PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 19: Diana Taurasi #3 of the Phoenix Mercury signs fan gear before the game on September 19, 2024 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using …
PHOENIX - Diana Taurasi’s Phoenix Mercury teammates wore her No. 3 jersey for introductions, a nod to the possibility this was the final home game in the 20-year career of the player widely considered the greatest women’s player of all-time.
If this was her last game, Taurasi didn’t act like it.
Despite a deafening roar during player introductions, Taurasi treated Thursday night’s game against Seattle like any other, slapping hands with her teammates before trotting onto the floor.
Taurasi has been coy about retirement, remaining noncommittal while hinting it might be right around the corner.
The Mercury have stoked the retirement talk embers on social media with a post last week that said "If this is it" and another early Thursday that included the reading of a letter by her wife, former Mercury player Penny Taylor.
Whenever Taurasi does hang up her basketball shoes, her place in women’s basketball history will already be secured.
Taurasi won three straight national championship at UConn and kept on winning after the Mercury selected her with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2004 WNBA draft. She earned WNBA rookie of the year honors and won the first of three WNBA titles in 2007.
The Glendale, Calif. native is one of four players to win multiple WNBA Finals MVPs (2009, 2014) and was the league MVP for the 2009 season. She won six Euroleague championships while playing year round most of her career and claimed her sixth Olympic gold medal at this summer’s Paris Games. She’s the WNBA’s career scoring leader — about 3,000 more than Tina Charles in second — top playoff scorer and has made the most 3-pointers in league history.
Taurasi also made the all-WNBA first team 10 times and is an 11-time WNBA All-Star, including this season.
And she’s barely slowed at 42, averaging 15.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists while leading the Mercury to the playoffs.
What happened in the game
Nneka Ogwumike scored 17 points and the Seattle Storm spoiled what could be the final home game of Taurasi’s 20-year career with an 89-70 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday night.
Taurasi had nine points on 3-of-9 shooting in 18 minutes, returning after the crowd started a chant of "We want DT!" in the closing minutes. She returned less than a minute later to another chant — "One more year!" — and addressed the crowd following a tribute video.
Brittney Griner led the Mercury with 11 points.
The Storm (25-15) were already locked in the WNBA’s No. 5 playoff seed and will open the first round Sunday at the Las Vegas Aces in a best-of-three series.
Phoenix (19-21) has locked up the No. 7 seed and will play No. 2 Minnesota in a best-of-three first round series starting Sunday, but there’s no certainty Taurasi will be back for another game in the desert. The Lynx could end Taurasi’s career — if this indeed is it — by sweeping the first two games.
The Storm were intent on spoiling Taurasi’s night, scoring the game’s first 10 points. Taurasi — of course — ended the run with a 3-pointer, but it didn’t stop the Storm’s push.
Seattle shot 15 of 22 in the first quarter to lead 35-14 while the Mercury struggled to get into an offensive flow. Phoenix had nearly as many turnovers (five) as field goals (six) and looked disjointed through most of the quarter.
The Mercury were better in the second quarter, opening the second quarter with a 7-0 run while cutting the lead to 43-31 by halftime. Ogwumike had 14 points.
The Storm surged again in the third quarter while the Mercury foundered again, stretching the lead to 68-49. Phoenix tried to mount a rally in the fourth quarter, but Seattle pushed back every time, running away with a road victory in possibly the final home game of Taurasi’s career.