Diana Taurasi, considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time in both college and the pros, has officially announced her retirement from the WNBA.
Diana Lorena Taurasi, 42, is the all-time leading career scorer in the WNBA and was the single-season scoring record-holder (until the latter was broken by A’ja Wilson). Taurasi told Time magazine that she is stepping away from the game after 20 years.
Diana Taurasi makes the retirement official
The former Connecticut Huskies icon told reporter Sean Gregory on Feb. 25 that she is contented and “full.” She believes she has emptied the tank on an illustrious career that some say belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of all-time greats.
“Mentally and physically, I’m just full. That’s probably the best way I can describe it. I’m full and I’m happy,” Taurasi told TIME.
Diana Taurasi called the ‘White Mamba’ by Kobe Bryant
The woman who was specifically called the “White Mamba” by the late legendary Kobe Bryant, won three national championships at UConn, three WNBA titles, five-time scoring champ, had 14 All-Star appearances, a league MVP, Finals MVP in 2009 and 2014, and an assist title.
The woman born in Glendale, Calif., about 10 miles north of Los Angeles, is also the only player in league history to score more than 8K points in a career, and she leaves the game at an astounding 10,646.
The sports world pays tribute to Diana Taurasi
Accolades and bittersweet feelings came pouring in from around the sports world on Tuesday.
“I have never, ever heard her say a negative word about a teammate, at UConn, the Olympic team, Phoenix,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said, according to ESPN. “But I could say to her, ‘Dee, that was the worst god-damned pass I’ve ever seen in my life.’ If I said that to someone else, they might say, ‘Why are you disrespecting me?’ With her, she never took it personally. She already knew it was a bad pass and she needed to make it better. She wanted to be coached like that.”
Taurasi’s UConn and Olympic teammate Sue Bird said “She has a way of making people feel connected to her, but also like the best version of themselves.”
LeBron James, a longtime supporter of the WNBA, had this to say:
“Just seeing her transcend the game, watching little girls want to play like her, her style, her flair, her bravado, you know her swagger, it’s been an unbelievable treat,” James said about Taurasi, according to ESPN. “She’s one of the all-time greats. It’s been an honor. All love.”
The WNBA dropped a rousing tribute to the White Mamba:
Phoenix Mercury had a powerful tribute, saying, “She didn’t just wear the jersey – she built our franchise. She played the game, then changed it forever.”
The NBA added, “After 20 years of playing in the WNBA, Diana Taurasi is officially retiring 🧡,” it said on its X platform. “Thank you Diana for changing the game forever, all of the accolades could never amount to the type of person and edge you embodied when you stepped out there on the court.”
