespecting the veterans He barked on his show no what's disrespectful is not recognizing what Caitlyn Clark is doing for this league right now she's transforming it of course he had receipts too let's not forget Smith had gone on a whole other TI raade earlier in the year when Team USA snubbed Clark for the
2024 Olympics how do you leave this girl off the roster he yelled probably with veins popping out of his neck that's not just a bad decision it's a crime against basketball yeah stepen a takes this very personally he's not just rooting for Clark the player he's championing Clark the movement one thing's for sure though the terasi versus Clark matchup might be over but the debate ignited is only just getting started buckle up because of this conversation yeah it's not going away anytime soon
