Diana Taurasi
Diana Lorena Taurasi (born June 11, 1982) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
No. 3 – Phoenix Mercury
June 11, 1982
Chino, California, U.S.
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
163 lb (74 kg)
UConn (2000–2004)
2004: 1st round, 1st overall pick
2004–present
She was drafted by Phoenix first overall in the 2004 WNBA draft. Taurasi has won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award (2004), three WNBA championships (2007, 2009, and 2014), five Olympic gold medals (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020),[1] one WNBA Most Valuable Player Award (2009), two WNBA Finals MVP Awards (2009 and 2014), five scoring titles (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011), and three FIBA World Cups (2010, 2014, and 2018). She has also been selected to ten WNBA All-Star teams and fourteen All-WNBA teams (including ten first-team selections). In 2011, she was voted by fans as one of the WNBA's Top 15 Players of All Time, and was named by the league to its 20th and 25th anniversary teams, respectively the WNBA Top 20@20 in 2016 and The W25 in 2021.[2] Also in 2021, she was selected by fans as the league's greatest player of all time.[3] On June 18, 2017, Taurasi became the WNBA all-time leading scorer.[4]
Her penchant for scoring in crucial situations has earned her the nickname "White Mamba", coined by Kobe Bryant.[5] Taurasi is one of 11 women to win an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA Championship, a FIBA World Cup, and a WNBA Championship.
Early life[edit]
Taurasi grew up in Chino, California. Taurasi's father, Mario, was raised in Argentina. He was a professional soccer player in Italy[6] and played for several years as a goalkeeper. Taurasi's mother, Liliana, is Argentine. Mario and Liliana Taurasi emigrated from Argentina to the United States before Diana was born. She has an older sister named Jessika.[7]
Education[edit]
Taurasi attended Don Antonio Lugo High School, where she graduated in 2000.[8][9] Next, she enrolled at the University of Connecticut where she attended from 2000-2004 and then took a break from school to enter the Women's National Basketball League draft, play in the Olympics, and then return to finish her first season in the WNBA. In 2005, Taurasi went back to college and earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Connecticut. As a first-generation college student, the first in her family to graduate from college, Taurasi described pride in earning her degree which she said, "meant just as much as any championship ring, banner or gold medal".[10]
High school career[edit]
In high school, Taurasi was the recipient of the 2000 Cheryl Miller Award, presented by the Los Angeles Times to the best player in Southern California.[11] She was also named the 2000 Naismith and Parade Magazine National High School Player of the Year, and the 1999 and 2000 Ms. Basketball State Player of the Year. Taurasi finished her prep career ranked fourth in state history with 3,047 points. Taurasi was named a WBCA All-American.[12] She participated in the 2000 WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored twelve points, and earned MVP honors.[13][14]
Overseas career[edit]
Taurasi's international career began in 2005 when she played for Dynamo Moscow, a team that had been dominant in the Russian league until the late 90s, and even the 2005 runner-up, but was slowly declining at that time. The Euroleague tournament ended in the quarter-finals, where Dynamo was eliminated by former champions CSKA Samara.
In 2006 Taurasi was recruited to play for the Russian team Spartak Moscow. The team had finished in eleventh place in the Russian league when Shabtai von Kalmanovich decided to buy the team. Kalmanovich was a successful business man with various interests, including women's basketball. He had stopped in to see a local women's basketball team in Yekaterinburg, and "literally fell in love with the point guard, Anna Arkhipova". He ended up buying that team, but later decided to buy the Spartak Moscow Region team, and turn it into a top team. He arranged to add a number of top-notch players, who had earned seven Olympic medals between them. Many of the players were European, but the team also included Australian Lauren Jackson and Americans Sue Bird and Taurasi.[50]
The team would go on to win four consecutive Euroleague championships from 2007 to 2010, and Taurasi was named Final Four MVP in 2009 and 2010.[51]
In 2010 Taurasi played for Turkish champion Fenerbahçe, helping the team to repeat winning the national league. On December 24, 2010, Taurasi's lawyers revealed that she had tested positive for a mild stimulant; according to her lawyer, Howard Jacobs, the positive test came from an "A" sample, and that testing had been requested on a second "B" sample. Jacobs also was quick to point out that the substance Taurasi tested positive for "was not a steroid or recreational drug." Until the "B" sample could be tested, Taurasi was provisionally suspended from the Turkish league.[52] In a statement, the Turkish basketball association revealed that the WADA-list banned substance was modafinil.[53] On February 16, 2011, Taurasi was finally cleared of doping allegations. ABC News indicated Taurasi was absolved from all doping allegations and could rejoin her Istanbul team following the retraction of the Turkish laboratory on its earlier finding on the former UConn star's urine samples.[54]
In the 2011–2012 season Taurasi played for Galatasaray, the other major team from Istanbul and Fenerbahçe's long time rival; Taurasi joined WNBA stars Epiphanny Prince, Sylvia Fowles, Tina Charles and Ticha Penicheiro. The team ended winning the Turkish Cup but lost to Fenerbahçe in the League Final and was eliminated in the Final Eight quarter-final round of the 2011–12 EuroLeague again losing a decisive match to Fenerbahçe.
On May 16, 2012, Taurasi signed a contract with UMMC Ekaterinburg,[55] joining fellow WNBA star Candace Parker. The team dominated national and international competitions, winning the 2012–13 EuroLeague (second time for the club), Russian Championship and Russian Cup.
Season 2013–2014 saw the UMMC team repeating in winning Russian Championship and Cup, but falling short in Eurolegue competition, losing in the semifinal game against eventual champion Galatasaray; these occurrences repeated in 2014–2015 season with UMMC losing in the Euroleague final against Czech's USK Praha, in a game where Taurasi had to sit out with a broken hand.[56]
The injury and the consequent loss in the Euroleague final had a big role in the decision of UMMC club to offer Taurasi a deal to skip her 2015 WNBA season to rest. Taurasi chose to accept the deal, giving up the WNBA title defense and returning to Phoenix Mercury only in 2016;[57] her decision spread a big debate in the United States about salary policies in women's basketball compared to Europe and China, where women's teams receive governmental support.[58]
In 2015–2016, Taurasi was back to UMMC, leading the team to its third (and her sixth personal) Euroleague title, while also earning MVP honors.[59]
In 2016–2017, Taurasi would once again return to UMMC, helping the team to its eleventh league championship. Though expected to play through the end of the 2017–2018 season with the team, Taurasi announced her retirement from European competition in December 2017.[60][61]
National team career[edit]
Taurasi was a member of the United States women's U18 team which won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship in Mar Del Plata, Argentina. The event was held in July 2000, when Team USA defeated Cuba to win the championship. In the closest match of the tournament, the semifinal game against Brazil, Taurasi connected on seven of her eleven three-point attempts and ended the game with 26 points. She averaged 12.6 points per game and led the team with assists with 5.46 per game.[62] Taurasi has also earned a bronze medal as a member of the 2001 U.S. junior World Championship team,[63] and a gold medal as a member of the 2000 U.S. Women's junior World Championship qualifying team.[64]
On May 12, 2004, Taurasi was selected to compete at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece with the United States national team.[65] She helped Team USA capture the gold medal, defeating Australia in the championship game. Taurasi represented the United States as a member of the 2008 Olympic team at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, China, where she started all eight games and helped lead the US to the gold medal.[66]
Taurasi was the second leading scorer on the U.S. national basketball team at the 2006 FIBA World Championship held in São Paulo, Brazil. The Americans earned the bronze medal.[67]
Taurasi was invited to the USA Basketball women's national team training camp in the fall of 2009.[68] The team selected to participate at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Olympics was primarily chosen from these players. At the conclusion of the training camp, the team traveled to Ekaterinburg, Russia, where they competed in the 2009 UMMC Ekaterinburg International Invitational.[68]
Taurasi was named as one of the national team members to represent the U.S. national team in the WNBA versus USA Basketball.[69] This game replaces the WNBA All-Star game with WNBA All-Stars versus USA Basketball, as part of the preparation for the FIBA World Championship for Women to be held in the Czech Republic during September and October 2010. Taurasi was selected to be a member of the national team for the World Championships. The team was coached by Geno Auriemma. Because many team members were still playing in the WNBA until just prior to the event, the team had only one day of practice with the entire team before leaving for Ostrava and Karlovy Vary. Even with limited practice, the team managed to win its first game against Greece by 26 points. The team continued to dominate with victory margins exceeding 20 points in the first five games. Several players shared scoring honors, with Swin Cash, Angel McCoughtry, Maya Moore, Taurasi, Lindsay Whalen, and Sylvia Fowles all ending as high scorer in the first few games. The sixth game was against undefeated Australia — Team USA jumped out to a 24-point lead and ultimately prevailed 83–75. The Americans won their next two games by over 30 points, before facing the host team, the Czech Republic, in the championship game. Team USA had a five-point lead at halftime, which the Czech team then cut to three points, but never got closer. The U.S. team went on to win the championship and gold medal. Taurasi led the team in scoring with 12.0 points per game and was second on the team with 23 assists.[70]
Taurasi was one of 21 finalists for the 2012 US women's Olympic team roster. The twenty WNBA players, plus collegiate player (Brittney Griner), were selected by the USA Basketball women's national team plater selection committee to compete for the final roster which represented the US at the 2012 Olympics in London.[71] Taurasi would win her third gold medal as the United States defeated France for the gold medal.
Taurasi played for Team USA at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, earning her fourth gold medal while helping the United States overcome Spain 101–72 in the final. Taurasi was a key member of the gold medal-winning 2020 US women's Olympic team in Tokyo, earning Taurasi a record fifth gold medal. Taurasi joins US Olympic teammate Sue Bird as the only two Olympic basketball players of any gender to win five Olympic gold medals.[72]
Personal life[edit]
Taurasi is married to former teammate Penny Taylor. After eight years of dating, Taurasi wed Taylor, who at the time was the Phoenix Mercury Director of Player Development and Performance on May 13, 2017. She later told People magazine in an interview, "It was the most amazing and beautiful day of our lives. To be able to share our love with family and close friends meant the world to us."
On March 1, 2018, Taylor gave birth to the couple's son.[73]
Taylor expected to give birth to the couple's second child on October 6, 2021, but the baby was late. After a Game 4 loss of the semifinals, Taurasi played in a winner-take-all Game 5 that would decide whether the Phoenix Mercury would play in the 2021 WNBA finals. After a Game 5 win on October 8, 2021, Taurasi had a message for Taylor in her post-game interview, closing it with "Hold it in babe, I'm coming". Taurasi then flew from Las Vegas, where the game took place, back to Phoenix, arriving in time to witness Taylor give birth on October 9, 2021, at 4:24 am to the couple's first daughter.[74]
