WNBA legend Diana Taurasi announces retirement

Three-time WNBA champion and two-time WNBA Finals MVP Diana Taurasi announced her retirement from professional basketball Tuesday.

Taurasi, 42, played 20 years in the WNBA, spending every season of her career with the Phoenix Mercury.

“Mentally and physically, I’m just full,” Taurasi told Time. “That’s probably the best way I can describe it. I’m full and I’m happy.”

“Diana Taurasi is one of the greatest competitors to ever play the game of basketball on any stage,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. “In a record-setting career that saw her play 20 seasons, score more points and make more 3-point shots than any player in WNBA history, she earned the unquestioned respect of players around the globe, delivered electrifying moments and captivated fans again and again.”

Taurasi was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 WNBA draft after an incredibly accomplished collegiate career with the Connecticut Huskies. She was a three-time NCAA champion and a two-time NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player before she entered the professional ranks.

In her fourth season with the Mercury, Taurasi averaged 19.9 points per game in the postseason as she helped lead Phoenix to its first WNBA championship. She led the team to two more championships in 2009 and 2014, winning Finals MVP each time.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSU.S. military prepares new Iran war options ahead of midterm elections

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCIA probe into intel leak led to discovery of gold bars at agent’s home, sources say

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTexas Latino leaders clash with national Democrats in a meeting over gubernatorial race

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Still in this very long day that started on Oct. 7th’

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAnimal rescues in Cuba struggle to care for abandoned pets amid deepening economic crisis

FOR SUBSCRIBERSLocals called their town ‘Almost Heaven’. A plan to open a Buc-ee’s exposed its underbelly.

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump keeps touting $21 trillion coming into the U.S. Even his website says it’s half that.

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA Siberian town and the world remain in the dark after a lab worker dies of suspected plague

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongress launches investigation into youth sports giant AAU’s handling of sexual abuse

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Time makes you more hungry’: Hostage’s mom on grief 3 years after Oct. 7 attack

FOR SUBSCRIBERSExperimental vaccine shows promise against deadly brain cancer in some patients

FOR SUBSCRIBERSMeta’s Oversight Board has a warning for AI companies building their own watchdogs

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOutrage, backlash and inaction: Why can’t America stop rape on college campuses?

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrance shuts down nearly 900 schools as violent student protests escalate

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis voting bloc holds the key to the midterms

Slide 1 of 1

Taurasi, one of the game’s best offensive players, retires as the WNBA’s all-time leader in several scoring categories, including points, field goals made, free throws made and 3-pointers made.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSU.S. military prepares new Iran war options ahead of midterm elections

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCIA probe into intel leak led to discovery of gold bars at agent’s home, sources say

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTexas Latino leaders clash with national Democrats in a meeting over gubernatorial race

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Still in this very long day that started on Oct. 7th’

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAnimal rescues in Cuba struggle to care for abandoned pets amid deepening economic crisis

FOR SUBSCRIBERSLocals called their town ‘Almost Heaven’. A plan to open a Buc-ee’s exposed its underbelly.

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump keeps touting $21 trillion coming into the U.S. Even his website says it’s half that.

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA Siberian town and the world remain in the dark after a lab worker dies of suspected plague

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongress launches investigation into youth sports giant AAU’s handling of sexual abuse

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Time makes you more hungry’: Hostage’s mom on grief 3 years after Oct. 7 attack

FOR SUBSCRIBERSExperimental vaccine shows promise against deadly brain cancer in some patients

FOR SUBSCRIBERSMeta’s Oversight Board has a warning for AI companies building their own watchdogs

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOutrage, backlash and inaction: Why can’t America stop rape on college campuses?

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrance shuts down nearly 900 schools as violent student protests escalate

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis voting bloc holds the key to the midterms

Slide 1 of 1

In addition to her WNBA career, Taurasi played several seasons overseas, winning six EuroLeague championships, seven Russian National League championships and a Turkish National League championship.

As a member of the U.S. women’s national basketball team, Taurasi won six consecutive gold medals in Olympic play. She never lost a game during the Olympics.

“My scoring record or the six gold medals, someone’s going to come around that has the same hunger, the same addiction to basketball, and put those records in a different way, a different name,” Taurasi told Time. “That’s what sports is all about. That’s going to be fun to watch. Hopefully not soon.”