Team USA is set for its new era with young players like Caitlin Clark, Paige Buckers, and Angel Reese following the trio’s extraordinary performances for the national side on their debut. Clark reflected on her favorite part of playing for the national team, as she was excited to wear the team jersey. Incidentally, the player gets the iconic Jersey number 12, worn by Diana Taurasi before her.
In a recent interview, the former UConn star reflected on the ‘new owner’ of the Number 12 jersey and spoke in depth about Clark.
Diana Taurasi Gives Her Opinion On Caitlin Clark Wearing Her Number 12 Jersey
Team USA returned from Puerto Rico with five wins in five games in the FIBA World Cup Qualifier games. The Fever guard, playing after eight months, was spot on with her gameplay and earned the MVP Accolade. While there was much chatter about the players’ roles and jersey numbers, former gold medalist Lisa Leslie showed support for Reese and Clark, who wore numbers 9 and 12, respectively.
In a recent podcast interview, Taurasi spoke about CC taking her jersey number and praised the guard. She said, “I mean, it’s so cool to see Caitlin not only wear the USA jersey, number 12. I mean, I spent two decades wearing that jersey and that number, and I couldn’t think of anyone better to take it and put it on and just have an amazing career. And Caitlin will do that. She had great qualifiers down in Puerto Rico.”
Diana Taurasi on Caitlin Clark wearing No. 12 for Team USA (plus whether she or Sue Bird had a hand in making that happen):
— Grant Young (@GrvntYoung) March 23, 2026
“I couldn't think of anyone better to take it… No one better to wear the 12, and Caitlin's going to put some gold medals on that jersey.” pic.twitter.com/8bn9oARFUG
“It’s just going to be fun to watch her play in the summer in Germany and then the Olympics. No one better to wear the 12, and Caitlin’s going to put some gold medals on that jersey, you know,” Taurasi added. She even joked that Sue Bird must have handed CC the jersey number.
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The former Mercury star won five Olympic Gold Medals with the number 12 jersey and is one of the most decorated players from Team USA. While the player spoke about the national team and Clark taking her jersey number, she even congratulated the WNBA players on the mega CBA deal.
Diana Taurasi Lauds New CBA Deal
Just when everyone was waiting for the CBA’s extension, the league announced verbal confirmation of the deal and began working on the next steps. DT had been quiet on the topic and, after the confirmation, shared her views.
Taurasi said, “The WNBA has gone through a long journey over the last 30 years. There’s a lot of hard work, grit, perseverance and determination. This is just another milestone for women’s sports. It’s nice to see the WNBA in a better place than where you left it.”
Official details on the new WNBA CBA:
— NBA Base (@TheNBABase) March 20, 2026
– Salary cap will be $7 million in 2026 and is projected to exceed $11 million by 2032
– Max salary starts at $1.4 million and is projected to reach $2.4 million by 2032
– Average salary in 2026 is $583k and is expected to pass $1 million… pic.twitter.com/AZ2wVObEis
With a number of improvements, players will see a significant increase in their pay and take home 20% of league revenue, per reports.