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In an unassuming move that was on brand with how she handled much of her career, WNBA legend Diana Taurasi announced her retirement on a random Tuesday. After 20 years with the Phoenix Mercury, she leaves the sport as one of the most decorated players in basketball history and a champion at every level.
“Thank you Diana for changing the game forever, all of the accolades could never amount to the type of person and edge you embodied when you stepped out there on the court,” read a post by the WNBA.
Taurasi was the 2004 Rookie of the Year after being the No. 1 pick, and that was just the beginning of a legendary career. She won three WNBA championships and is the league’s all-time leading scorer with 10,646 points — with no one else coming even remotely close to that level of offensive production.
Diana Taurasi retires: Mercury legend, WNBA’s all-time leader scorer calls it a career after 20 seasons
Jack Maloney
Sue Bird, her teammate at UConn and Team USA, played alongside Taurasi in some big moments. She explained what makes Taurasi so unique and one of the greatest to ever play the game.
“There are players that have full games,” Bird told Time Magazine. “You can talk about Maya Moore in this conversation, Candace Parker, Lisa Leslie. You could talk about all these great names. The difference is the way she makes her teammates feel. The way she raises the level of her teams. That, to me, is the separator.”
Bird retired almost three years ago, but Taurasi has inspired many generations of players. This includes Caitlin Clark, who is coming off an outstanding rookie season with the Indiana Fever.
“Legend,” Clark wrote on an Instagram story.
Brianna Turner, who played for Phoenix alongside Taurasi from 2019-22, also shared her appreciating on social media.
“An iconic career that will never be replicated,” she said. “Congrats DT.”
Taurasi also holds the record for most basketball gold medals in Olympic history with six. Her first one happened in Athens in 2004, and her last one was last year in Paris. Team USA shared multiple posts in honor of Taurasi’s multiple achievements.
“Basketball is what she loved. And she gave her life to it,” read a post by Team USA.
Before going pro, Taurasi also left her mark at the college level with three NCAA championships at UConn.
“No words needed for her impact on the game. Congrats on an unmatched career, Dee,” read a post by the Huskies.
“Until someone comes along and eclipses what she’s done, then yes, she is the GOAT,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma told Time Magazine.
Taurasi had not made up her mind during the 2024 season, but there was always the looming possibility of retirement. She is not the kind of player to want a retirement tour, and Rebecca Lobo even joked about how retiring “on a quiet Tuesday in February” made sense for Taurasi.
Just in case 2024 was her last dance, many in the sport began celebrating her in advance.
“When I was at UConn, it was like, ‘How many national championships did she win? And how can I beat her?'” Breanna Stewart told CBS Sports in September. “That was that, and now it’s kind of the same. She is the one who is setting the bar for everything in the WNBA.”
Taurasi’s impact went far beyond the WNBA, and her contributions to basketball were also celebrated by the NBA world.
“You can’t tell the story of the WNBA without Diana,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver told Time. “She helped build the league into what it is today and inspired generations of fans and players, including many who have gone on to play in the WNBA. Diana had an outsized role in the growth of women’s basketball.”
The official NBA account listed some of her achievements while congratulating her.
NBA superstar LeBron James said it was an honor to watch her play.
“Just seeing her transcend the game, watching little girls want to play like her, her style, her flair, her bravado, you know, her swagger, it’s been an unbelievable treat,” James told Time. “She’s one of the all-time greatest, and she will leave her mark on the game of basketball the moment she ties those shoes up and throws them over the pole line. It’s been an honor. All love.”
Taurasi spent her entire WNBA career in Phoenix. As she says goodbye to her team, the Mercury made a statement by saying she built the franchise.
“She didn’t just wear the jersey — she built our franchise,” read a post by the Mercury. “She played the game, then changed it forever. Thank you will never be enough. But it’s a start.”
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