PHOENIX (AP) — Diana Taurasi is retiring after 20 seasons, ending one of many best careers in ladies’s basketball historical past.
The WNBA’s profession scoring chief and a three-time league champion, Taurasi introduced her retirement on Tuesday in an interview with Time magazine. The Phoenix Mercury — the one WNBA workforce she performed for — additionally confirmed her determination.
“Mentally and bodily, I’m simply full,” Taurasi advised Time. “That’s in all probability the easiest way I can describe it. I’m full and I’m glad.”
Along with her taut hair bun and supreme confidence, Taurasi impressed a technology of gamers whereas racking up information and championships.
Taurasi led UConn to a few straight nationwide titles from 2001-04 and stored on profitable after the Mercury chosen her with the No. 1 general decide of the 2004 WNBA draft.
The 42-year-old received her sixth Olympic gold medal on the Paris Video games and finishes her WNBA profession with 10,646 factors, almost 3,000 greater than second-place Tina Charles.
Along with her three WNBA championships with the Mercury, Taurasi received six Euroleague championships whereas enjoying year-round most of her profession. She was the 2009 WNBA MVP and is considered one of 4 gamers to earn WNBA Finals MVP honors greater than as soon as (2009, 2014).
“Diana is the best to have ever performed the sport. I’ve been a fan of her my complete life, she is the final word chief and teammate,” Mercury proprietor Mat Ishbia stated in an announcement. “She’s had an unimaginable impression on our franchise, our neighborhood and the sport of basketball. Her identify is synonymous with the Phoenix Mercury and she is going to without end be a part of our household.”
Taurasi made the all-WNBA first workforce 10 instances and was on the primary or second workforce a document 14 instances. She’s additionally an 11-time WNBA All-Star, four-time USA Basketball feminine athlete of the yr and was the 2004 WNBA rookie of the yr.
The Glendale, California, native holds quite a few WNBA information, together with playoff scoring, area targets, 3-pointers and 30-point video games. She additionally holds 16 Mercury information.
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For her profession, Taurasi averaged 18.8 factors, 4.2 assists and three.9 rebounds. She averaged 14.9 factors, 3.8 rebounds and three.4 assists whereas main the Mercury to the playoffs throughout her twentieth season.
Feinberg reported from New York.
