Diana Taurasi Makes Feelings Known As Caitlin Clark Takes Over Her Team USA No. 12

Jersey numbers have never been just a part of the game – something players wear without a second thought. They carry history, expectation, and a legacy built over years. So when Caitlin Clark stepped onto the court after eight months wearing No. 12 for Team USA, many wondered if she could do justice to the weight that comes with it.

For two decades, that number belonged to Diana Taurasi whenever she suited up for Team USA. Six Olympic gold medals later, No. 12 wasn’t just a jersey; it became her legacy. So when Clark took the court during the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers, the conversation wasn’t just about her return. It felt like the beginning of a new chapter for a number already steeped in greatness.

But if you ask Taurasi, there’s no one better to carry that legacy forward than Clark.

“It’s so cool to see Caitlin not only wear the USA jersey, but number 12,” Taurasi said in an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Grant Young.

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

“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.”

For Taurasi, this number represents 20 years of international dominance, where she set a standard that defined Team USA’s identity on the global stage. Over time, the number became synonymous with winning, leadership, and longevity.

Furthermore, the basketball legend was asked if she had any role in Caitlin Clark getting her number. But Taurasi kept her reply just as candid.

“Once I’m out of things, I’m out. Maybe Sue Bird, you know, she’s a little bit more calculated than people think. So maybe that was a Sue job. That wouldn’t surprise me.”

Caitlin Clark makes her mark in No. 12

If there was any doubt about whether Clark could handle the expectations that come with that number, she shut it down pretty quickly. The doubts were fair, though, after all, she hadn’t stepped onto a competitive court in nearly eight months following an injury-hit 2025 WNBA season with the Indiana Fever.

But in Puerto Rico, Clark didn’t look like someone easing her way back. She looked in control.

Across five games in the Qualifiers, Clark helped Team USA to a perfect 5-0 run, seamlessly running the offense while balancing scoring and playmaking. She averaged 11.6 points and 6.4 assists, shooting efficiently from the field and beyond the arc, all while often coming off the bench on a stacked roster.

So by the end of the run, there wasn’t much left to question, as Clark walked away as the tournament MVP.

For a player stepping into one of Team USA’s most iconic jersey numbers, it was about as convincing a start as it gets.

Why couldn’t Caitlin Clark wear her iconic No. 22 for Team USA?

Clark has famously worn No. 22 since her early playing days. It wasn’t just a random number for her because that’s her birth date, too.

But what started as a simple decision turned into her identity. From her record-breaking run at Iowa to the WNBA with the Indiana Fever, No. 22 became synonymous with her rise, so much so that Iowa eventually retired it. But when it comes to Team USA, it’s not that simple.

2026 World Cup Qualifying Tournament – USA Women s national team, Nationalteam V Senegal Caitlin Clark plays during the game at the 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament between USA and Senegal in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on March 11, 2026, at Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot. San Juan Puerto Rico PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRA Copyright: xEdgardoxMedinax originalFilename:medinamillan-notitle260311_np9qG.jpg

Clark got to wear No. 12 (which was earlier No. 17) on the international stage, not by choice, but by rule.

USA Basketball has long limited jersey numbers from 4 to 15, a system originally tied to FIBA regulations that made it easier for referees to signal fouls. While FIBA has since moved on from that restriction, Team USA has held onto the tradition.

“I didn’t get to pick,” Clark revealed back in December on the New Heights podcast. “The players that have been on the national team prior get to continue wearing their jerseys, like that practice number jersey or their jersey, until they’re done playing in the Olympic team, or whatever happens for the next Olympics.”

“And then all us newcomers… We just get assigned a random number… Nobody asked me, it was fine.”

So No. 22 was never really an option. In the end, she might not have chosen what she got, but Caitlin Clark has already started making it her own.

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