Diana Taurasi announces WNBA retirement

One of the all-time greats in women’s basketball is calling it a career, with Diana Taurasi informing TIME magazine of her retirement.

Taurasi spent 20 years in the WNBA after becoming the No. 1 overall pick by the Phoenix Mercury back in 2004. Taurasi starred at UConn before that, where she became one of the most high-profile names in the sport.

She would play her entire WNBA career with the Mercury.

“I just didn’t have it in me,” Taurasi said of her decision to retire. “That was pretty much when I knew it was time to walk away.”

Diana Taurasi has remained remarkably consistent over the course of her career from a scoring standpoint. Even in 2024, she averaged 14.9 points per game for the Mercury while playing in 36 contests (with 36 starts).

She had only one season in her career in which she averaged fewer than double digits scoring, and that was in 2019 when she played in only six games.

The accolades for Diana Taurasi are too numerous to mention. In addition to winning three WNBA titles and taking home the WNBA Finals MVP award twice, Taurasi also earned the WNBA regular season MVP award in 2009.

She was an 11-time WNBA All-Star and a 10-time All-WNBA First-Team selection. She earned four second-team honors.

When Diana Taurasi came out in 2024, she was named the league’s Rookie of the Year.

A remarkable ambassador for the game, Taurasi has also done her best to pass on the torch to the next generation of the game’s stars.

Passing of the Torch

One thing that made it evident the future of the WNBA is in good hands was the reaction when Diana Taurasi squared off against up-and-coming star Caitlin Clark for the first time. The game drew monster ratings.

ESPN averaged 1.93 million viewers for the game, according to Sports Media Watch. That was good for the fourth most-watched WNBA game since 2001.

Clark put together an incredible performance at the Footprint Center despite battling a migraine, the team said afterward. She nearly became the first WNBA rookie to ever record a triple-double when she totaled 15 points, nine rebounds and 12 assists to help spark the Fever’s comeback en route to the 88-82 victory.

Taurasi also had a strong showing. She finished with 19 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals in the effort. Afterward, the 20-year veteran had some high praise for Clark, whom she previously told “reality was coming.”

“I mean, it’s amazing. What Caitlin’s been able to do in her short career so far has just been nothing short of remarkable,” Diana Taurasi said. “And the one thing that I really love about her is she really loves the game. You can tell she’s put the work in.

“Even throughout her short WNBA career it’s been a lot of pressure, a lot of things thrown at her. She keeps showing up and keeps getting better every single game, so her future is super bright. Being a veteran, being in this league for a long, long time, it’s pretty cool to see that and going into the future.”