Diana Taurasi says goodbye to the game she helped grow

In recent years, the question had been directed at Diana Taurasi in various forms: When would she retire from basketball? Playing into her 40s, when would she finally hang up her sneakers?

As she had throughout her remarkable 25-year career in college and professional basketball, Taurasi responded to these inquiries with a sharp wit and confident edge. She would retire when she was ready, and the world would find out in due time.

During the Olympics this summer, where she made her sixth appearance on Team USA, the retirement questions resurfaced. “Only a woman would have 20 years of experience,” she remarked, “and it’s seen as a weakness, not something to be celebrated.”

Her answers were always sincere, and it was clear she wasn’t ignoring the thought of retirement, just that she didn’t feel it was her next step yet. However, reality had set in. She had altered her diet and recovery routines in recent years, openly acknowledging how much effort it took to stay in the game—and how the work itself often felt like hard work. Yet, her love for the game remained stronger than ever.

On the court, her passion was unmistakable.

For all the intensity and fire she played with, few matched her joy for the game. Even in her 22nd season, she still bounded around during warm-ups and approached high-fiving teammates and coaches with the kind of energy that suggested they were as essential as any basketball play. From her signature bun to her knee-length shorts (a look that had long since gone out of style), it was hard not to occasionally spot the California kid who had first arrived at Storrs, Connecticut, in 2000.

That’s where many first came to know Taurasi, and now, 25 years later, it was time to say goodbye to Taurasi the player.

On Tuesday afternoon, just as people were finishing up their workdays, Taurasi made the announcement: she, too, was done with work. An email went out to media members, an article appeared in Time, and an appearance was scheduled for Wednesday on The View, ABC’s popular talk show.

True to her style, the announcement was both expected and unconventional, understated but clear, with a touch of irony. Much of her playing career had been marked by that same knowing wink—she was the ultimate guard, always ahead of the game, with a deeper understanding of the court than anyone else.

In the Time article, Taurasi shared that she realized she was ready to step away from the game on New Year’s Day. “Mentally and physically, I’m just full,” she said. “That’s probably the best way I can describe it. I’m full and I’m happy.”

Few athletes can boast as full a career as Taurasi’s. She won three WNBA titles, six Olympic golds, three NCAA championships, and six EuroLeague titles. She became the first player in WNBA history to reach 10,000 career points, and perhaps the first to rack up 122 technical fouls. Along the way, she earned countless individual accolades, WNBA All-Star selections, and even an MVP season.

When Taurasi entered the WNBA as the No. 1 pick in the 2004 draft, she earned $40,800 in her rookie year. Now, she leaves behind a league that recently signed a historic $2 billion media rights deal, standing on the verge of a major collective bargaining agreement.

Her contributions to the game were monumental, from her fierce competitiveness to the attention she brought to the league. Her ability to connect with fans—and even her rivals—made her one of the most magnetic figures in sports.

Aces head coach Becky Hammon, who faced off against Taurasi for ten years in the WNBA, recalled, “There were times when I wanted to fight her. And then she’d be like, ‘Do you wanna grab a beer?’” Three-time All-Star Kelsey Plum remembered Taurasi approaching her during her rookie season, casually greeting her before delivering an elbow and hitting a shot. Then she winked. There was the 2022 Storm-Mercury game, where Taurasi and her best friend Sue Bird, in Bird’s final season, playfully bickered over potential fouls.

Taurasi’s absence in the upcoming WNBA season will feel odd. She has been a fixture in the league for nearly its entire existence. Some of the players drafted this year were born just before her rookie season in Phoenix. Her impact on the game, inspiring countless kids to pick up a ball, is still felt today. Many believe the WNBA logo resembles Taurasi, thanks to her iconic bun, though it’s never been confirmed.

The signs that this day was approaching had been there for some time. As her final home game last season drew near, the Mercury released merchandise reading, “If this is it.” There was a tribute video, and though Taurasi didn’t yet know for sure, there was a sense that it could be the end. Then, in the offseason, her long-time teammate Brittney Griner signed with the Atlanta Dream, signaling a shift in the team’s makeup—a move that seemed unlikely if Taurasi were planning on returning for another year.

Her retirement feels like another blow for the WNBA, coming soon after the retirements of other legends like Bird, Sylvia Fowles, and Candace Parker. The league is transitioning to a new generation of stars who are building on the legacies created by players like Taurasi. These retired icons won’t be around to see some of the fruits of their labor, but their influence will continue to resonate as the game grows.

Yet, as Taurasi herself said, she is retiring because she feels “full and happy.” After a career full of highs and lows, injuries, and even a broken door or two, that seems like a fitting conclusion. And true to form, she is doing it on her own terms.

In her first season with the WNBA, Taurasi was selected to the 2004 Olympic roster as the team’s youngest player. When coach Van Chancellor asked what she could contribute, Taurasi readily agreed to act as the rookie she was. However, in her first Olympic game, she showed up wearing two left shoes—classic rookie behavior, and something that might have sent any other player home… if it weren’t Diana.

In her final season, Taurasi welcomed a new wave of iconic rookies like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. They’ve had opportunities she never had, in part because of how she helped elevate the game. In her last game, Taurasi fouled out—another fitting moment for a player who always seemed to make her exit with style.

She knows she’ll miss the competition, the camaraderie, and everything that comes with being a teammate. The league, her teammates, and her rivals will miss her as well. But now, she’s looking forward to spending more time with her wife, Penny, and taking her two children to school. There will be no more intense seasons, no more hours spent preparing for games. Life this summer will be drastically different than the last 20 years, but Taurasi is ready for whatever comes next.

What 20 years in professional sports may not prepare you for is how to say goodbye. But like so much of Taurasi’s career, she managed to exit in a way that everyone saw coming—but still managed to surprise us all. It’s her final elbow to the stomach, followed by a wink, as she jogs down the court. Classic Diana.