On a flight to New York City in the offseason, Phoenix Mercury legend Diana Taurasi talked to her son, Leo, regarding her retirement.
“Is retirement said?” her son said.
At that moment, the influx of emotions overcame the stoic and even-keeled Taurasi. The assassin on the court underwent a flurry of sadness for the four-hour flight. She’s been breaking down the stages of grief after making her retirement official.
“Just thinking about if it’s sad, and it is sad. I am sad,” Taurasi said. “I don’t show it, I don’t like to outwardly show my sadness, but I am sad. It’s the game that I’ve played since I was seven. It’s all the things in life that I always loved to do.”
After Taurasi publicly retired from the Mercury and the WNBA in late February, praise came in from everywhere. Former teammates, coaches, executives, and others showered her with love, adoration, and respect.
She was a pioneer for greatness within the WNBA. Players like Breanna Stewart and Caitlin Clark have looked up to Taurasi. Still, the decision to retire was never an easy one.
After playing on a multi-year contract for 2023 and 2024, it was time. Many thought once Brittney Griner signed with the Atlanta Dream, that was the final dagger.
Not to mention, the Mercury traded for Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally before her announcement. The team was gearing up for life after Taurasi. Despite some looming anticipation of a retirement, the announcement still echoed on that Tuesday afternoon.
When asked about what ultimately led to her decision, she touched on her preparation heading into each season. The Mercury cornerstone elaborated that it wasn’t the same.
“I really wanted to take some time away and really think about what I wanted to do,” Taurasi said. “I know the work that goes into preparing for a season.
“Once that date of January 1st kind of came and went, and then it was like mid-January, and then February came. I knew in my heart that I didn’t have it in me to put that four months of preparation that usually go into a season.”
Why was Mercury’s Diana Taurasi obsessed with the game?
Preparation is the name of the game for Taurasi. Her preparation has remained consistent ever since her high school days in Chino, California. Once she went to UConn, she was preparing to become the face of the WNBA, without even realizing it.
Years went along, and some struggles came afloat. She met former teammate and now-wife Penny Taylor. The duo endured missing the playoffs for three consecutive seasons.
Following that though, they made the playoffs. They didn’t just make the playoffs. The Mercury won the 2007 WNBA championship, defeating the Detroit Shock.
It was the first of three championships for Taurasi and her wife. While she mentioned how winning was everything during her retirement press conference, what happens after that?
There have been plenty of instances of the legend changing her strategy to approach the season. Most notably, she went vegan during her final seasons.
As a result, Taurasi played 36 games and physically felt the best she had in years. Only missing four games in the 2024 season, combined with an Olympic Gold Medal run is beyond impressive.
Taurasi explained how her evolution was one of the elements she learned as her career went on.
“In the game of basketball, if you don’t evolve your mind, and your body as you get older, you get left behind,” Taurasi said. “I always had this inner motor, this inner fire of trying to be better. Not better than the next person, but better than myself.
“I never thought I was good enough. Those are the things that made me walk into the gym every single day earlier than everyone, stay later than everyone, and work out when no one’s watching.”
Diana Taurasi is embracing life following the Mercury
Even with being retired, she added how that insatiable desire to play always creeps in.
“I’m still working out,” Taurasi said. “I’m getting ready for the season at home. Penny’s like, What are you doing? I’m like, I don’t know. I’m just trying to be better. That’s just something that is a skill that you learn.
“Everything in life is a learned skill, and I’m still trying to evolve day by day. As I was going through my career I had stages where you could see me physically changed, mentally changed. Those are the things that I really enjoyed.”
Ultimately, the hunger and quest to be better than she was before was what ultimately drove her. A work ethic unlike any other is beyond impressive. She has a work ethic that can inspire not just this generation, but many to come.
With all that being said, there was no more gas left in the tank. For a superstar like Taurasi, that’s a hard pill to swallow. However, she remains content with her decision.
“I just didn’t have that in me anymore, and I was fine with that,” Taurasi explained. “But I walked in here today and I told Nick (U’Ren), I want to play again. I’m sure I’ll have those feelings a lot, but I am so happy where I’m at.
“Right now personally, I get to really reflect on what 20 years felt like. The things that I was lucky enough to be a part of.”
The Diana Taurasi court at the Mercury’s practice facility might not have the same feel. The franchise might not have the same clear definition it once did.
Moving from a 20-year pro and arguably the greatest WNBA player of all-time in Taurasi isn’t easy. Still, she is ready for life post-basketball, and so is the Mercury.
The post What led to Mercury star Diana Taurasi’s retirement decision appeared first on ClutchPoints.
