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Last Updated On: May 03, 2025 11:58 AM , Published On: Feb 26, 2025 06:43 AM
Diana Taurasi, an American basketball player, has announced her retirement from the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Diana is regarded as one of the most significant women's basketball players ever. She stated that she is happy and satisfied with the news of bidding farewell to her 20 successful basketball seasons with the Phoenix Mercury.
Diana’s Retirement: End of WNBA Career
Diana Taurasi is an American all-time leading scorer of the Women's National Basketball Association’s team, Mercury Phoenix. On Tuesday, she announced her retirement and concluded her career in the basketball world. Moreover, she interviewed Time and stated that she decided to quit on New Year’s Day. She realized I just did not have it in me.
Diana’s 20 Seasons With Mercury
Diana Taurasi, now age 42, adhered to the Mercury Phoenix for 20 seasons in her entire WNBA career. When she was selected as the first overall pick from UConn in 2004, she dedicated her life to the football sport.
Her contributions are remarkable in leading her team to three championships in 2007, 2009, and 2014. In her presence, Mercury earned Final MVP honors in 2009 and 2014. When remembering her debut WNBA season, her achievements had been incredible from the start.
She was ranked third in MVP voting and won Rookie of the Year. Miss Taurasi was also named to the All-WNBA First Team 11 times, selected for 11 All-Star teams, and made 14 total All-WNBA teams.
She secured her lone MVP award in 2009 after scoring 5.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists, averaging 20.4 points and 40.7% shooting from three-point range.
Acquiring All-Time Leading Scorer
As mentioned earlier, Diana Taurasi was the WNBA's all-time leading scorer. She achieved this prestigious designation in 2017 after surpassing Tina Thompson’s 7489 career points. It would be best to note that Miss Thompson was the then Hall of Famer.
Diana maintained this record besides becoming the all-time leading scorer. She was the only player to score over 10,000 points in 2023 after defeating Atlanta Dream. At retirement time, her score was 10,646 career points, almost 3000 more than Tina Charles, the second-all-time leading scorer.
UConn Huskies Star
Even before she started her WNBA career, Diana Taurasi was associated with the UConn Huskies. She made the team win three national championships, one after another, from 2002 to 2004. In addition to this, she also received numerous awards and recognitions, such as:
- Diana was a Three-time Associated Press All-America selection
- AP National Player of the Year (2003)
- Naismith Award for National Player of the Year (2003, 2004)
Diana’s Olympic Fame
Diana Taurasi has the most basketball medals with her participation in the Olympics. She is the only individual with six Olympic golds. Whether its Olympic 2004 Athens or 2024 Paris, she has competed in every game.
As an American women's basketball player, she never missed or lost a single Olympic game. She represented Team USA and brought gold in Athens, Beijing, London, Rio, Tokyo, and Paris. Her career resume is and will be unmatchable for many upcoming years, and she continues inspiring other young footballers.