Home Caitlin Clark Caitlin Clark Makes Senior U.S. Team Debut Wearing Diana Taurasi's No. 12 Jersey

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25 Mar 2026

Caitlin Clark Makes Senior U.S. Team Debut Wearing Diana Taurasi's No. 12 Jersey

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark made her senior Team USA debut during FIBA Women's World Cup qualifying play, donning jersey No. 12 nearly two years after her omission from the U.S. roster for the Paris 2024 Olympics.[1][2]

USA Basketball announced its 12-player Olympic roster on April 5, 2024, selecting veterans such as Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi and excluding Clark, who was then concluding her college career at Iowa.[1][3]

No. 12 has been Taurasi's number throughout her U.S. national team career, which includes five Olympic gold medals from the 2008 Beijing Games through the 2024 Paris Games.[4][5]

Taurasi praised Clark for wearing the number, telling Sports Illustrated: "It's so cool to see Caitlin not only wear the USA jersey, but number 12. 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."

Clark has worn No. 22 in her first two WNBA seasons with the Fever and during her time at Iowa, where she set the NCAA all-time scoring record with 3,951 points.[6][7]

Taurasi, a three-time FIBA Women's World Cup gold medalist (2010, 2014, 2018), said she had no role in Clark's number selection but joked that retired U.S. guard Sue Bird might have influenced it.[4]

Taurasi expressed anticipation for Clark's upcoming competitions, including summer play in Germany leading toward the 2028 Olympics.