After 20 seasons, three WNBA championships, and six Olympic gold medals, Diana Taurasi is calling it a career.
The Phoenix Mercury legend announced her retirement in an interview with TIME, marking the end of an era for one of the greatest players in women’s basketball history.
Diana Taurasi’s reality check
As Taurasi steps away, she has a parting message for the next generation-especially the 36 players in the new Unrivaled league.
For years, WNBA stars played overseas to supplement their salaries, with Taurasi herself making millions in Russia.
Now, with Unrivaled offering top-tier pay without the need to leave the U.S., the game is shifting.
But Taurasi believes something valuable might be lost in this transition.
“If you asked the 22-year-old me, ‘Would you rather play in Moscow or Miami?’ I think I would have picked Miami,” Taurasi admitted.
“But you asked the 42-year-old me, and those 12 years I spent overseas, especially the 10 I spent in Russia, I learned lessons that you can’t learn anywhere else.”
Taurasi credits her international career with not only financial success but also personal growth.
From navigating cultural and language barriers to adapting to different playing styles, she views those experiences as irreplaceable.
“It made me know I can live anywhere in the world with anyone, get along with any type of person, whether there was a language barrier, a mindset barrier, a political barrier-you name it, you had to make it work,” she reflected.
Her journey also came with hard decisions.
In 2015, Taurasi sat out an entire WNBA season because her Russian club was paying her $1.5 million, far more than her WNBA salary at the time.
Even with today’s salary cap increase, WNBA players still earn significantly less than what top athletes make overseas.
“Not only did I want to be the best player in the world, I wanted to be the highest-paid player in the world. You can only do that in a free market. And that’s what overseas gives us,” Taurasi stated bluntly.
Unlike many sports legends, Taurasi isn’t interested in a farewell tour.
“I felt like 20 years of opposing arenas was enough,” she shrugged.
“All I need is another pair of sneakers.”
As she walks away, Taurasi leaves behind a legacy built on dominance, resilience, and an unapologetic pursuit of greatness.
For the next wave of WNBA and Unrivaled players, her message is clear-experience, both on and off the court, is just as valuable as any paycheck.
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