After 20 years in the WNBA, Diana “Dee” Taursai has decided to hang them up. Her decorated career not only launched her into GOAT status, but she transcended women’s sports in the most dire of times.
Taursai, now 42, has accomplished nearly everything possible in the game of basketball. In college, from 2000-2004, she won 3 National Championships with the UConn Huskies and Geno Auriemma. In the following year, in the 2004 WNBA Draft, she was selected first overall by the Phoenix Mercury. She quickly established herself as one of the league’s top players and drew unprecedented attention to an unpopular sport at the time. Throughout her career, she captured three WNBA championships with the Mercury in 2007, 2009, and 2014, including 2 WNBA finals MVPs. In 2009, she won MVP recording 20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists per game. And every four summers, she became well accustomed to having a gold medal around her neck. Over two decades, she won 6 Olympic gold medals. The first one at age 22 in 2004 and the last one in Paris this past summer at age 42. And best of all, she became the all-time leader in points in the WNBA in 2017. Her dominance has stretched two decades and she has been a pillar of greatness in the sport.
The end of her career marks the beginning of a new generation of stars in the WNBA. In the early stages of her career, she has had the chance to play with and against some of the all-time greats including Candice Parker, Brittney Griner, Sue Bird and many more. And in recent years, she has had the opportunity to play against the newest wave on WNBA stars including Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Kamilia Cardoso and several others. Her career has given fans the opportunity to watch generational matchups including her game against Caitlin Clark this past season which symbolized a “passing the torch” moment. Additionally, her game against Caitlin Clark became the 2nd most watched WNBA game on ESPN of all-time, peaking at 2.7 million views. While the league will look unusual without Taursai in it, we can all agree that the game is in safe hands.
Most of all, many people underestimate the time, dedication and competitive fire it takes to play a professional sport for over 20 years. We will never know how many injuries she has battled through or understand the physical toll the game has taken on her body. Nevertheless, we can all appreciate the undying faith and love she has for the game of basketball. In her retirement, I hope she looks back with gratitude on an exceptional career and finally has the time to spend with her family and friends.
