WNBA titan Diana Taurasi has retired from basketball.
The 42-year-old has decided to call it quits and tributes have poured in for the basketball legend.
Taurasi is retiring after 20 seasons in the WNBA, closing the chapter on one of the best careers in basketball history.
The Phoneix Mercury legend is the WNBA’s all-time scoring leader and has picked up three WNBA titles.
Taurasi announced her retirement on Tuesday and used an interview with Time Magazine as the forum to tell the world.
“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.”
Taurasi is one of those players that led a generation and in the context of women’s basketball, was a trailblazer that inspired players that came after her.
Before her WNBA career, the 42-year-old was already a proven champion as she led UConn to three straight national titles from 2001-04.
After success at the collegiate level, she was drafted as the No.1 overall pick in the 2004 WNBA draft, kickstarting the most extraordinary of professional careers.
In addition to her three WNBA titles, Taurasi has won six Olympic gold medals as well as six Euroleague championships.
She also won the WNBA MVP in 2009 and is one of four players to earn finals MVP more than once, doing so in 2009 and 2014.
Such a career ultimately commands respect, and news of her retirement has seen everyone pay tributes.
Caitlin Clark used social media to offer her opinon on Taurasi’s retirement, as she reposted ESPN’s Instagram post about the decision to her story on Tuesday and wrote, “legend”.
This comes days after Clark named Taurasi as her favourite matchup in an interview with Nike.
“You’re gonna get me in trouble,” Clark said when asked about her favorite player to play against.
“Honestly, I’ll just say DT, because she’s such an icon in our sport and has been in the game for so long”
Fellow basketball veteran, LeBron James also heaped praise on Taurasi.
“Just seeing her transcend the game, watching little girls want to play like her, her style, her flair, her bravado, you know, her swagger, it’s been an unbelievable treat,” James said.
“She’s one of the all-time greatest, and she will leave her mark on the game of basketball the moment she ties those shoes up and throws them over the pole line. It’s been an honor. All love”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said, “You can’t tell the story of the WNBA without Diana.”
Taurasi was voted by fans as the WNBA’s “GOAT” during the league’s 25th season in 2021.
Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon who played and coached against Taurasi echoed this sentiment.
“To me, she’s the greatest player,” Hammon said.
“It’s like when you talk about LeBron James. … Some people would knock on him when he would pass the ball, but it was the right decision. Great players, the GOATs, just make the right play.”
There is no doubt that a basketball fanatic like Taurasi will still be around women’s basketball in some capacity, but the days of seeing her grace the court are officially over.