When Caitlin Clark stepped onto the floor for Team USA at the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico, something was immediately different. It was the number on her back.
Known for wearing No. 22 throughout her college and WNBA career, Clark was instead in No. 12, the number synonymous with one of the greatest players the sport has ever produced. And Diana Taurasi could not be happier about it.
Diana Taurasi Endorses Caitlin Clark in No. 12 for Team USA
Speaking with Sports Illustrated’s Grant Young on March 23, Taurasi made her feelings crystal clear. “It’s so cool to see Caitlin not only wear the USA jersey, but number 12,” she said. “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. 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.”
The weight of those words is hard to overstate. Taurasi wore No. 12 for Team USA across six Olympic gold medals, making her the most decorated basketball player (man or woman) in Olympic history. For her to look at Clark and say she is the right person to carry that number forward is about as meaningful an endorsement as women’s basketball can offer.
Diana Taurasi on Caitlin Clark wearing No. 12 for Team USA (plus whether she or Sue Bird had a hand in making that happen):
“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
— Grant Young (@GrvntYoung) March 23, 2026
The number change itself was largely circumstantial. FIBA regulations limit jersey selections, and with No. 22 unavailable and No. 11 already taken by Los Angeles Sparks guard Rae Burrell, Clark was assigned No. 12.
When asked whether she had any hand in the decision, Taurasi was characteristically entertaining. “Once I’m out of things, I’m out,” she said with a laugh. “Maybe Sue Bird… she’s a little bit more calculated than people think. So maybe that was a Sue job. That wouldn’t surprise me.”
Clark’s performance in Puerto Rico did justice to the number. She averaged 11.6 points and 6.4 assists per game on 52.9% shooting, led all players in assists by a wide margin, and was named TISSOT MVP as Team USA went 5-0 through the tournament.
It was her first competitive action in eight months after injuries restricted her to just 13 games in her sophomore WNBA season, and she looked composed, efficient, and fully integrated from the opening game.
What Is Next for Caitlin Clark in the WNBA and Beyond
With the World Cup qualifier behind her, Clark’s attention now turns to two major events on the horizon. Team USA heads to Berlin in September to defend its World Cup title, and the 2028 Olympics will follow. Both are occasions where No. 12 figures to be front and center in the backcourt.
Before any of that, Clark returns to the Indiana Fever when the 2026 WNBA season tips off on May 8, with the Fever opening against Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings on May 9.
A new CBA has been ratified, the season is on schedule, and Clark is entering it as a player who just won an international MVP award in her return from injury. Taurasi’s prediction about gold medals may have been looking ahead to the global stage, but the way Clark is playing right now, the Fever faithful have every reason to feel just as confident about what is coming closer to home.
