PHOENIX — Many fans across the globe know Diana Taurasi as the WNBA's all-time leading scorer, with 10,646 points across her 20-year career in Phoenix. Or as a six-time Olympic gold medalist, the most in basketball history.
\nBut the teammates and coaches she shared the court with throughout her career know Taurasi as so much more. She's the ultimate competitor, an elite trash-talker and fearless leader who pushed you (and your buttons).
\n"It could either piss you off or it could either elevate you," Hall of Famer Swin Cash told USA TODAY Sports.
\n"The thing that separates the WNBA players and the greats is, what was the impact you had with your teammates, with the organization, with the community? As (Taurasi's) jersey goes into the rafters, think about all she created off the court for those that have opportunities, whether it's in Phoenix or whether it's back in her hometown in California. ... I don't think she ever had a big megaphone around that, but she did a lot."
\nUSA TODAY Sports talked with Taurasi's teammates and coaches from every level of her career ahead of her jersey retirement on Sunday, Aug. 16, with her No. 3 joining Cheryl Miller, Jennifer Gillom (22), Bridget Pettis (32), Penny Taylor (13) and Michele Timms (7) in the Mercury’s Ring of Honor. Here's the stories that they shared:
\n\nSwin Cash\n- Taurasi's college teammate at UConn from 2000–2002; U.S. Women's National Team teammates at the 2004 Athens and 2012 London Olympics.
The duality of Diana Taurasi immediately stood out to Swin Cash. "It's almost Jekyll and Hyde," she told USA TODAY Sports. When you step in between the lines with Taurasi, you never know which personality you'll get.
\n\nAs teammates, Cash and Taurasi led UConn to a national championship and undefeated 39–0 season in 2002, with the starting lineup of Cash, Taurasi, Sue Bird, Asjha Jones and Tamika Williams widely regarded as one of the best ever. But they also had many battles as competitors, with Taurasi's Mercury defeating Cash's Shock in the 2007 WNBA Finals, before Cash's Storm swept the Mercury in the Conference Finals en route to a title in 2010.
\n"Sue (Bird) was hitting these clutch shots... and it was a back and forth chatter," Cash recalled from the 2010 playoff series against the Mercury. "I laugh today when people talk about like, 'Oh, we're starting to hear more women trash talk.' And I'm like, 'What? You're just starting to hear that?' Diana probably was one of the best where she would be pushing people's buttons and saying stuff that was just so sarcastic or this, that, the other. And I remember that whole run, it was just back and forth with the Storm and with the Mercury."
\nCash continued: "One second, you'd be looking at her face like she's cursing you out, but she's saying something and smiling at the same time. So I would say the mental game that (Taurasi) would play within the game was elite and I could respect it. You would see how it flustered some people, but if you knew her, you knew that's what she was trying to do. So whatever edge she could get... I don't think people talk about that part of her game enough. It's like her IQ and her ability to push buttons was like a coach in some kind of way."
\nCash said Taurasi's competitiveness was apparent when she first came to UConn. She likens her mindset to the late Kobe Bryant, adding, "(Taurasi) is probably the closest person that I've seen to Kobe's Mamba mentality."
\n"The greats that have a certain lever... like a hydraulic car where they can just take it to another gear," Cash added. "She's in that rare era for me because... she was never afraid of a big shot or a big moment. She always wanted that. And there's certain people that could say they want it, but when you look in their eyes, not necessarily... It's like kill or be killed. That's the way that Diana played. And you could see that in just how she approached the game.
\n"She wanted to either destroy you or you were going to destroy her."
\nAshley Battle\n- Taurasi's college teammate at UConn from 2000–2004.
When deciding on which college to attend, Ashley Battle had a little help from Diana Taurasi and Maria Conlan, who she befriended on the AAU circuit in her youth. "We've known each other since 12 or 13 years old," Battle recalled. "She always (had) a fun, loving, easygoing, always laughing, joking personality, even as a youngster."
\n"I was the last one of our class to decide,'" Battle told USA TODAY Sports. "And (Taurasi) would call me. The time change will really screw you up, but it'd be like midnight. She's like, 'You got to go to UConn. We can make history. We got to go. We got to go." And she was right. When we went there, we made history."
\nThe Huskies went undefeated and won the national championship in 2002, the first of three consecutive titles Battle and Taurasi won at UConn. Battle said Taurasi could challenge you, but uplift you at the same time.
\n"If you watch those UConn games, (Taurasi) can yell and get on you. And then the next possession, she's patting you in the head," added Battle, now the vice president of basketball operations for the Portland Fire. "You feel really confident that you could do anything on the court, because you have one of the best players that ever play the game right there by your side cheering you on."
\nCappie Pondexter\n- Taurasi's teammate on the Phoenix Mercury from 2006–2009.
Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter were more than familiar with each other's game before teaming up in Phoenix. They had their fair share of battles in the Big East Conference, with Taurasi at UConn (2000–2004) and Pondexter at Rutgers (2002–2006). But when Pondexter was drafted No. 2 overall to Phoenix in 2006, "it was our chance to play together and it felt amazing," she recalled.
\n"We both came from respected colleges and college coaches. So the atmosphere of winning was in our pedigree. And I think when they drafted me, (Taurasi) knew that they drafted a winner," Pondexter told USA TODAY Sports. "I knew right away once she embraced me, I knew that our ceiling was very high and we could possibly do something special.
\n"That was just something that we both knew without saying much. The goal was to win, to bring a championship to Phoenix, and we did that twice in four years."
\n\nPondexter said she and Taurasi quickly bonded over their insatiable desire to compete and win. "She was my best friend. She was my favorite teammate. She was everything. We hung out together every day," Pondexter said. That competitive spirit was on fully display before every game when Pondexter and Taurasi would bring a T-shirt with their opponent's logo into their locker room and, well, we'll let you fill in the blanks.
\n"That's a locker room thing that I probably shouldn't have said, but it was a ritual that we had," Pondexter said.
\nPondexter requested a trade from the Mercury ahead of the 2010 WNBA season and was dealt to the New York Liberty, abruptly ending the Mercury's dominant run. Pondexter still frequently wonders what could have been. "If I would've stayed in Phoenix, who knows? We could have won maybe four or five championships."
\n"I think (Taurasi) was a little upset that I left, but I had to make it a personal decision," Pondexter added. "It wasn't because of Taurasi that I left. It wasn't because of my teammates or anything like that... I just thought it was best for me to move. But we became rivals and nothing changed. Our bond kind of separated, but other than that, we respected each other and we knew that no matter what, we were both winners at the end of the day. And we did something special."
\nSandy Brondello\n- Coached Taurasi during the 2014-2021 WNBA season.
Brondello has a lot of stories about Taurasi from their extended time together - "it was obviously a privilege for me to coach (Taurasi) for eight years, not just in the WNBA, but also in Russia. We spent five years together there," Brondello recalled - but the longtime head coach said there aren't many she can tell.
\nBrondello finally settled on a story from the "Wubble," the league's condensed 2020 COVID-19 pandemic season that was played in isolation at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
\n"I can tell you some that happened in the bubble. That was pretty funny," Brondello said as a smile spread across her face. "Diana (Taurasi), she's the wittiest person I know. She got me a few times, too. You're not sure if she's joking or she's telling you truth. But obviously we had no fans in the bubble when we played at IMG (Academy) and she wasn't happy with one of the calls. She had a love-hate relationships with the officials. And she told the officials... 'I'll meet you in the lobby.' So I mean that was quite funny because everyone could hear it. But she's an amazing player, so proud of her, what she's accomplished in her career."
\nPhoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts\n- Coached Taurasi during the 2024 WNBA season.
When Nate Tibbetts was first named head coach of the Mercury in October 2023 after more than a decade as an NBA assistant coach, he admitted he "didn't know as much about this league as I needed to." But Tibbetts luckily had Diana Taurasi's wealth of knowledge about the WNBA and Mercury organization in his corner.
\n"Probably the coolest thing is when I took the job and we went to coffee and dinner a couple times just to learn the league and get her thoughts on how to coach in this league, how to just navigate me coming from the NBA to the WNBA. So I'm very thankful for that," Tibbetts recalled. "We probably had three or four of them. Maybe a couple nights where we had wine, not just coffee either."
\nThe 2024 WNBA season marked the first of Tibbetts' tenure, but the last of Taurasi's 20-year career in Phoenix. He said he was blown away by the dedication that Taurasi had, up until the very end.
\n"Even in her last year, which she probably knew going in, her level of discipline and commitment, it's something that I've never really seen before," he said. "As far as just her commitment to her body day after day at that age."
\n\nKahleah Copper\n- Taurasi's teammate on the Phoenix Mercury in 2024; U.S. Women's National teammates at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Mercury were trailing the Minnesota Lynx 80-78 with 5.1 seconds remaining on the clock on June 7, 2024 when Nate Tibbetts called a timeout.
\n"Nate draws the play up for (Diana Taurasi). And she's like, "No, run it for (Kahleah Copper),'" Copper recalled on Friday, August. 14. "I'm like, 'Oh... It's cool.' She's like, 'No!' Nate changes it up."
\nCopper stepped up and knocked down a 25-foot 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds remaining to secure the win over the Lynx. "I hit the game winner. I looked at (Taurasi), I'm like, 'Okay, I (expletive) love you.'" The moment has stuck with Copper all these years later. Taurasi and Copper went on to represent the U.S. Women's National Team at the 2024 Paris Olympics a month later and it was Taurasi who once again spoke life into Copper.
\n"I got a DNP (Did Not Play) in the Belgium game. The next day, it's a grind. It is what it is. You're playing with the best players... I'm just like, 'I'm missing my shots in my warmup.' She's like, 'Yo, you're good... You're going to win a game for us.'"
\nCopper went on to score 12 points in Team USA's win over France to win their eighth consecutive gold medal. "Just thinking about those words that she shared with me, it was special," Copper added.
\n5.3 THREE SECONDS LEFT.
INBOUND TO BG.
HAND OFF TO KAH.
BUZZER BEATER.
MERCURY WIN!!!! pic.twitter.com/S77WMBi3Wp
- U.S. Women's National teammates at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Phoenix forward Alyssa Thomas is known as one of the best trash talker in the WNBA, but she draws the line at talking to Taurasi. Before suiting up for the Mercury herself, Thomas faced of against Taurasi while playing for the Connecticut Sun from 2014-2024.
\n"You don't talk trash to (Taurasi)," Thomas said on Saturday, Aug. 15. "I feel like that's how you get her going. That's one person you just leave alone. I mean, she just plays on a different level. And I feel like there's certain people that you talk trash to and it just takes it to another level. So yeah, you leave that alone."
\n\nBecky Hammon\nBecky Hammon jokingly said Taurasi "had a split personality."
\n"She was one way on the court, complete, probably (expletive) on the court and then so cool off of it," Hammon said with a laugh. "That's who she is. But those are Michael Jordan traits. Those are Kobe Bryant traits. I mean, she has that it. So that's really what jumps out."
\nHammon said Taurasi is a "predator on the basketball court," always stalking her prey.
\n"The biggest thing that jumps out for (Diana Taurasi) is just her competitiveness," Hammon added. "There's never a moment that she's not looking to gain an advantage. She's calculated, she's smart. She puts the work in. I mean, I think one of the most probably underrated part of her game was her ability to pass. I mean, she was a heck of a passer along with... the three-level scoring that she did for so many years at such a high level."
\nReach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
\nThe USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
\nThis article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What makes Diana Taurasi great? The stories behind the GOAT
Leave a Comment