One of the best women’s basketball players of all time has called it a career.
Diana Taurasi announced her retirement from basketball on Tuesday. The 42-year-old guard told TIME that she typically begins preparing for each WNBA season around January 1 to give herself four months to work on her game prior to the start of training camp. But this year, things felt differently for her.
“I just didn’t have it in me,” Taurasi told TIME. “That was pretty much when I knew it was time to walk away.”
Taurasi does not appear to have any regrets about her choice.
“Mentally and physically, I’m just full,” Taurasi told TIME. “That’s probably the best way I can describe it. I’m full and I’m happy.”
Taurasi put together an incredible resume throughout her career. She was a three-time college champion at UConn and won Naismith College Player of the Year twice. She became the No. 1 pick in the 2004 WNBA draft by the Phoenix Mercury. Taurasi played her entire WNBA career for Phoenix and was a three-time league champion and 11-time All-Star.
During the WNBA offseason, Taurasi would often play in Russia and Turkey, where she led her teams to the Russian league title seven times and the EuroLeague title six times.
As if all that weren’t enough, Taurasi also represented the United States on an international stage. She won six Olympic gold medals with the country between 2004 and 2024. She also earned a great nickname from a beloved basketball figure.
After 20 years of playing in the WNBA, Diana Taurasi is officially retiring 🧡
— WNBA (@WNBA) February 25, 2025
Thank you Diana for changing the game forever, all of the accolades could never amount to the type of person and edge you embodied when you stepped out there on the court
One-of-One 💐 pic.twitter.com/dEtE4NDrGH
Never forget Diana Taurasi's 2023 performance in the game she hit her 10,000th career point:
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 25, 2025
🐐 First WNBA player with 10K PTS
🐐 Career-high 42 PTS in regulation
🐐 First 40-point game since 2010
🐐 Oldest player in WNBA history to drop 40 pic.twitter.com/M8gzsEhipK
