Diana Taurasi, the Phoenix Mercury guard who at six feet tall was a giant of U.S. women's basketball for two decades, has retired.
Taurasi, 42, made the announcement in an interview published Tuesday in TIME Magazine. "Mentally and physically, I'm just full," she told TIME. "That's probably the best way I can describe it. I'm full and I'm happy."
Taurasi leaves the WNBA as perhaps the most decorated player in the history of women's basketball. She was named Most Valuable Player in 2009 and was an All-Star 11 times. She led the Mercury to three WNBA titles, Team USA to six Olympic gold medals and her college team, the UConn Huskies, to three NCAA championships. She was fastest to reach 5,000 career points and the only to reach 10,000. She remains the league's all-time leading scorer.
Her retirement did not come entirely as a surprise. After the Mercury's last home game last September, Taurasi took to the court to speak to fans as they chanted "one more year."
"I want to thank every single coach, every single player, every single person that's put on a WNBA jersey, because it takes a village," Taurasi said then. "For everyone who played before this league was where it is now, we're thankful for you guys. And we're thankful for the next generation."
The WNBA had existed for only eight years before Taurasi was drafted. Now, at the end of her career, the league — and sport — are in a far healthier place. An average of 1.6 million viewers watched a thrilling Finals series between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx. A surge in attendance and a new media rights deal signed last year have put more money in teams' pockets. Three new franchises are poised to join the league in the next two years.
"Diana Taurasi is one of the greatest competitors to ever play the game of basketball on any stage," said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in a statement. "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."
Now, the league's biggest young star, Caitlin Clark, is a 23-year-old who once considered Taurasi her idol. Shortly after news broke, Clark posted news of Taurasi's retirement on her Instagram with a one-word caption: "legend."
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