WNBA legend Diana Taurasi announces retirement
Three-time WNBA champion and two-time WNBA Finals MVP Diana Taurasi announced her retirement from professional basketball Tuesday.
Taurasi, 42, played 20 years in the WNBA, spending every season of her career with the Phoenix Mercury.
'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.'
'Diana Taurasi is one of the greatest competitors to ever play the game of basketball on any stage,' WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. 'In a record-setting career that saw her play 20 seasons, score more points and make more 3-point shots than any player in WNBA history, she earned the unquestioned respect of players around the globe, delivered electrifying moments and captivated fans again and again.'
Taurasi was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 WNBA draft after an incredibly accomplished collegiate career with the Connecticut Huskies. Taurasi was a three-time NCAA champion and two-time NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player before entering the professional ranks.
In her fourth season with the Mercury, Taurasi averaged 19.9 points per game in the postseason as she helped lead Phoenix to its first WNBA championship. She led the team to two more championships in 2009 and 2014, winning Finals MVP each time.
One of the game's best offensive players, Tuarasi retires as the WNBA's all-time leader in several scoring categories, including points, field goals made, free throws made, and 3-pointers made.
In addition to her WNBA career, Taurasi played several seasons overseas, winning six EuroLeague championships, seven Russian National League championships and a Turkish National League championship.
As a member of the U.S. women's national basketball team, Taurasi won six consecutive gold medals in Olympic play. She never lost a game during the Olympics in her time representing her country.
'My scoring record or the six gold medals, someone's going to come around that has the same hunger, the same addiction to basketball, and put those records in a different way, a different name,' Taurasi told TIME. 'That's what sports is all about. That's going to be fun to watch. Hopefully not soon.'
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