3-time WNBA Champion, 6-time Olympic Gold Medalist, 11-time WNBA All-Star, 2-time WNBA Finals MVP, and WNBA all-time leading scorer, Diana Taurasi’s impact on the game of basketball is unparalleled. As she hangs up her jersey after 20 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury, Taurasi reflected on her incredible career after announcing her retirement on February 25th at the Phoenix Mercury practice facility’s Diana Taurasi Courts.
“At the end of the day, I did everything because I wanted to win. I wanted to compete and I wanted to win. I didn’t do it for a little bit of fame, a little bit of money. I didn’t do it for any of that. I did it literally to win and have the respect of the people around me.”
Diana Taurasi started her professional career after being drafted by the Mercury as the first overall pick in the 2004 WNBA Draft. When the point guard entered the draft she was already considered one of the greatest basketball players in the world after leading the University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies to three NCAA Championships (2002-04). She was also the first player in UConn history with 2,000 points, 600 assists, and 600 rebounds. Additionally, as a student-athlete, Taurasi was an All-American and 2-time winner of the Naismith Player of the Year award. Her success only continued to grow when she entered the WNBA. In her rookie season, she averaged 17 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game earning her the WNBA Rookie of the Year award.
“Championships and points, all those things will be broken, hopefully not soon, but the character and the loyalty you show as a person every single day, that’s what people care about,” Taurasi said. “That’s what people remember. And hopefully, I did that in a way that can transcend the way people look at not only women’s basketball, but women’s sports, and how we give up our lives and sacrifice everything for the thing that we love the most. And for me, that was basketball forever.”
Former teammates and long-time friends, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi also co-host a sports podcast, “A Touch More,” where they discuss women’s sports, pop culture, and life as a professional athlete. Soccer superstar and wife of Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe, also hosts the podcast.
Nicknamed “The White Mamba” by the late-great Kobe Bryant for her ability to score in high pressure situations, Diana Taurasi is one of the greatest players to pick up a basketball and will definitely be missed on the court. The Phoenix Mercury will be retiring Taurasi’s #3 Jersey during the 2026 WNBA season. Post-retirement, at age 42, Taurasi plans to enjoy time with her two kids and wife, former Australian WNBA player, Penny Taylor. While she will no longer be on the court, she will continue to be involved in the game by mentoring the next generation and helping the game to evolve and grow.
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