Diana Taurasi, the all-time scorer in the history of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and six-time Olympic gold medalist, announced her retirement last Tuesday, February 25. In an interview with Time, she says, “Mentally and physically, I’m just full. That’s probably the best way I can describe it. I’m full and I’m happy.”
She leaves the WNBA more fulfilled than when she came in. Adam Silver, National Basketball Association (NBA) commissioner, says, “You can’t tell the story of the WNBA without Diana.” He continues, “She helped build the league into what it is today and inspired generations of fans and players… Diana had an outsized role in the growth of women’s basketball.”
Taurasi was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 WNBA draft after her collegiate basketball career at the University of Connecticut. She was a three-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion and a two-time NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player before entering the professional rankings.
Additionally, she was the 2009 WNBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), a two-time WNBA Finals MVP, a three-time Euroleague MVP, and a three-time Russian League Player of the Year. Besides her record number of points, 10,646 in the regular seasons, Taurasi hit more three-pointers than anyone in WNBA history and is fourth all-time in assists.
Taurasi also spent 12 years overseas during her career, playing in Russia and Turkey. While overseas, she also managed to win six Olympic golds, an all-time record for any basketball player.
“Until someone comes along and eclipses what she’s done, then yes, she is the GOAT,” says Geno Auriemma, who coached Taurasi in college and the Olympics in 2012 and 2016.
NBA’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron James, said, “Just seeing her transcend the game, watching little girls want to play like her, her style, her flair, her bravado… her swagger, it’s been an unbelievable treat.”
James goes on, “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…”
When Taurasi spoke with Time, she was asked about her plans for the future. What’s next? “That’s the question that I still don't have an answer for,” says Taurasi. “I really enjoy taking my kids to school, being home when they're home, not leaving for a week at a time.”
Taurasi and her wife Penny Taylor, a former teammate with the Mercury who played internationally for Australia and is a member of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Hall of Fame, have two children, Leo, who turns seven on March 1, and Isla, who is three.
Leo has started playing hoops and Penny coaches his team. “I’m the disgruntled assistant mom coach,” says Taurasi.
“I’m definitely retired,” Taurasi says. The game and all its fans will miss her. And vice versa. “I’m going to miss the competition,” says Taurasi. “I'm going to miss trying to get better every single offseason. I'm going to miss the bus rides, shootarounds. I'm going to miss the inside jokes… the things that come with being on a basketball team. All those things, I'll deeply miss.”
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