The GOAT Retires: How Diana Taurasi Transformed the WNBA 🏀

Diana Taurasi via ESPN

After 20 years in the game, it felt like Diana Taurasi would always be on the court—dropping threes, barking at refs, throwing no-look passes, and telling everyone exactly how she felt about it. On the heels of her retirement announcement, we can say with certainty that Diana Taurasi transformed the WNBA for the better. Considered the GOAT she retires as the WNBA’s all-time leader in several scoring categories, including points, field goals made, free throws made, and 3-pointers made. It's hard to imagine the sport without her. 🏀

So this is to Diana: The WNBA without you? That’s gonna be an adjustment. But here we are, celebrating you the only way we know how: by reminding the world of just how legendary you are!

From the moment you stepped on the court at UConn, we all knew we were witnessing something special. Three NCAA titles, countless unforgettable moments, and a swagger that made the rest of us believe that no moment was ever too big. And then, in 2004, you stepped into the WNBA and immediately made it yours. Three championships with the Phoenix Mercury, two Finals MVPs, a record-setting career filled with clutch performances, and an impact on the game that will be felt for generations. You didn’t just play in this league—you defined it.

With Sue Bird (your basketball soulmate, partner-in-crime, and sister) you changed the game, pushing each other through every stage of your careers, winning gold medals side by side, and making us laugh with your legendary antics. That kind of friendship is rare, and watching you two take the floor together for the last time? That was history.

Candace Parker, Breanna Stewart, Maya Moore—the next generation of greatness that you inspired, competed against, and helped shape. You didn’t just play against them; you made them better, made them sharper, and made them understand that to be great in this league, they had to go through you first.

Diana Taurasi and Breanna Stewart

And then there’s the Mercury family. Phoenix will always be your city. That fanbase, that arena—they are home because you made them home. You showed up for this team, this city, year after year, through injuries, through championships, through battles that made us all hold our breath. You played with everything you had, every single night. And when the game was on the line? We all knew who was taking the shot.

So yeah, this is a farewell. But not really. Because your impact on the game isn’t going anywhere. Your legacy is stitched into every court, every player who laces up and dares to take the big shot, every young girl who grows up believing she can be as fearless as you.

🏀

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