Why Mercury’s Taurasi Is A Hall Of Famer

Diana Taurasi started her WNBA journey in 2004, and after a lengthy career, she announced her retirement. Taurasi was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury, and she played with them for her entire career.

During that time, she accomplished many things. She won three championships, she won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and she won Finals MVP as well. She is the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, as she had 10,646 points at the end of her career. Then, she was one of the players who representedthe Mercury in the All-Star Game.

Taurasi had a historic career, and she continues to be honored. Recently, it was announced that the Mercury guard will be inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame.

Phoenix’s MVP will be joined by Michael Bates, Frank Busch, Craig Girard, J.J. Hardy, Michael Pantalione and George Young. All of these inductees have done great things in their respective sports, and in Bates’ case, he played in the NFL. He played with the Seattle Seahawks, the Cleveland Browns and more. He attended Arizona, and he won a bronze medal in the 1992 Olympics.

Busch was the head coach for Arizona’s swimming teams, Hardy played in the MLB, and the others did great things in other sports.

Taurasi will continue to add accolades to her resume, as she will join Mercury legends Jennifer Gillom, Michele Timms, Bridget Pettis and Penny Taylor in the Ring of Honor. The first three were a part of the Mercury’s 1997 season, and they had successful years with the team after that.

Taylor was a teammate of Taurasi, and she played a big role in their championship wins. Cheryl Miller was honored alongside these players, as she was the team’s first head coach. So, Taurasi will be in good company.

Some of those names are a part of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, as Miller was inducted in 1999, Timms was inducted in 2008 and Gillom was inducted in 2009. Taylor was a part of the 2022 class.

There are other players with Mercury ties in that Hall of Fame, as Nancy Lieberman was in the same class as Miller, Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil was inducted in 2006 and Cappie Pondexter was a part of the 2025 class. These are great names, and eventually, Taurasi will join them. Until then, Taurasi is entering the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, and she is a part of a great group.

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