Stephen A's Take: WNBA Diana Taurasi is a GOAT. Racism should not be tolerated in the WNBA or any sport.

Published Sep 30, 2024, 2:00 PM

Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown.  Stephen A. comments on the WNBA season end for Diana Taurasi and Caitlin Clark, Alyssa Thomas calling out racist Indiana Fever fans,

On Wednesday night, Diana Tarassi walked off the court on what might have been her final appearance in the WNBA as the Lynks eliminated the Mercury with a one O one eighty eight win. If Tarassi decides to retire, it would be the end of an incredible twenty year professional run, one that few athletes in basketball history have ever seen. Let me tell you something, She's one of the great ones. She's one of the great ones. She's a champion on every single level. I don't have enough time to.

Turn you out.

You'll see the screen right there. Three time WNBA champion or right two tome NBAWNBA Finals, MVP, five times, six time Olympic gold medalist. She's phenomenal. She's just phenomenal. Whenever she walks away, she's a legend. She's a Hall of Famer. She's all out of the bag of chips.

Okay.

I love Diana Tarassi and I'm gonna miss her. Thank you for the wonderful years you have given us. That's all I got to say about that. Let me transition to the next subject, because meanwhile, in Tarasi's old Connecticut stomping grounds, Caitlin Clark season with the Indiana Fever ended with an eighty seven eighty one loss to the Connecticut Connecticut Sun in Game two of their first round series. Afterwards, five time w NBA All Star Lista Thomas did not hold back when discussing the abuse she faced from Indiana Fever fans. Take a listen.

I think in my eleven year career, I've never experienced the racial comments from the Indiana Fever fan base. It's unacceptable, honestly, and yeah, there's no place for it. And we've been professional throughout the whole entire thing, but I've never been called the things that I've been called on social media and there's no place for it.

Let me say this, I would encourage everybody to refer to Thursday morning's episode of First Take on ESPN, where Janey Ogoomika, who is an outstanding basketball analysts for the network and also a former WNBA player, former WNBA Rookie of the Year. By the way, she's friends with Alyssa Thomas and went out of her way to highlight how on the court. As ferocious as Thomas is off the court, she's a quiet storm. She doesn't say much and doesn't bother anybody and so for her to feel compelled to speak out in the way that she spoke out shows you how alarm and what she was saying has really been and what attention needs to be brought to it. Janey ogoom Makay listen to what she had to say. As far as Alyssa Thomas goes, you are a wonderful, wonderful woman. You are fabulous, and thank you for bringing up the subject. Because if you are Caitlyn Clark fans, there's no room for any kind of racism. Now I'm not calling everybody racist. I'm not calling most folks, but the few who are you know, who the hell you are, Calm the hell down. Support Kaitlyn Clark because recognize that when you act that way, you stain her name as well because of your association to her. Not that anybody would think that she thinks like that, but the point is, what is your problem. She is a phenomenal, phenomenal talent and an even better person. I happened to have met and did an event with Caitlyn Clark. I think she's wonderful. You don't have to act that way, particularly when you're a fan base that represents her, and if you are from the city of Indianapolis. If you are in Indiana, ILL remind you all years ago Allen Iverson complained about the same thing what he heard from those fans. She does play for the Indiana Fever, So you need to safeguard yourself from having or developing that kind of reputation. I love going to Indiana to watch games because I think it's an absolute great fan base. You gotta not act, you gotta not act. I'm just gonna leave it at that.