1. Diana Lorena Taurasi was born on June 11,1982 and is an American former professional basketball player who played in the Women's National Basketball Association for 20 seasons, spending her entire career with the Phoenix Mercury.
71 Facts About Diana Taurasi
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Diana Taurasi rose to fame while playing college basketball at the University of Connecticut where she led the team to three consecutive NCAA championships.
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Diana Taurasi was drafted by Phoenix first overall in the 2004 WNBA draft and was the 2004 WNBA Rookie of the Year.
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Diana Taurasi has won three WNBA championships, one WNBA Most Valuable Player Award, two WNBA Finals MVP Awards and five scoring titles.
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Diana Taurasi has been selected to 10 WNBA All-Star teams and 14 All-WNBA teams.
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On June 18,2017, Diana Taurasi became the WNBA all-time leading scorer.
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Diana Taurasi is one of 11 women to win an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA Championship, a FIBA World Cup, and a WNBA Championship.
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Diana Taurasi was a professional soccer player in Italy and played for several years as a goalkeeper.
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Diana Taurasi attended Don Antonio Lugo High School, where she graduated in 2000.
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In high school, Diana Taurasi was the recipient of the 2000 Cheryl Miller Award, presented by the Los Angeles Times to the best player in Southern California.
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Diana Taurasi was recognized as the 1999 and 2000 Ms.
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Diana Taurasi participated in the 2000 WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored twelve points and earned MVP honors.
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Diana Taurasi received many personal accolades at UConn, including the 2003 and 2004 Naismith College Player of the Year awards, the 2003 Wade Trophy, the 2003 and 2004 Honda Sports Award and the 2003 Associated Press Player of the Year award.
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Additionally, Diana Taurasi received honors and praise within the state of Connecticut.
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Diana Taurasi averaged 15.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in her collegiate career.
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In 2005, after taking a break from school to enter the WNBA draft, play in the Olympics, and then return to finish her first season in the WNBA, Diana Taurasi went back to UConn and earned her bachelor's degree.
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In 2006, Diana Taurasi was a member of the inaugural class of inductees to the University of Connecticut women's basketball "Huskies of Honor" recognition program.
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In 2005, Diana Taurasi averaged 16.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while battling an ankle injury.
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Diana Taurasi was an All-Star for the second straight year, but the Mercury faded down the stretch and again missed the playoffs.
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Diana Taurasi went on to have a historic season under Westhead's coaching, leading the league in scoring and earning a third straight trip to the All-Star Game.
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Diana Taurasi broke Katie Smith's league record for points in a season with 741 points.
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In 2006, Diana Taurasi averaged a WNBA record 25.3 points, 4.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game, including a then-league record 47 points in a triple overtime regular season victory against the Houston Comets.
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Diana Taurasi set a WNBA record with 121 three-pointers in a single season.
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In 2007, Diana Taurasi reached the WNBA playoffs for the first time.
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Diana Taurasi was the second player, after Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, to win the season scoring title, the season MVP award, a WNBA Championship and the finals MVP in the same season.
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In 2011, after being selected to her seventh All-WNBA First Team, Diana Taurasi was voted one of the Top 15 players in the fifteen-year history of the WNBA by fans.
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In 2012, Diana Taurasi had an injury-riddled season, playing only eight games.
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Diana Taurasi had to sit out the rest of the season with a strained left hip flexor.
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In 2013, Diana Taurasi returned healthy for the season, and she played 32 games and averaged over 20 points per game for the sixth time in her career.
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Diana Taurasi won the WNBA Finals MVP for the second time in her career.
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On February 3,2015, Diana Taurasi announced that she would sit out the 2015 WNBA season at the request of her Russian Premier League team, UMMC Ekaterinburg.
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Diana Taurasi returned to the Mercury for the 2016 WNBA season.
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The Mercury advanced to the second round, beating the Fever in the first-round elimination game as Diana Taurasi scored 20 points.
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In May 2017, Diana Taurasi signed a multi-year contract extension with the Mercury.
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On June 18,2017, Diana Taurasi became the WNBA's all-time leading scorer, passing Tina Thompson's record.
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Diana Taurasi would be selected into the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her eighth career All-Star game appearance.
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Diana Taurasi would earn her ninth career All-Star appearance after being voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game.
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Diana Taurasi started the 2019 WNBA season on the injured list after undergoing back surgery.
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In September 2019, Diana Taurasi confirmed that she intended to play for the team in 2020.
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Diana Taurasi would come back healthy for the season and played 19 of the 22 games.
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In February 2021, Diana Taurasi re-signed with the Mercury on a two-year deal.
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Diana Taurasi injured her ankle and broke a bone in her foot late in the 2021 season and opted to sit out of the first-round elimination game against the New York Liberty.
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Diana Taurasi returned for the second-round elimination game against the reigning champions Seattle Storm, which the Mercury won in overtime.
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In winter 2025, Diana Taurasi, who was 42 at the time, retired.
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In 2006, Diana Taurasi was recruited to play for the Russian team Spartak Moscow.
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In 2010, Diana Taurasi played for the Turkish team Fenerbahce, helping the team to repeat winning the national league.
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On December 24,2010, Diana Taurasi's lawyers revealed that she had tested positive for a mild stimulant.
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Until the "B" sample could be tested, Diana Taurasi was provisionally suspended from the Turkish league.
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On February 16,2011, Diana Taurasi was cleared of doping allegations as the test was found to be a false positive.
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Diana Taurasi joined WNBA stars Epiphanny Prince, Sylvia Fowles, Tina Charles and Ticha Penicheiro.
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On May 16,2012, Diana Taurasi signed a contract with UMMC Ekaterinburg, joining fellow WNBA star Candace Parker.
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Diana Taurasi accepted the deal, giving up her WNBA title defense but returning to the Phoenix Mercury in 2016.
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Diana Taurasi's decision caused a debate in the United States about salary policies in women's basketball compared to Europe and China, where women's teams receive governmental support.
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Diana Taurasi was a member of the United States women's U18 team that won the gold medal at the 2000 FIBA Americas Championship in Mar Del Plata, Argentina.
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Diana Taurasi averaged 12.6 points per game and led the team with 5.46 assists per game.
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Diana Taurasi has earned a bronze medal as a member of the 2001 US junior World Championship team, and a gold medal as a member of the 2000 US Women's junior World Championship qualifying team.
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On May 12,2004, Diana Taurasi was selected to compete at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece with the United States national team.
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Diana Taurasi helped Team USA capture the gold medal, defeating Australia in the championship game.
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Diana Taurasi was the second leading scorer on the US national basketball team at the 2006 FIBA World Championship held in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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Diana Taurasi represented the United States at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, China, where she started all eight games and helped lead the US to the gold medal.
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Diana Taurasi was invited to the USA Basketball women's national team training camp in the fall of 2009.
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Diana Taurasi was named as one of the national team members to represent the US national team in the WNBA versus USA Basketball.
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Diana Taurasi was then selected to be a member of the national team for the World Championships.
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Diana Taurasi led the team in scoring with 12.0 points per game and was second on the team with 23 assists.
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Diana Taurasi was selected to represent the United States at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
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Diana Taurasi was a key member of the gold medal-winning 2020 US women's Olympic team in Tokyo, earning Diana Taurasi a record fifth gold medal.
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Diana Taurasi joined US Olympic teammate Sue Bird as the only two Olympic basketball players of any gender to win five Olympic gold medals.
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At the 2024 Summer Olympics, Diana Taurasi again won Olympic gold to become the only basketball player with six Olympic gold medals, and she joined dressage equestrian Isabell Werth of Germany and Hungarian sabre fencer Aladar Gerevich as the only Olympians to win six gold medals in the same event.
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Diana Taurasi is set to release her signature sneaker, the Nike LeBron NXXT Gen AMPD PE, on October 1,2024 in collaboration with LeBron James.
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Diana Taurasi has a deal with BodyArmor sports drink company earning her $1.35 million, as well as deals with Coca-Cola and State Farm, Waymo, DeloitteUS, Twelvebooks, Togetherx, Cox Communications, and JBL.
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On July 2,2009, Diana Taurasi was arrested for driving under the influence.