Diana Taurasi

At 41 years old, Diana Taurasi has this physical status:

Diana Lorena Taurasi (born June 11, 1982) is an American professional basketball player for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

In the 2004 WNBA draft, she was drafted first overall.

Taurasi has won three WNBA championships (2007, 2009, 2010, and 2014), three WNBA Most Valuable Player Awards (2009, 2008, 2009, and 2011), five FIBA World Cups (2010, 2012, and 2017), three WNBA Rookie of the Year Awards (2004, 2008, 2009, and 2012), two WNBA Bronze Medalist Awards (2009, 2008, and 2012).

She is one of only 11 women to have all four awards.

She has also been selected to nine WNBA All-Star teams and ten All-WNBA teams.

In 2011, she was chosen as one of the Top 15 Players of All Time by fans.

Taurasi became the WNBA all-time leading scorer on June 18, 2017.

Her penchant for scoring in critical situations has earned her the nickname "White Mamba," first coined by Kobe Bryant.

Deandre Ayton, the current Phoenix Suns center, has also dubbed her as the WNBA's Michael Jordan.

Early life

Taurasi grew up in Chino, California, where she attended and played basketball at Don Antonio Lugo High School. Mario, Taurasi's father, was born in Argentina. He was a professional soccer player in Italy and spent many years as a goalkeeper. Liliana, Taurasi's mother, is Argentinian. Before Diana was born, Mario and Liliana Taurasi migrated from Argentina to the United States. Jessika is her older sister.

Personal life

Taurasi is married to former colleague Penny Taylor. Taurasi wed her former coworker, who at the time was the Phoenix Mercury Director of Player Development and Performance, on May 13, 2017. In an interview with People magazine, she said, "It was the most amazing and beautiful day of our lives." To us, sharing our love with our families and close friends meant the world to us.

Leo Michael Taurasi-Taylor, Taylor's son, was born on March 1, 2018.

Taylor was supposed to have given birth to the couple's second child on October 6, 2021, but the baby was delayed. Taurasi played in a winner-take-all game 5 on Sunday, deciding whether the Phoenix Mercury will advance to the 2021 WNBA finals after a Game 4 loss of the semifinals. Taurasi sent Taylor a letter in post-game chat on October 8, 2021, quoting "Hold it in babe, I'm coming." Taurasi migrated from Las Vegas, where the game was played, back to Phoenix, where they arrived in time to see Taylor give birth on October 9, 2021, the couple's first child.

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High school career

Taurasi attended Don Antonio Lugo High School, where she was named the recipient of the 2000 Cheryl Miller Award, which was given by the Los Angeles Times to the best player in Southern California. She has been named the 2000 Naismith and Parade Magazine National High School Player of the Year, as well as the 1999 and 2000 Ms. Basketball State Player of the Year. Taurasi's college career ended her career with a score of 3,047 points. Taurasi was named a WBCA All-American. She appeared in the 2000 WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored twelve points and received MVP recognition.

WNBA career

Taurasi was first overall in the 2004 WNBA draft by the Phoenix Mercury, a team that went 8–26 in the 2003 season, following her collegiate career. She had to play forward at certain points in her career because her squad's starting five was short. However, she primarily acts as a guard. In addition, the Mercury acquired all-star Penny Taylor in a dispersal draft right before the 2004 season to expand their roster.

Taurasi scored 22 points in a 72-66 Mercury loss to the Sacramento Monarchs in her WNBA debut. The rookie averaged 17.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game on the season. Despite the fact that Taurasi did not qualify for the playoffs, Taurasi was named to the Western Conference All Star team and won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award.

Taurasi averaged 16.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game when fighting an ankle injury in 2005. For the second year in a row, she was an All Star, but the Mercury lost the playoffs and she was still in last year.

Paul Westhead, a former NBA assistant, joined the Mercury's head coach before the 2006 season and brought his up-tempo style to Phoenix. Cappie Pondexter, the second overall pick in the 2006 WNBA draft, bolstered their roster, forming a Big 3 of Taurasi, Pondexter, and Taylor.

Taurasi's 2006 would be a memorable season for her franchise, leading the league in scoring and winning her third straight trip to the All Star Game. Katie Smith tied for the most points in a season (741 during the 2006 season). Taurasi averaged 25.3 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game in 2006, including a career-high 47 points in a triple overtime regular season victory over the Houston Comets (a then league record). She made a WNBA record 8 three-pointers during the game (which has since been tied by Riquna Williams). Taurasi also set a WNBA record of 121 three-pointers made in a single season. The Mercury finished 18–16, but the team lost a tie-breaker with Houston and Seattle, but the playoffs were postponed.

Taurasi made it to the WNBA playoffs in 2007. The Mercury defeated the Seattle Storm two games to none in the first round. Taurasi defeated the San Antonio Silver Stars in a tough two-game series, and the defending champion Detroit Shock advanced to her first WNBA Finals against the defending champion. The Mercury Mercury was led by Taurasi, Pondexter, and Taylor to their first WNBA title. Taurasi became the seventh player to win an NCAA tournament, a WNBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal with this triumph. Ruth Riley, Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, and fellow Huskies Swin Cash, Kara Wolters, and Sue Bird were among those who had achieved this feat, with more names added to the list in subsequent years.

Taurasi was a member of the USA women's 2004, 2012, and 2016 Olympic Basketball Teams.

Taurasi was named the WNBA MVP and later led the Phoenix Mercury to its second WNBA title in three years, defeating Indiana Fever, three games to two, as Taurasi was named the WNBA Finals MVP in 2009. Taurasi is one of only two players (the other being Cynthia Cooper-Dyke) to win the season scoring title, the WNBA Championship, and the finals MVP in the same season.

She was named one of the Top 15 players in the ten-year history of the WNBA by fans in 2011.

Taurasi had an injury-ridden year in 2012, but only eight games were played. With a strained left hip flexor, she was forced to miss the remainder of the season. The Mercury were ranked second worst team in the league in finishing the season 7-27.

Taurasi played 32 games and averaged 20+ ppg for the sixth time in her career in 2013. With a 19-15, the Mercury finished third in the western conference. In the first round, the Los Angeles Sparks defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 2–1 before progressing to the conference finals, but the Minnesota Lynx will lose in a 2-game sweep.

Taurasi debuted in 2014 at number two on career points per game, fifth place in career points, and ninth in career assists. The Phoenix Mercury defeated the Phoenix Bronco in the 2014 season, with a supporting cast of all-star power forward Candice Dupree (who was drafted 1st overall in the 2013 WNBA draft) and the new head coach Sandy Brondello's arrival and his first appearance in a regular season. They advanced all the way to the WNBA Finals, where they will beat the Chicago Sky earning Taurasi her third championship. Taurasi also won the WNBA Finals MVP for the second time in her career.

Taurasi revealed on February 3, 2015 that she would miss the 2015 WNBA season at the behest of her Russian Premier League squad, UMMC Ekaterinburg. Taurasi's salary will be paid more than her WNBA salary, allowing the team to postpone the 2015 WNBA season. Taurasi made just under the league maximum of $107,000 for the 2014 WNBA season. Nevertheless, she plays in 14 countries, earning about $1.5 million.

Taurasi has returned to the Mercury for the 2016 WNBA season. The Mercury gained their second playoff berth with a 16.8 percent average, with a 16-18 record. The Mercury were the number eight seed in the league with the WNBA's new playoff system in place, facing the Indiana Fever in the first round of the league. As Taurasi scored 20 points, the Mercury advanced to the second round elimination game over the Fever in the first round elimination game. Taurasi made her 113th playoff appearance in her career during the season, becoming the all-time WNBA champion in playoff career three-pointers made (passing Becky Hammon). The Mercury defeated the New York Liberty in the second round of elimination competition (the last round before the WNBA finals) with Taurasi scoring a game-high 30 points in the victory. The Mercury will face the championship-defending Minnesota Lynx in the best-of-5 series and be swept 3 games to 0.

Taurasi obtained a multi-year deal extension with the Mercury in May 2017. Following an 85-62 victory over the Indiana Fever, Taurasi became the first player in league history to reach 7,000 points, 1,500 rebounds, and 1,500 assists. Taurasi became the WNBA's all-time leading scorer on June 18, 2017, beating Tina Thompson's old record. Taurasi will be able to play in the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game for the eighth time in her career, making it her eighth appearance in the game. The Mercury will finish as the fifth seed in the league with an 18–16 record. In a 79-69 victory over the Seattle Storm, Taurasi 14 points in the first round elimination game. The Mercury beat the Connecticut Sun 88-83, with Taurasi scoring 23 points in the victory. The Mercury made it to the second round of the second season in a row, but the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Mercury Sparks in a 3-game sweep.

Taurasi became the first WNBA player to make 1,000 3-pointers against the Dallas Wings in the 2018 season-opener on May 18, 2018. Taurasi became the first WNBA player to score 8,000 points in an 80-74 victory over the Liberty on June 5, 2018. In an 84–77 victory over the Connecticut Sun on July 8, 2018, Taurasi became the league's all-time champion in field goals, defeating Tina Thompson. Taurasi will also be voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game for the ninth time in her career. Taurasi won 104–93 over the Las Vegas Aces on August 1, 2018. During that victory, the Las Vegas Aces scored a season-high 37 points. The Mercury finished the season 20-14 with the number 5 seed in the league. The Mercury defeated the Dallas Wings 101–83 in the first round elimination game. In the victory, Taurasi won by 26 points. The Mercury defeated the Connecticut Sun 96–86, winning the second year in a row. The Seattle Storm will meet the Seattle Storm. The Mercury Mercury returned to tie the series 2–2 down 2–0. The Mercury lost 94-84 in game 5, bringing an end to the season.

The Mercury revealed in April that Penny Taylor, Taurasi's wife, had been hired as an assistant coach.

Since recovering from back surgery, Taurasi's 2019 WNBA season was on the injured list. Taurasi will be hampered throughout the season, this time with a hamstring injury that limited her to just 6 games played for the season and had little playing time. The Mercury barely made the playoffs without a healthy Taurasi, finishing as the nation's number eight seed with a 15-19 record. The Chicago Sky defeated the Mercury in a first round elimination game 105-76.

Taurasi, a writer for the Mercury, reported in September 2019 that she wanted to play for the team in 2020.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was postponed and reduced to 22 games in a bubble at IMG Academy in 2020. Taurasi will be back to form for the season and played 19 of the 22 games on August 23, 2020, while also remembering late Kobe Bryant's birthday by wearing number 8 alongside his last name on her jersey. The Mercury had been 13-9. They defeated the Washington Mystics 85-84 in the first round elimination game, but the Minnesota Lynx would be eliminated by 80–79 in the second round elimination game.

Taurasi re-signed with the Mercury on a two-year contract in February 2021.

Taurasi suffered an ankle injury and broke a bone in her foot late in the Mercury's 2021 season, but she opted not to play in the first single elimination game against the New York Liberty due to the injury. She returned to play in the second round single elimination match against the Seattle Storm, the reigning champions, who the Mercury won in overtime. In the best of five semi-final series against the Las Vegas Aces, the Las Vegas Aces take first place. After losing by 4 points (by 4 points) in Game 1, Taurasi led her team to a tie sequence, making history. Taurasi made history by winning more than 30 points in a 39-year-old franchise. She scored 37 points on ten of 13 shots, including eight of 11 attempted three-pointers. Her eight three-pointers were the second-most made in a playoff game in the WNBA's postseason. Taurasi also had pain in her ankle, but she continued to play through it and win in a Game 3 win and Game 4 loss, playing her heart out. On October 8, 2021, 2021, shortly after her daughter Taurasi's birth, she led her team to an 87-84 victory, making her 16-2 overall in win or draw all games with 24 points, a crucial late game block, and 14 critical 4th quarter points.

Overseas career

Taurasi's international career began in 2005, when she was playing for Dynamo Moscow, a team that hadn't been dominant in the Russian league until the late 1990s, and also the 2005 runner-up, but it was slowly declining at the time. Dynamo was eliminated by former champions CSKA Samara in the quarter-finals, where the Euroleague championships came to an end. Taurasi was recruited to play for Spartak Moscow in 2006. Shabtai von Kalmanovich bought the team after finishing in eleventh place in the Russian league when they decided to purchase it. Kalmanovich was a highly successful business man with a variety of passions, including women's basketball. He had come to Yekaterinburg to see a local women's basketball team, and "immediately fell in love with Anna Arkhipova, the point guard." He ended up purchasing the team but later decided to purchase the Spartak Moscow Region team and turn it into a top team. He arranged to bring a group of top-notch players, with seven of them having earned seven Olympic medals each. Many of the players were European, but the squad also included Australian Lauren Jackson and Americans Sue Bird and Taurasi.

Taurasi was voted Final Four MVP in 2009 and 2010. The team would go on to win four straight Euroleague titles from 2007 to 2010, but not in 2010, 2005 and 2010.

In 2010, Taurasi played for Turkish champion Fenerbahçe, helping the team win the national league for the second time. Taurasi's lawyers announced on December 24, 2010 that she had tested positive for a mild stimulant; according to her advocate, Howard Jacobs, the positive test came from an "A" sample, and that testing was performed on a second "B" sample. Jacobs was quick to point out that the drug Taurasi tested positive for "was not a steroid or recreational drug." Taurasi was provisionally suspended from the Turkish league until the "B" sample could be tested. In a tweet, the Turkish basketball association announced that the WADA-list's banned drug was modafinil. Taurasi was cleared of doping charges on February 16, 2011. Taurasi, according to ABC News, had been barred from all doping allegations and could have rejoined her Istanbul team following the Turkish laboratory's decision on the former UConn actor's urine samples.

Taurasi played for Galatasaray, Istanbul's other big team, and Fenerbahçe's longtime adversary; Taurasi joined WNBA's Epiphanny Prince, Sylvia Fowles, Tina Charles, and Ticha Penicheiro in the 2011-2012 season. The team finished winning the Turkish Cup but was eliminated in the Final Eight quarter-final round of the 2011–12 EuroLeague, losing a crucial match to Fenerbahçe.

Taurasi joined UMMC Ekaterinburg on May 16, 2012, joining Candace Parker, a fellow WNBA star. The team dominated national and international competitions, winning the 2012–13 EuroLeague (second time for the team), the Russian Championship, and the Russian Cup were two years ago.

The UMMC team was winning the Russian Championship and Cup in 2013–2014, but they fell short in the Euroleague final against Czech Republic's USK Praha, which meant Taurasi had to sit out with a broken hand.

The crash and subsequent loss in the Euroleague final had a major influence in the club's decision to offer Taurasi a contract to complete her 2015 WNBA season. Taurasi decided to go for the pact, foregoing the WNBA championship defense and returning to Phoenix Mercury only in 2016; her decision sparked a lot of controversy in the United States over compensation policies in women's basketball, particularly in Europe and China, where women's teams receive government assistance.

Taurasi was back to UMMC in 2015–2016, winning the team's third (and sixth personal) Euroleague crown while still earning MVP accolades.

Taurasi will return to UMMC in 2016-2017, helping the team win their 11th league championship. Taurasi, who was supposed to remain with the team through the 2018-2020 season, has announced her departure from European competition in December 2017.

National team career

Taurasi was a member of the United States women's U18 team that captured the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship in Mar Del Plata, Argentina. Team USA defeated Cuba to win the championship in July 2000, when the tournament was held in July 2000. Taurasi connected on seven of her eleven three-point attempts in the tournament's closest match, the semifinal game against Brazil, and ended the game with 26 points. She averaged 12.6 points per game and led the team with assists of 5.46 percent per game. Taurasi has also earned a bronze medal as a member of the 2001 United States junior World Championship team and a gold medal for his participation in the 2000 U.S. Women's junior World Championship qualifying team.

Taurasi was selected by the United States national team on May 12, 2004, and represented him in Athens, Greece. She helped Team USA win the gold medal by defeating Australia in the championship tournament. Taurasi also competed with the United States in Beijing, China, where she appeared in all eight games and led the US to the gold medal.

Taurasi was the second top scorer on the United States national basketball team at the 2006 FIBA World Championship held in So Paulo, Brazil. The Americans received the bronze medal.

In the fall of 2009, Taurasi was invited to the USA Basketball women's national team training camp. The team that was selected to compete in the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Olympics was largely chosen from these athletes. The team then proceeded to Ekaterinburg, Russia, where they competed in the 2009 UMMC Ekaterinburg International Invitational.

Taurasi was chosen as one of the national team representatives for the United States national team in the WNBA vs. USA Basketball. This game has been updated to the WNBA All-Star game featuring WNBA All-Stars versus USA Basketball as part of the FIBA World Championship for Women, which will be held in the Czech Republic between September and October 2010. Taurasi was chosen to represent the national team in the World Championships. Geno Auriemma coached the team. Since many of the team members were still playing in the WNBA until just prior to the game, the team had only one day of practice with the entire team before heading to Ostrava and Karlovy Vary. Despite limited preparation, the team was able to win their first game against Greece by 26 points. In the first five games, the team maintained its dominance with victory margins over 20 points. Several players received awards for their first three games, with Swin Cash, Angel McCoughtry, Maya Moore, Taurasi, Lindsay Whalen, and Sylvia Fowles all receiving top scorer honors. Team USA jumped out to a 24-point lead in the sixth game against undefeated Australia, 83–77. The Americans won their next two games by more than 30 points before meeting the Czech Republic in the championship game. At halftime, Team USA had a five-point lead, which the Czech team then reduced to three points, but no one came closer. The United States team went on to win the championship and a gold medal. Taurasi led the team in scoring with 12.0 points per game and second on the team with 23 assists.

Taurasi was one of 21 candidates for the 2012 American women's Olympic team roster. The 20 WNBA players, as well as a collegiate athlete (Brittney Griner), were chosen by the USA Basketball women's national team plater selection committee to compete for the final roster, which represented the United States at the 2012 Olympics in London. Taurasi would earn her third gold medal as the US defeated France for the gold medal.

Taurasi represented Team USA at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, winning her fourth gold medal and assisting the United States over Spain 101-72 in the final. Taurasi was a key participant of the gold medal-winning 2020 US women's Olympic team in Tokyo, winning Taurasi a historic fifth gold medal. Taurasi joins US Olympic colleague Sue Bird as the only two Olympic basketball players of any gender to win five Olympic gold medals.

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