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Over the years, the WNBA has had its share of stars. It is players like Lisa Leslie, Tina Thompson and many others who helped pave the way for the stars of today. In that time, the Phoenix Mercury have had some stars, and they had their share of accolades.
When it comes to the Mercury, the first name that comes to mind is Diana Taurasi. Taurasi was a special player who led the team to multiple championships, became the league’s all-time leading scorer and much more. She called it a career before the start of this season, and in terms of post-career honors, this is just the beginning.
During her career, Taurasi was named one of the WNBA’s Top 15 Players. She was joined by players such as Cappie Pondexter, Becky Hammon and others. Taurasi was nearly a member of the All-Decade Team, which featured players like Leslie, Thompson, Sue Bird, Dawn Staley and others, but she ended up being an honorable mention at that time.
Taurasi also made the WNBA Top 20 @ 20, which honored the top 20 players of the league at that point. That list featured some of the legends of the All-Decade Team and the Top 15, but also featured stars like Maya Moore and Candace Parker.
The Mercury legend did not stop there, as she was also a part of the W25 that was announced in 2021. This time, players like Tina Charles, Elena Delle Donne, Sylvia Fowles and Brittney Griner were included. These players were nominated for the Top 20 @ 20, but did not make it. However, their time came later on.
New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart was one of the newer stars featured on the W25, so she made it without being nominated for any of the previous. She was just coming into the league when the Top 20 @ 20 was announced, as the list was announced in 2016, and Stewart that year. However, by 2021 when the W25 was announced Stewart had her share of accolades.
With the career Taurasi had, it was only a matter of time before she went from honorable mention to being included alongside legends on these prestigous lists.
When the W25 was announced, Taurasi had a few more seasons before she retired. She was still going strong, and before the 2025 season, she retired. The league showed honored her several times, and as time goes on, they will continue to do so.
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