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Diana Taurasi
Diana Taurasi 2024.jpg
No. 3 – Phoenix Mercury
Shooting guard / Point guard
Personal information
Born (1982-06-11) June 11, 1982 (age 43)
Glendale, California, U.S.
High school Don Antonio Lugo
(Chino, California)
Listed height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight 163 lb (74 kg)
Career information
College UConn (2000–2004)
NBA Draft 2004 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Phoenix Mercury
Pro career 2004–Present
League WNBA
Career history
2004–present Phoenix Mercury
2005–2006 Dynamo Moscow
2006–2010 Spartak Moscow
2010–2011 Fenerbahçe
2011–2012 Galatasaray Medical Park
2012–2017 UMMC Ekaterinburg
Career highlights and awards
  • 3× WNBA champion (2007, 2009, 2014)
  • 2× WNBA Finals MVP (2009, 2014)
  • WNBA MVP (2009)
  • 11× WNBA All-Star (2005–2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2024)
  • 10× All-WNBA First Team (2004, 2006–2011, 2013, 2014, 2018)
  • 4× All-WNBA Second Team (2005, 2016, 2017, 2020)
  • WNBA Rookie of the Year (2004)
  • 5× WNBA scoring champion (2006, 2008–2011)
  • WNBA assists leader (2014)
  • 6× WNBA Peak Performer (2006, 2007, 2009–2011, 2014)
  • WNBA 15th Anniversary Team (2011)
  • WNBA 20th Anniversary Team (2016)
  • WNBA 25th Anniversary Team (2021)
  • 6× EuroLeague champion (2007–2010, 2013, 2016)
  • 7× Russian National League champion (2007, 2008, 2013–2017)
  • 3× Russian Cup winner (2013–2014, 2017)
  • 3× Russian League Player of the Year (2007, 2008, 2009)
  • Turkish National League champion (2011)
  • Turkish Cup winner (2012)
  • 3× NCAA champion (2002–2004)
  • 2× NCAA Tournament MOP (2003, 2004)
  • Wade Trophy (2003)
  • 2× Honda Sports Award (2003, 2004)
  • 2× Naismith College Player of the Year (2003, 2004)
  • USBWA Women's National Player of the Year (2003)
  • AP College Player of the Year (2003)
  • 2× Nancy Lieberman Award (2003, 2004)
  • 2× Big East Player of the Year (2003, 2004)
  • 2x First-team All-American – AP (2003, 2004)
  • 3x Kodak All-American (2002–2004)
  • 2x All-American –USBWA (2003, 2004)
  • Second-team All-American – AP (2002)
  • 3x First-team All-Big East (2002–2004)
  • Big East women's basketball tournament MOP (2001)
  • Big East All-Freshman Team (2001)
  • 4× USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year (2006, 2010, 2012, 2016)
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold 2004 Athens Team
Gold 2008 Beijing Team
Gold 2012 London Team
Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team
Gold 2020 Tokyo Team
Gold 2024 Paris Team
World Championship
Gold 2010 Czech Republic
Gold 2014 Turkey
Gold 2018 Spain
Bronze 2006 Brazil

Diana Lorena Taurasi (born June 11, 1982) is an American professional basketball player. She plays for the Phoenix Mercury in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Many people think Diana is one of the best women's basketball players ever. She became famous while playing college basketball at the University of Connecticut.

Diana was the very first player picked in the 2004 WNBA draft by the Phoenix Mercury. She has won many awards and titles, including:

  • The WNBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2004.
  • Three WNBA championships (2007, 2009, and 2014).
  • Six Olympic gold medals (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024).
  • The WNBA Most Valuable Player Award in 2009.
  • Two WNBA Finals MVP Awards (2009 and 2014).
  • Five WNBA scoring titles (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011).
  • Three FIBA World Cups (2010, 2014, and 2018).

She has also been chosen for ten WNBA All-Star teams. In 2011, fans voted her one of the WNBA's Top 15 Players of All Time. The league also named her to its 20th and 25th anniversary teams. In 2021, fans picked her as the league's greatest player ever. On June 18, 2017, Diana Taurasi became the WNBA's all-time leading scorer.

Her amazing ability to score in important moments earned her the nickname "White Mamba". This name was given to her by the famous basketball player Kobe Bryant. Diana is one of only a few women to win an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA Championship, a FIBA World Cup, and a WNBA Championship.

Early Life and Family

Diana Taurasi grew up in Chino, California. Her father, Mario, was born in Argentina. He used to be a professional soccer player in Italy, playing as a goalkeeper. Diana's mother, Liliana, is also from Argentina. Her parents moved from Argentina to the United States before Diana was born. She has an older sister named Jessika.

College Basketball Success

DianaTaurasiWhiteHouse
Taurasi with President George W. Bush at a White House ceremony for the national champion 2002–03 Connecticut Huskies.

After a very successful high school career, Diana went to the University of Connecticut. She started playing for the women's basketball team in the 2000–2001 season. She mostly played as a point guard and shooting guard. She led her team to win three NCAA championships in a row! After a tough loss in 2001, Diana promised, "We will not lose another tournament game while I'm wearing this uniform." And they didn't, winning 18 tournament games in a row. Her coach, Geno Auriemma, famously said before a championship game, "We have Diana, and you don't."

Diana also won many personal awards at UConn. These included the 2003 and 2004 Naismith College Player of the Year awards. She averaged 15.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game during her college career. Her team won 139 games and lost only 8 while she was there. In 2006, Diana was honored as one of the first players in the University of Connecticut women's basketball "Huskies of Honor" program.

WNBA Career Highlights

After college, the Phoenix Mercury picked Diana as the first player in the 2004 WNBA draft. The Mercury had a tough season in 2003, winning only 8 games. Diana helped them improve right away. In her first WNBA game, she scored 22 points. She averaged 17.0 points per game in her rookie season. Even though the Mercury didn't make the playoffs, Diana was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award.

In 2006, a new coach, Paul Westhead, joined the Mercury. He brought a fast-paced style of play. With new teammate Cappie Pondexter, Diana thrived. She led the league in scoring, averaging a WNBA record 25.3 points per game. She even scored a career-high 47 points in one game! She also set a WNBA record with 121 three-pointers in a season.

Diana Taurasi
Taurasi at the White House

In 2007, Diana finally reached the WNBA playoffs. The Mercury, led by Diana, won their first WNBA Finals championship! With this win, Diana became one of only a few players to win an NCAA title, a WNBA title, and an Olympic gold medal.

Diana has been a key player for the United States women's national basketball team. She won gold medals at the 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024 Olympic Games.

In 2009, Diana was named the WNBA Most Valuable Player Award. She then led the Phoenix Mercury to their second WNBA championship. She was also named the WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. She is one of only two players to win the scoring title, season MVP, WNBA Championship, and Finals MVP all in the same year!

In 2012, Diana had an injury and played only eight games. The team struggled without her. But in 2013, she came back strong, averaging over 20 points per game.

In 2014, with new teammates Candice Dupree and Brittney Griner, the Phoenix Mercury had an amazing season. They won 29 games, a record for most wins in a regular season. They went on to sweep the Chicago Sky in the WNBA Finals, winning Diana her third championship. She also won her second WNBA Finals MVP award.

In 2015, Diana decided to sit out the WNBA season. Her Russian team, UMMC Ekaterinburg, offered to pay her more money to rest. She returned to the Mercury in 2016.

Taurasi8-20180601
Taurasi became the WNBA's all-time highest scorer in 2017.

In 2017, Diana made history. She became the first player in WNBA history to reach 7,000 points, 1,500 rebounds, and 1,500 assists. On June 18, 2017, she became the WNBA's all-time leading scorer. She was also chosen for her eighth All-Star game.

In 2018, Diana continued to break records. She became the first player to make 1,000 three-pointers. She also became the first to score 8,000 points and the all-time leader in field goals made.

In 2019, Diana had back surgery and a hamstring injury, which limited her to only 6 games. She returned healthy in 2020 for the shortened season. On August 23, 2020, she scored a season-high 34 points while honoring Kobe Bryant on his birthday.

In 2021, Diana re-signed with the Mercury. Despite an ankle injury, she led her team through tough playoff games. At 39 years old, she scored 37 points in a playoff game, making her the oldest player in league history to score over 30 points. She helped her team win a crucial Game 5 to reach the WNBA Finals.

In August 2023, Diana Taurasi became the first player in WNBA history to score 10,000 career points.

Playing Overseas

Diana's international career started in 2005 with Dynamo Moscow in Russia. In 2006, she joined Spartak Moscow. This team became very strong, winning four EuroLeague championships in a row from 2007 to 2010. Diana was named the Final Four MVP in 2009 and 2010.

In 2010, she played for Fenerbahçe in Turkey. In 2011–2012, she played for Galatasaray, another big team in Istanbul. She helped them win the Turkish Cup.

In 2012, Diana signed with UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia. This team was very successful, winning the EuroLeague in 2013, and many Russian championships and cups. She won her sixth EuroLeague title with UMMC in 2016. In December 2017, Diana announced she would no longer play in European competitions.

National Team Career

Diana has been a key player for the United States women's national basketball team.

  • In 2000, she won a gold medal with the U.S. women's U18 team at the FIBA Americas Championship.
  • She won a bronze medal with the 2001 U.S. junior World Championship team.
  • She has won six Olympic gold medals with Team USA (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024). She is the only basketball player to win six Olympic gold medals.
  • She won gold medals at the World Championship in 2010, 2014, and 2018. She also won a bronze medal in 2006.

Life Off the Court

Personal Life

Diana Taurasi is married to her former teammate, Penny Taylor. They got married on May 13, 2017. Diana told People magazine that it was "the most amazing and beautiful day of our lives."

On March 1, 2018, Penny gave birth to their son. On October 9, 2021, their daughter was born. Diana flew from a playoff game to be there for her daughter's birth.

Endorsements and Education

Diana has endorsement deals with big companies like Nike, BodyArmor sports drink, Coca-Cola, and State Farm. She is even releasing her own signature sneaker with LeBron James in 2024.

Diana graduated from Don Antonio Lugo High School in 2000. She then went to the University of Connecticut. In 2005, she earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Connecticut. Diana was the first person in her family to graduate from college. She said that getting her college degree "meant just as much as any championship ring, banner or gold medal."

Career Statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career high ° League leader
† Denotes seasons in which Taurasi won a WNBA championship
* Denotes seasons in which Taurasi won an NCAA Championship

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2000–01 Connecticut 33 14 23.9 .444 .386 .878 3.2 3.3 1.2 0.9 2.2 10.9
2001–02 Connecticut 39 39 29.0 .494 .440 .828 4.1 5.3 1.3 1.2 2.1 14.5
2002–03 Connecticut 37 37 31.9 .476 .350 .815 6.1 4.4 0.9 1.2 3.1 17.9
2003–04 Connecticut 35 35 31.9 .456 .390 .795 4.0 4.9 1.5 0.8 2.4 16.2
Career 144 125 29.3 .469 .392 .819 4.4 4.5 1.2 1.0 2.5 15.0

WNBA

Regular season

Stats current through end of 2024 season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2004 Phoenix 34 34 33.2 .416 .330 .710 4.4 3.9 1.3 0.7 2.7 17.0
2005 Phoenix 33 33 33.0 .410 .313 .801 4.2 4.5 1.2 0.8 3.4 16.0
2006 Phoenix 34 34 33.9 .452 .397 .781 3.6 4.1 1.2 0.8 2.3 25.3°
2007† Phoenix 32 32 32.0 .440 .367 .835 4.2 4.3 1.4 1.1 2.6 19.2
2008 Phoenix 34 34 31.9 .446 .360 .870 5.1 3.6 1.4 1.4 2.4 24.1°
2009† Phoenix 31 31 31.5 .461 .407 .894 5.7 3.5 1.2 1.4 2.7 20.4°
2010 Phoenix 31 31 32.2 .427 .374 .912 4.3 4.7 1.2 0.6 3.6 22.6°
2011 Phoenix 32 32 30.2 .449 .395 .903 3.2 3.6 0.8 0.6 3.0 21.6°
2012 Phoenix 8 8 20.8 .436 .395 .900 1.6 2.3 0.5 0.5 1.8 14.0
2013 Phoenix 32 32 32.3 .456 .347 .854 4.2 6.2 0.7 0.5 3.6 20.3
2014† Phoenix 33 33 32.3 .454 .365 .874 3.8 5.6° 0.7 0.3 2.6 16.2
2016 Phoenix 33 33 29.8 .396 .350 .909 3.0 3.9 0.9 0.1 2.6 17.8
2017 Phoenix 31 31 28.5 .400 .384 .912 3.0 2.7 0.5 0.3 2.0 17.9
2018 Phoenix 33 33 30.0 .446 .383 .925° 3.5 5.3 0.9 0.2 2.5 20.7
2019 Phoenix 6 6 21.4 .103 .042 .944 3.2 5.3 0.3 0.1 2.1 4.3
2020 Phoenix 19 19 28.1 .409 .365 .912 4.2 4.5 1.0 0.4 2.7 18.7
2021 Phoenix 16 16 28.4 .366 .339 .861 4.4 4.9 0.2 0.6 2.9 15.2
2022 Phoenix 31 31 31.0 .373 .337 .894 3.4 3.8 0.7 0.6 2.7 16.7
2023 Phoenix 26 26 27.3 .403 .342 .848 3.6 4.6 0.5 0.5 3.0 16.0
2024 Phoenix 36 36 29.0 .400 .333 .857 3.8 3.4 0.6 0.3 1.9 14.9
Career 20 years, 1 team 565 565 30.7 .425 .360 .870 3.9 4.2 0.9 0.6 2.7 18.8
All-Star 10 8 18.9 .400 .318 1.000 3.1 4.3 0.2 0.3 1.5 9.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2007† Phoenix 9 9 33.2 .504 .390 .731 4.3 3.0 1.4 0.8 2.0 19.9
2009† Phoenix 11 11 32.9 .451 .365 .893 5.9 3.8 0.7 1.3 3.0 22.3°
2010 Phoenix 4 4 31.3 .473 .542 .818 5.3 3.8 1.8 0.8 4.0 18.5
2011 Phoenix 5 5 31.2 .398 .286 .929 3.2 2.4 0.2 0.2 2.4 20.0
2013 Phoenix 5 5 37.2 .333 .176 .950 5.2 6.0 1.6 0.2 3.0 20.8
2014† Phoenix 8 8 32.4 .492 .386 .853 4.3 5.8 1.0 0.5 3.9 21.9
2016 Phoenix 5 5 30.7 .515 .432 .970 2.6 2.8 0.2 0.6 2.0 23.6
2017 Phoenix 5 5 31.8 .409 .353 .769 2.8 3.8 0.6 0.0 2.0 17.2
2018 Phoenix 7 7 35.3 .477 .419 .864 4.4 6.0 0.8 0.5 2.2 21.0
2020 Phoenix 2 2 35.0 .471 .476 1.000 4.0 7.5 0.5 0.0 2.0 25.5
2021 Phoenix 10 10 30.5 .391 .347 .884 3.5 2.9 0.5 0.6 3.0 17.6
2024 Phoenix 2 2 29.5 .423 .389 1.000 3.0 2.5 1.0 0.0 3.5 15.5
Career 12 years, 1 team 73 73 32.6 .446 .374 .882 4.2 4.1 0.9 0.6 2.8 20.4

Euroleague

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2005–06 Dynamo Moscow 9 9 28.4 .400 .419 .625 4.1 2.2 0.9 0.3 1.9 11.4
2006–07 Spartak Moscow 12 12 29.3 .417 .438 .652 5.3 2.1 0.7 0.5 1.9 13.1
2007–08 Spartak Moscow 14 14 30.6 .485 .481 .872 4.9 4.4 1.3 0.6 2.4 16.8
2008–09 Spartak Moscow 17 17 31.9 .485 .457 .831 5.6 3.8 1.4 0.3 4.0 20.5
2009–10 Spartak Moscow 16 16 30.3 .496 .446 .853 5.7 3.8 1.6 0.3 2.7 24.9
2010–11 Fenerbahçe 7 7 33.7 .492 .515 .886 5.4 4.7 1.1 0.0 2.4 24.6
2011–12 Galatasaray 18 18 30.4 .451 .440 .900 4.4 3.1 0.9 0.2 2.9 20.9
2012–13 UMMC Ekaterinburg 17 17 29.2 .439 .394 .895 4.4 4.7 0.6 0.5 2.4 15.5
2013–14 UMMC Ekaterinburg 14 14 29.5 .500 .481 .789 3.3 5.0 0.8 0.1 2.4 15.0
2014–15 UMMC Ekaterinburg 14 14 31.0 .479 .511 .844 4.2 5.9 1.1 0.1 2.3 16.9
2015–16 UMMC Ekaterinburg 19 19 32.1 .461 .432 .905 5.0 4.2 0.9 0.2 2.6 20.9
2016–17 UMMC Ekaterinburg 15 15 23.6 .488 .455 .865 1.9 2.8 0.8 0.1 1.1 17.9
Career 172 172 30.0 .466 .455 .826 4.5 3.9 1.0 0.2 2.4 18.2

Filmography

Film roles
Year Title Role Notes
2021 Space Jam: A New Legacy Herself, Voice of White Mamba

Images for kids

  • Diana Taurasi 2 cropped

    Diana Taurasi in 2013

  • Diana Taurasi 2

    Diana Taurasi in 2019

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Diana Taurasi para niños

  • UConn Huskies women's basketball
  • 2003–04 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team
  • List of athletes with the most appearances at Olympic Games
  • List of Connecticut women's basketball players with 1000 points
  • List of Connecticut Huskies women's basketball players with 500 assists
  • List of WNBA career scoring leaders
  • List of WNBA career assists leaders
  • List of Women's National Basketball Association season scoring leaders
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