The best part about basketball at the Summer Olympics? Fans were treated to the best countries from around the world battling it out on the court, eyeing for gold to bring back to their nation.
The worst part? There was no WNBA.
The women’s pro league took a three-week hiatus this summer, allowing its stars to represent their home country in Paris. For the United States, the break was successful, as the team won its eighth consecutive gold medal with its win over France in the final.
In the process, Diana Taurasi won her sixth Olympic gold medal, becoming the first basketball player, male or female, to win gold six times at the Summer Games. The veteran may not have had as large of a role as years past, but Taurasi was a key piece in the locker room.
Notably, Caitlin Clark was not with Team USA in Paris. The Fever rookie’s snub from the national team roster was all that fans could discuss leading up to the games, but it provided a much-needed break for the 22-year-old guard. Now that the Olympics are over, Clark figures to step back into the spotlight with the WNBA season getting back underway.
The Mercury elected to do a bit of trolling before the season kicks back up, taking a light-hearted jab at Clark in a Taurasi appreciation video on social media.
Here is more on the video from the Phoenix team.
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Mercury troll Caitlin Clark with Diana Taurasi video tribute
The Mercury used a video previously posted on TikTok as a way to give a shoutout to Taurasi, who is coming back to the U.S. after winning gold at the Olympics.
A user, Rosalina Lee, posted a video about how much she missed the WNBA, including the “assists, the double-doubles, the pregame outfits, all the tea after the game.”
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She also asked, “Caitlin, where are you?” and that gave the Mercury the alley-oop it needed to take a dig at the rookie. The team paired that clip with a young Phoenix fan who said, “Caitlin who? I’m here for Taurasi.”
@phoenixmercury we’ll take our six-time gold medalist any day of the week, thank you #WNBA #DianaTaurasi #Basketball #PhoenixMercury (Inspo📱: @HoopScoop ♬ original sound – Phoenix Mercury
While the Mercury may have bested Clark off the court, on the hardwood, it’s been a different story. The standout rookie and Indiana beat Phoenix in their two matchups so far on the season.
The two sides don’t have to wait much longer to see each other either, as the Mercury and Fever meet on Friday, Aug. 16, in the final meeting between the clubs this regular season.
