WNBA Legend Diana Taurasi Explains What She'll Miss Most in Retirement

The Phoenix Mercury great announced her retirement on Tuesday.

Taurasi announced her retirement from the WNBA on Tuesday. | Owen Ziliak/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

WNBA legend Diana Taurasi announced her retirement on Tuesday afternoon, closing the door on her legendary 20-year career with the Phoenix Mercury.

Phoenix Mercury legend Diana Taurasi is retiring after a 20-year professional career https://t.co/hd5t2Pcj7P pic.twitter.com/XORfajm3bG

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) February 25, 2025

The 43-year-old announced her decision in an exclusive sit-down with TIME magazine and on top of expressing why it was time for her to call it career, explained what she'll miss the most about playing the game of basketball:

"I’m going to miss the competition," Taurasi told author Sean Gregory. "I'm going to miss trying to get better every single offseason. I'm going to miss the bus rides, shootarounds. I'm going to miss the inside jokes. I'm going to miss the locker room, the things that come with being on a basketball team. All those things, I'll deeply miss."

BREAKING: Diana Taurasi has announced she is retiring from basketball, she told TIME.

“I just didn’t have it in me,” Taurasi said. “That was pretty much when I knew it was time to walk away.”https://t.co/MuhZOZZbve

— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) February 25, 2025

Among many others, Taurasi played alongside fellow greats Britney Griner, DeWanna Bonner, and her wife Penny Taylor during her 20 seasons as the face of the Mercury.

She leaves the sport not only as the WNBA's all-time leading scorer, a three-time champion and an 11-time WNBA All-Star—but with countless amounts of kudos from the sports community.

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