Hoops Legend Diana Taurasi Retires: ‘Impact Will Be Felt For Generations’
Tuesday, February 25, 2025 at 06:27PM By Barry Janoff
Photo: Phoenix MercuryFebruary 25, 2025: Diana Taurasi, one of the greatest hoops players ever, today said she is retiring from pro basketball, following 20 years in the WNBA, all with the Phoenix Mercury.
“Mentally and physically, I’m just full,” Taurasi, 42, told Time Magazine. “That’s probably the best way I can describe it. I’m full and I’m happy.”
She won a trio of WNBA championships (2007, 2009, 2014), three in the NCAA with UConn and six Olympic gold medals.
“Diana Taurasi is one of the greatest competitors to ever play the game of basketball on any stage,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said via the league.
“In a record-setting career that saw her play 20 seasons, score more points and make more three-point shots than any player in WNBA history, she has earned the unquestioned respect of players around the globe, delivered electrifying moments and captivated fans again and again.”
Among her numerous accolades, Taurasi is widely acknowledged as the player image in the WNBA logo.
“On behalf of the WNBA family, I thank Diana for everything that she has brought to the WNBA — her passion, her charisma and, most of all, her relentless dedication to the game,” said Engelbert.
“She leaves a lasting legacy and the future of the WNBA is in a great position because of her impact, that will be felt for generations to come.”
She was selected No. 1 overall in the 2004 WNBA Draft out of UConn and eventually was named to the league's 15th, 20th and 25th anniversary teams.
Taurasi was voted by fans as the WNBA's "GOAT" during the league's 25th season in 2021.
“It’s hard to put into words — it really is — what this means,” UConn women’s basketball head coach Geno Auriemma said via the school, where the pair won NCAA titles from 2002-04.
“When someone’s defined the game — when someone’s had such an impact on so many people and so many places, you can’t define it with a quote. It’s a life that is a novel. It’s a movie. It’s a miniseries. It’s a saga."
Taurasi is the only women’s basketball player to win six Olympic gold medals: 2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing, 2021 London, 2016 Rio de Janeiro, 2020 Tokyo (played in 2021 due to COVID-19 issues) and 2024 Paris.
“It’s the life of an extraordinary person who, I think, had as much to do with changing women’s basketball as anyone who’s ever played the game,” said Auriemma. “In my opinion, what the greats have in common is, they transcend the sport and become synonymous with the sport.
“For as long as people talk about college basketball, WNBA basketball, Olympic basketball: Diana is the greatest winner in the history of basketball, period. I’ve had the pleasure of being around her for a lot of those moments, and she’s the greatest teammate I’ve ever coached. I’m happy for her and her family.
"At the same time, I’m sad that I’ll never get to see her play again, but I saw more than most."
Taurasi scored 10,646 points — the only WNBA player to surpass the 10K mark in scoring — in 565 regular-season games, and she scored another 1,476 points in 72 playoff games.
She has more three-pointers than anyone in WNBA history — 1,447 in the regular season and 215 in the playoffs — and is fourth all-time in assists.
A five-time WNBA scoring champion and 14-time All-WNBA selection, Taurasi was league MVP in 2009 and Finals MVP in 2009 and 2014.
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