Diana Taurasi has changed the game of women’s basketball. After a successful prep basketball career in California, Diana joined the UCONN basketball team for the 2000-2001 season and immediately became legendary among Husky fans. She lead her team to three consecutive NCAA Championships while racking up an array of personal awards including the 2003 and 2004 Naismith College Player of the Year and was named the 2003 AP Player of the Year. UCONN’s dominance during Diana’s tenure lead to a 138-8 record.
Diana was selected first overall in the WNBA draft in 2004 by the Phoenix Mercury and though her team didn’t make the playoffs, Taurasi was named WNBA Rookie of the Year. While Diana has stuck with the Phoenix Mercury for her whole WNBA career, Olympic and International play are also an important part of her story. Diana helped the US women’s team win four Olympic gold medals in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016. She also has played Euro League ball for Moscow and UMMC Ekaterinburg. Her services were so coveted in Euro League that Ekaterinburg paid her whole WNBA salary just to have her sit out the 2015 WNBA season to be ready for Euro League.
Diana is now in her 15th season in the WNBA and is still a dominant player. Her team, the Phoenix Mercury has won WNBA championships in 2007, 2009 and 2014 while Taurasi put up record numbers. This year Diana became the first WNBA player to land 1,000 threes in her career. She is one of only four pro players to hit the 1,000 mark in less than 400 games, including the NBA’s Damian Lillard and Steph Curry. This year Diana also announced the birth of her son, Leo Taurasi-Taylor with her wife, Penny Taylor, a former Mercury teammate.
