Diana Taurasi, one of the vital prolific gamers in girls’s basketball historical past, decides to hold up her jersey. As she walks as much as the press desk, a roar of applause emerges. Taurasi hugs Scorch, the Phoenix Mercury’s crew’s mascot since 2002, and adjusts the microphone in entrance of her.
She utters the phrase, “Wow.”
As Taurasi, the SoCal native who twice named California Ms. Basketball at Don Lugo (Chino Calif.), additionally led UConn to 3 consecutive NCAA titles in 2002-04, thanks the folks for exhibiting up as actuality washes over her face.
“I don’t assume it’s felt actual till simply now. I haven’t been on this constructing, I believe, because the final shoot-around, proper, Coach?” Taurasi says.
She recollects the recollections of being in Phoenix and proceeds to thank a number of people for his or her unwavering help, starting together with her household after which shining a lightweight particularly on her spouse, Penny Taylor, who additionally performed with the Mercury and can be a Ring of Honor member with the franchise. She thanks the Mercury employees and entrance workplace and emphasizes that her 20-year profession in Phoenix is a testomony to her sacrifice, which defines her love for the sport of basketball.
“It Was Time”
Taurasi knew it was time when the brand new calendar 12 months approached, and her annual preparation for a season turned extra delayed because the weeks, then months, handed by.
“I knew in my coronary heart that I didn’t have it in me to place that four-month preparation going into the season, and I used to be advantageous with that,” Taurasi mentioned.
Taurasi displays on what 20 years felt like and was fortunate sufficient to be part of. The final 20 years of Taurasi’s profession are easy: “I simply wished to win.”
Taurasi credit her circle and the town of Phoenix for all the help and ensures reciprocity is a essential objective for her success. “I all the time thought-about being in Phoenix a two-way road, for as a lot as they’ve achieved for me, I wished to offer that again, and that was to win,” she mentioned.
Taurasi’s legacy is eternally etched in basketball historical past, however in Phoenix, she will probably be thought-about immortal as her retirement from the WNBA leaves a chance for upcoming girls athletes. The objective to depart the sport higher than if you discovered it’s thought-about successful for her.
A Legacy Fulfilled
Taurasi will now be part of Phoenix Mercury historical past because the sixth member of the Mercury Ring of Honor, alongside Jennifer Gillom, Cheryl Miller, Bridget Pettis, Taylor, and Michele Timms, as introduced in a current press launch. When requested about her response to the distinguished honor, she replied, “I had an excellent dialog with Matt (Ishbia), and everytime you speak to him, he provides you this burst of power and actually desires you to signify the town and franchise. He has such love and admiration, and it’s very nice to really feel that.”
Taurasi can even have her jersey quantity retired within the ceremony, including to the already featured Diana Taurasi courts within the Mercury’s new state-of-the-art observe facility in downtown Phoenix.
D By The Numbers
Taurasi was chosen No. 1 total within the 2004 WNBA Draft by the Mercury and has since performed her whole profession with the franchise. In 20 seasons, she averaged 18.8 factors, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 565 common season video games. She is considered one of 4 gamers in NBA/WNBA historical past to play 20 seasons for one franchise, becoming a member of Dirk Nowitzki, Udonis Haslem, and the late Kobe Bryant. Her 20 seasons within the WNBA are probably the most in historical past.
Alongside together with her embellished profession, Taurasi is a three-time champion (2007, 2009, and 2014), a 14-time ALL-WNBA choice, an 11-time WNBA All-Star, a two-time WNBA Finals MVP, a 2009 WNBA MVP, a six-time Olympic gold medalist, and was voted the WNBA Biggest Participant of All Time within the 2021 twenty fifth Anniversary season. Taurasi retires because the WNBA all-time chief in scoring (10,646), made discipline objectives (3,341), three-point discipline objectives (1,447), and free throws made (2,517) whereas additionally rating 4th in WNBA historical past in assists (2,394).
Congratulations Diana, and cheers to the following chapter!
