Caitlin Clark impact clear by ‘economic disruption’ as Diana Taurasi eats her words

Caitlin Clark has turbocharged basketball in her rookie WNBA season, and the impact she’s had has been sorely needed, according to Hall of Fame player Debbie Antonelli.

The “economic disruption” has been measured in numerous ways, from increased attention on Indiana Fever games — as well as others in the league — to the legacy that Clark leaves behind as all kinds of supporters, young and old, boys and girls, are seen sporting the No.22 jersey.

Though Clark’s talents were always expected to see her go far in the pro game having excelled in college sports with Iowa Hawkeyes, not everybody was always convinced she had what it takes to level up in the way she had. The impact she’s had, therefore, is arguably making legendary competitor Diana Taurasi eat her words.

“Reality is coming,” Taurasi said earlier in the year, according to ESPN. “We all went through it.”

Tuarasi is a three-time WNBA champion and, incredibly, a six-time Olympic gold medalist. She knows what it takes to dominate the highest echelons of the sport. And in April, she spoke like she did not expect Clark to have as big an impact as she has had in the WNBA.

Tuarasi said reality settles in when it comes to “the NBA side, and you’re going to see it on this side” in the WNBA, too. She continued: “You look superhuman playing against 18-year-olds, but you’re going to come with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.”

Clark is expected to be a star in the WNBA for years to come ( 

The landslide winner of the 2024 Rookie of the Year, Clark did her talking on the court and proved Tuarasi wrong with her abilities, returning, on average, 19.2 points per game, 5.7 rebounds, and 8.4 assists. She also proved her wrong through the impact she’s had.

Antonelli, an extraordinary player in her heyday who is now an analyst and commentator, had more when she appeared on The C.L. Brown Show. “While we’ve had decades worth of talented players, we’ve never had the economic disruption that Caitlin has brought to basketball — and we desperately needed it,” she said.

“No one’s disrupted the economic marketplace and the ecosystem like she has. And that gets everybody paying attention. So, for all of that, that’s so important because we needed that disruption just to jumpstart the next level.”

Further describing that impact, Antonelli said it could yield greater participation rates through the grassroots because of the way in which her merchandise is being bought by different demographics. “I can just tell you by what I experienced this summer in the WNBA, watching how many No. 22s were walking by — little girls, dads, little boys, college-aged guys; I gotta believe that the game’s going to keep evolving on the grassroots level, which I think we were kind of stalled and dropping.

“Now, I think girls and women are playing more basketball because, now, they’re seeing more opportunities that can be around the game.”