PHOENIX — After winning three national championships at UConn, Diana Taurasi went on to have one of the most prolific careers in women’s professional basketball, but it’s not over yet.
Since being drafted first overall in 2004, Taurasi has played for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, where she has won three championships. Taurasi is also a five-time Olympic gold medalist, representing USA Basketball.
Currently in her 20th WNBA season and approaching her sixth Olympic Games, Taurasi recently spoke with Familia by PARENTS for the article “WNBA All-Star Diana Taurasi Leans Into the Tough Stuff, at Home and on the Court.”
Taurasi, 42, is an 11-time WNBA All-Star who won the league’s Most Valuable Player award in 2009. She has also spent time playing for a variety of teams overseas during the WNBA’s offseason. In the interview with Familia by PARENTS, Taurasi said the highlight of her career has been playing for only one WNBA franchise.
“I could say championships or MVP, but there’s something special about being on one team for 20 years. Coming from Argentina and growing up in an Italian household (in California), loyalty is big for us,” Taurasi said. “To be able to wear one jersey for 20 years and stay in the same city through all the ups and the downs, that to me is my biggest accomplishment.”
Later this month, Taurasi will travel to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games. She is no stranger to the Olympics, having participated in 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2021. Over the course of that stretch, she’s never failed to take home a gold medal.
Taurasi is confident that the winning ways will continue this year. She spoke on the significance of representing the United States on the international stage.
“When you put on that jersey, there’s so much that comes with it,” Taurasi said. “You’re representing the game of basketball for everyone who loves it in this country, whether you play it at the highest level or at the park. There’s so much honor and pride in being a first-generation immigrant. It’s the American dream, and I think that resonates with a lot of people in this country.”
On May 13, 2017, Taurasi married former teammate and Phoenix Mercury star Penny Taylor, after Taylor retired in 2016. As a three-time WNBA champion and three-time WNBA All-Star, Taylor matches Taurasi’s love for the game and mirrors her professional success.
In the interview with Familia by PARENTs, Taurasi said she considers herself lucky to have a partner like Taylor. Together, the couple has two children, Leo Michael Taurasi-Taylor and Isla Taurasi-Taylor. Taurasi complemented Taylor’s parenting skills.
“Penny is the best mom in the world. She is really incredible,” Taurasi said. “Because she shares the same experience – Penny’s a Hall of Famer and played in the Olympics – she knows the physical and mental demands of what it takes to play in the WNBA, overseas and in the Olympics.”
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Taurasi said it is important to be with someone who understands what she goes through on and off the court, especially while she is still playing.
“To have someone (who) knows what it’s like and understands when you’re in a bad mood because you lost the game or didn’t play well – all those things contribute to why I’m still playing,” Taurasi said.
When asked by Familia by PARENT about raising little athletes, Taurasi implied it takes balance. She hopes her children follow in the footsteps of their parents but said she will support them no matter what.
“Leo complains. He can tell we want him to play, so we’ve done a 180 and don’t talk about it. And he’ll ask, ‘When’s basketball practice? And we’ll say, ‘We’ll go if you want.’ Then the little one (Isla) is two and a half. You can tell she’s an athlete. She has a way about her; she’s very physical and loves to climb. But at the end of the day, they’ll pick their path of what they love to do. And if it’s basketball, I would obviously enjoy that,” Taurasi said.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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