Diana Taurasi still going through stages of grief following retirement from WNBA

Diana Taurasi, often known for her fiery and relentless behavior on the court, isn’t a fan of showing her deeper emotions off the court. Even after retiring from the Phoenix Mercury following 20 seasons, she’s trying not to dwell on the negative.

But then her young son Leo asked her, “Is retirement sad?” right before her family boarded a flight to New York — and all the emotions hit her.

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“That was the longest four-hour plane ride to New York ever,” Taurasi said.

Taurasi announced her retirement on Feb. 25, ending the longest career in the WNBA that included three WNBA championships and the league’s all-time scoring record, all with the Mercury.

She admits she’s still going through the stages of grief, even though she’s content with her decision.

“Just thinking about if it’s sad, and it is sad. I am sad,” Taurasi said. “I don’t show it. I don’t like to outwardly show my sadness, but I am sad. It’s the game that I’ve played since I was seven. It’s all the things in life that I always loved to do. “

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Taurasi’s love for basketball is still there, but at 42, another season wasn’t happening for her. Her deadline for her four-month preparation for the season crept closer and closer. Once February came, she made her final decision.

“I thought really hard about maybe playing again, but I knew that in my heart, I was physically, mentally just full of the game of basketball,” Taurasi said. “Everything it’s given me in life. The ups and downs, the journeys. The incredible smiles, the frowns, the championships. It’s always been with a group of people that’s always cared about this game.”

When Taurasi arrived at the Mercury’s practice facility on Thursday for her retirement news conference, droves of people wearing orange shirts featuring Taurasi’s silhouette lined a pathway to the facility. Many were part of her 20 years in Phoenix.

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The reception was more than Taurasi imagined and prompted thoughts of returning.

“I walked into here and I said to (Mercury general manager) Nick (U’Ren), I want to play again,” Taurasi said. “But I’m sure I’ll have those feelings a lot, but I am so happy where I’m at right now personally. Now, I get to really reflect on what 20 years felt like and the things that I was lucky enough to be a part of.”

Taurasi has given a lot to Phoenix over the last two decades. The No. 1 overall pick for Phoenix in 2004, she averaged 18.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 565 regular season games.

Taurasi, along with Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and Udonis Haslem are the only NBA/WNBA players to play 20 or more seasons with the same team.

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Taurasi led the Mercury to three championships (2007, 2009, 2014), was a 14-time All-WNBA selection, 11-time WNBA All-Star, two-time WNBA Finals MVP, 2009 WNBA MVP and in 2021, was voted the WNBA’s Greatest Player of All-Time. A six-time Olympic gold medalist, Taurasi retires as the WNBA’s all-time leader in points (10,646) made field goals (3,341), three-point field goals (1,447) and free throws (2,517), and ranks fourth in league history in assists (2,394),

Taurasi’s dedication to the franchise and the WNBA was honored when owner Mat Ishbia named the Mercury’s court in the state-of-the-art practice facility after her last summer. Her jersey will be retired in 2026.

But what’s mattered the most is remaining in the same place for her entire career and building a life there.

When she took her place at the podium, her wife and former teammate, Penny Taylor, was sitting in the front row with their two kids, Leo and Isla.

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“Being in this city for 20 years is the one thing that is the most important thing in the world,” Taurasi said. “Championships, points, all those things will be broken — hopefully, not soon. The character and the loyalty you show every single day, that’s what people care about and remember. If I did that in a way that can transcend the way people look at, not only women’s basketball, but women’s sports, how we give up our life and sacrifice everything for the thing we love the most. For me, that was basketball forever.”

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diana Taurasi is processing retirement. Here’s how she’s doing