Diana Taurasi Announces Retirement; Won 2009 MVP, 3 WNBA Titles, 6 Olympic Gold Medals

Diana Taurasi is retiring from the WNBA after 20 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury.

The WNBA's all-time leading scorer announced her retirement in an interview published Tuesday by Time's Sean Gregory.

Taurasi, the 2009 WNBA MVP, won WNBA championships in 2007, 2009 and 2014. She became the first Olympic basketball player to win six gold medals following the 2024 Paris Games.

"Diana is the greatest to have ever played the game," Mercury owner Mat Ishbia said in a statement shared by the team. "I've been a fan of her my entire life, she is the ultimate leader and teammate. She's had an incredible impact on our franchise, our community and the game of basketball. Her name is synonymous with the Phoenix Mercury and she will forever be part of our family."

USA basketball CEO Jim Tooley meanwhile thanked Taurasi for her "many contributions to our Women’s National Team program both on and off the court."

Taurasi, 42, told Gregory that she knew she "didn't have it in me" to return for a 21st WNBA season on January 1, when her preparations for the next campaign would usually begin.

"That was pretty much when I knew it was time to walk away," Taurasi told Gregory.

She also told Gregory: “Mentally and physically, I’m just full. That’s probably the best way I can describe it. I’m full and I’m happy.”

Taurasi became the first WNBA player to score 10,000 career points during a 42-point outing against the Atlanta Dream in August 2023. She retires with 10,646 points, almost 3,000 ahead of Tina Charles for the most in league history.

She also leaves the WNBA as arguably the league's greatest three-point shooter, holding the all-time lead with both 1,447 regular-season three-pointers and 215 in the postseason.

Taurasi has two children with her wife Penny Taylor, a former Mercury teammate whom she married 2017. She told Gregory the question of what she will do next is one "I still don't have an answer for" but that she looks forward to spending more time with her family.