Mercury’s Diana Taurasi Announces Intent to Return to WNBA in ’23

Mercury star Diana Taurasi’s future in the WNBA was uncertain as the 40-year-old had yet to announce whether she would return for her 19th season in the league.

But Taurasi told Nick King of Arizona’s 3TV CBS5 on Saturday that she plans on returning to the WNBA for the 2023 season.

“You know, I started working out, so, the minute I start working out, that means I’m all in,” Taurasi said. “Like anything, when you get to a certain point in your life, in your professional career, you start taking different things into account. Having two kids, a family, you start weighing different things of where your time and your energy goes. I’m lucky to have an amazing family that are always pushing me to do what I love to do, and that’s to play basketball. I’m ready to bring another championship here.”

The question of whether Taurasi would retire or not became more prevalent after her longtime friend and rival Sue Bird retired after the 2022 season. Since Bird is just two years older than Taurasi, fans wondered if the Mercury star was considering retirement, too.

Taurasi ended the 2022 season early as she dealt with a quadriceps strain. The team announced on Aug. 8 that the guard would miss the rest of the regular season. The Mercury then lost in the first round of the playoffs.

Taurasi has won three WNBA titles with the Mercury (2007, ’09, ’14), and it sounds as if she wants to win at least one more before hanging up her basketball shoes.