Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix
Mercury retires after 20 WNBA seasons, 3 titles and 6 Olympic golds
 [February 27, 2025]
By JOHN MARSHALL and DOUG FEINBERG
PHOENIX (AP) — Diana Taurasi is retiring after 20 seasons, ending
one of the greatest careers in women's basketball history.
The WNBA's career scoring leader and a three-time league champion,
Taurasi announced her retirement on Tuesday in an interview with
Time magazine. The Phoenix Mercury — the only WNBA team she played
for — also confirmed her decision.
“Mentally and physically, I’m just full,” Taurasi told Time. “That’s
probably the best way I can describe it. I’m full and I’m happy.”
With her taut hair bun and supreme confidence, Taurasi inspired a
generation of players while racking up records and championships.
Taurasi led UConn to three straight national titles from 2001-04 and
kept on winning after the Mercury selected her with the No. 1
overall pick of the 2004 WNBA draft.
“It’s hard to put into words, it really is, what this means. 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,”
UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “It’s a life that is a novel, it’s a
movie, it’s a miniseries, it’s a saga. 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.”
The 42-year-old won her sixth Olympic gold medal at the Paris Games
and finishes her WNBA career with 10,646 points, nearly 3,000 more
than second-place Tina Charles.
“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,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement.
"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.”
In addition to her three WNBA championships with the Mercury,
Taurasi won six Euroleague championships while playing year-round
most of her career. She was the 2009 WNBA MVP and is one of four
players to earn WNBA Finals MVP honors more than once (2009, 2014).
“Diana 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,”
Mercury owner Mat Ishbia said in a statement. “She’s had an
incredible impact on our franchise, our community and the game of
basketball. Her name is synonymous with the Phoenix Mercury and she
will forever be part of our family.”
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Phoenix Mercury's Diana Taurasi smiles during the second half of a
WNBA basketball game against the Atlanta Dream, Thursday, Aug. 3,
2023, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
Taurasi made the all-WNBA first team 10 times and
was on the first or second team a record 14 times. She's also an
11-time WNBA All-Star, four-time USA Basketball female athlete of
the year and was the 2004 WNBA rookie of the year.
“In my opinion, what the greats have in common is, they transcend
the sport and become synonymous with the sport," Auriemma said. “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.”
The Glendale, California, native holds numerous WNBA records,
including playoff scoring, field goals, 3-pointers and 30-point
games. She also holds 16 Mercury records.
Now that she's retired, Taurasi will be able to spend more time with
her wife, Penny Taylor — a former Mercury teammate — and their two
children.
For her career, Taurasi averaged 18.8 points, 4.2 assists and 3.9
rebounds. She averaged 14.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists
while leading the Mercury to the playoffs during her 20th season.
“I mean, she just scored at all three levels,” Las Vegas Aces coach
Becky Hammon said. “Just nasty out there. Just had that nasty, which
I love. Like, you love that as a competitor. So our league is going
to miss her.”
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Feinberg reported from New York.
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