Diana Taurasi is retiring after 20 seasons, ending one of the greatest careers in basketball history.
The WNBA’s career scoring leader and a three-time league champion, Taurasi announced her retirement on Tuesday in an interview with Time magazine. The Phoenix Mercury – the only WNBA team she played for – also confirmed her decision.
Taurasi stated to Time, “Mentally and physically, I’m just full.” “That’s probably the best way I can describe it. I’m full and I’m happy.”
With her taut hair bun and supreme confidence, Taurasi inspired a generation of players while racking up records and championships.
Taurasi led UConn to three straight national titles from 2001-04 and kept on winning after the Mercury selected her as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2004 WNBA draft.
“It’s hard to put into words, it is, what this means. When a person has made such an impact on so many people and places they have defined the game. You can’t define it with a quote,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “It’s a life that is a novel, it’s a movie, it’s a miniseries, it’s a saga. It’s the life of an extraordinary person who, I think, had as much to do with changing women’s basketball as anyone who’s ever played the game.”
The WNBA player, who is 42 years old, finishes her career with 10,646 points, nearly 3,000 more than Tina Charles, who finished in second place. She won her sixth Olympic gold medal at the Paris Games. Taurasi won six Euroleague championships while playing year-round for the majority of her career, in addition to her three WNBA championships with the Mercury. She is one of only four players to win the WNBA Finals MVP award twice (in 2009 and 2014). She was the WNBA MVP in 2009. Diana is the best player ever to play the game. In a statement, Mercury owner Mat Ishbia said, “She is the ultimate leader and teammate, and I’ve been a fan of her all my life.” She has had a huge impact on our team, our community, and basketball as a whole. Her name is synonymous with the Phoenix Mercury and she will forever be part of our family.”
Taurasi made the all-WNBA first team 10 times and was on the first or second team a record 14 times. She’s also an 11-time WNBA All-Star, four-time USA Basketball female athlete of the year, and was the 2004 WNBA rookie of the year.
Auriemma stated, “What the greats have in common, in my opinion, is that they transcend the sport and become synonymous with the sport.” For as long as college basketball, WNBA basketball, and Olympic basketball are discussed, Diana is without a doubt the greatest winner in basketball history. She is the best teammate I’ve ever coached, and I’ve had the pleasure of being with her for many of those moments. The native of Glendale, California, holds several WNBA records, including 30-point games, field goals, three-pointers, and playoff scoring. She also owns sixteen Mercury records. Taurasi averaged 18.8 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.9 rebounds over her career. She averaged 14.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists while leading the Mercury to the playoffs during her 20th season.
She was a complete last problem in her prime. I mean, she just scored at all three levels,” Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “Just nasty out there. Just had that awful thing, which I adore. Like, you love that a as a competitor. So our league is going to miss her.”