Diana Taurasi, the leading scorer in WNBA history, announced her retirement on Tuesday. She is retiring after 20 seasons with the same team, the Phoenix Mercury.
“Mentally and physically, I’m just full,” Taurasi told Time magazine. “That’s probably the best way I can describe it. I’m full and I’m happy.”
Taurasi, 42, is a three-time WNBA champion and a two-time WNBA Finals MVP. She finishes her WNBA career with 10,646 points.
Taurasi led UConn to three straight national titles from 2001-04. She was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 WNBA draft.
Like Iowa’s Caitlin Clark did in 2024, Taurasi breathed life into the WNBA when she was drafted in 2004. Once-empty arenas filled with UConn fans eager to follow Taurasi to the WNBA.
But Taurasi, who is married to a former WNBA player, prioritized her sexuality above everything else.
The Mercury star gained a reputation as a sh*t talker on and off the court. Taurasi’s masculinity made it difficult to market her to a mainstream audience. Soon, women’s basketball arenas were half-empty again.
Fans say Caitlin Clark is who Diana Taurasi should have been for the WNBA. Clark drew millions of new fans to the WNBA in 2024, and she sold out arenas everywhere she played.
WNBA fans noted that Taurasi is retiring a year after Clark’s record-breaking rookie season. They both entered the WNBA in a blaze of glory, but only one of them became the face of the entire league.
Instead of welcoming Clark into the league with open arms, Taurasi showed petty jealousy.
“Reality is coming. There’s levels to this thing. And that’s just life, we all went through it,” Taurasi said about college stars like Clark transitioning into the WNBA.
But reality came for Taurasi when she faced Clark and the Indiana Fever for the first time — and lost to the rookie superstar.
Clark’s spot on the 2024 Summer Olympic women’s basketball team was given to Taurasi, who already had 5 Olympic gold medals. Taurasi picked up her 6th gold medal at the Olympics, which should have gone to Clark.
Instead of honoring Taurasi’s legacy, some Clark supporters flooded social media with trolling comments.
“Caitlin Clark sent Diana Taurasi into retirement,” one social media user said when the news of Taurasi’s retirement broke on Tuesday.
One X user wrote: “Caitlin Clark didn’t really just bully Diana Taurasi out of the league right?!”
Another Clark fan wrote: “Congrats on a great career Diana Taurasi! You never beat Caitlin Clark not once.”
A third fan wrote: “Diana Taurasi retired so she didn’t have to get cooked by Caitlin Clark again.”
Clark took the high road in a one word statement after Taurasi’s retirement was announced.
“legend,” the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year wrote in a post on Instagram.
