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February 26, 2025 | 10:28am
Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury walks off the court after a 101-88 loss in Game 2 of Round 1 of the WNBA Playoffs against the Minnesota Lynx at Target Center on September 25, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Lynx defeated the Mercury, 101-88.
Stephen Maturen / Getty Images / AFP
MANILA, Philippines — After 20 years of WNBA action, superstar Diana Taurasi is calling it a career.
Taurasi announced her retirement from basketball Wednesday morning (Manila time), according to a report by TIME Magazine.
According to the article, Taurasi, who played all her 20 WNBA seasons with the Phoenix Mercury, said she “just did not have it in me”, as she was supposed to ramp up her preparations for the upcoming season.
“I just didn’t have it in me,” Taurasi said in the interview. “That was pretty much when I knew it was time to walk away.”
The 42-year-old guard — a three-time WNBA champion, two-time Finals Most Valuable Player, one-time season MVP, 11-time WNBA All-Star, Rookie of the Year and a six-time Olympic gold medalist — is perceived as one of women’s basketball’s greatest.
In 2017, Taurasi also became the league’s all-time scoring leader.
She is hanging up her sneakers with 10,646 points across 565 games played, head and shoulders above second-placed Tina Charles, who has 7,696 points.
After the announcement was made public, tributes poured in for the “White Mamba”.
“She didn’t just wear the jersey — she built our franchise. She played the game, then changed it forever,” her team, the Mercury, posted on X (formerly Twitter.)
“Thank you will never be enough. But it’s a start.”
Mercury owner Mat Ishbia also underscored that Taurasi is “the greatest to have ever played the game.”
“I’ve been a fan of her my entire life, she is the ultimate leader and teammate. She’s had an incredible impact on our franchise, our community and the game of basketball,” he said.
“Her name is synonymous with the Phoenix Mercury and she will forever be part of our family.”
Sue Bird, Taurasi’s best friend and rival, said that while there were a number of players who could be included in the conversation of having full games, “the difference [for Taurasi] is the way she makes her teammates feel.”
“The kindness, it oozes in certain scenarios, especially on the court. That’s really where it comes out, you go to dinner and it’s a big group, guaranteed she’s gonna pay the check. There are just these ways in which she’s incredibly generous and kind,” Bird said.
Becky Hammon also tipped her hat to the guard.
“She’s really elevated this league. She’s a maniac… There were times I wanted to fight her and then she’d be like, ‘Do you wanna grab a beer?’” said Hammon, who currently serves as head coach of the Las Vegas Aces.
