Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi is officially the first player in WNBA history to reach the 10,000 point career milestone.
With 8:23 remaining in third quarter, Taurasi hit a 28 footer to move from 9,997 to the hallowed 10K mark. In a year where not a lot has gone right for the Mercury, everything was clicking on Thursday evening as the team downed the Atlanta Dream 91-71 to move to 7-19 on the season.
“I’m kind of happy it happened with a 3,” said Taurasi. “I’m happy that someone set a screen. I’m happy that someone passed me the ball. That’s how basketball is played, with everyone having a little part, and it’s perfect.”
But the hoops icon wasn’t content to merely waltz past the 10,000 point plateau. Instead, she put on one of her most dazzling performances in recent memory finishing with 42pts/4reb/2ast on the night. Her 42 point effort was the first time she’s eclipsed the 40pt mark in 13 years, while simultaneously becoming the oldest player in WNBA history to record a forty point game.
Her 32pts in the 2nd half nearly set a WNBA record itself, but ultimately fell 3pts shy of tying Riquna Williams mark from 2013.
Originally selected 1st overall in the 2004 WNBA draft, Taurasi has spent her entire 19 year career with the Phoenix Mercury. Not only is she the career leader in virtually every statistical category in franchise history, but her name is littered across the record books of the WNBA as well.
A 10x WNBA All-Star, MVP, 2x Finals MVP, and 3x WNBA Champion, Taurasi has won at every level of competition she’s ever competed at. From the high school ranks, to dominating the college circuit, the WNBA, Turkish leagues, Russian leagues and more, wherever the 41 year old goes, banners tend to follow.
She’s currently the WNBA’s all time leading scorer by a healthy margin (leading Tina Thompson by 2,536 points and counting), but she’s also the league’s all-time three point and playoff scoring leader, and holds the single season scoring record as well. A 5x Olympic gold medallist, Taurasi has dominated the international scene, adding another 3 world championship titles and a bronze medal to her extensive trophy case.
Following the game, an outpouring of support and praise began to flow in via social media for the G.O.A.T’s accomplishment.
“On behalf of the WNBA and basketball fans worldwide, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Diana on reaching the incredible milestone of 10,000 points as she continues to author new chapters [in] an illustrious WNBA career,” league commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. “Diana’s achievement stands as a testament to her skill, determination, and unwavering dedication to the game, which along with her competitive nature, has captivated fans with her incredible scoring ability, clutch performances, and unparalleled basketball IQ. We are honored to witness this milestone.”
A post game ceremony saw well wishes from the likes of NBA commissioner Adam Silver, Billie Jean King, Dawn Staley, Sylvia Fowles, Magic Johnson and more played on the jumbotron at the arena. The Mercury also gifted Taurasi a custom pair of Air Jordan’s to commemorate the occasion.
“I’m really thankful for my teammates because moments like this, it’s everyone’s moment,” Taurasi told reporters after the game. ” And they really came with me, and they wanted me to do it tonight. And I said, ‘Boy, it would’ve been terrible if I only scored 17 tonight and pass out shirts with 9,999.’ But, luckily, it happened. And I’m just really grateful.”
Barring a miraculous late season push, Phoenix is unlikely to make the postseason at this point. Following the retirement of long time friend Sue Bird in 2022, many began to speculate as to how much longer the former UConn star would continue playing herself. After flirting with the idea of retirement, Taurasi announced she would return for the 2023 campaign, but has been non-committal beyond this season.
For basketball fans sake, the hope is that she’ll return for another year so that she can be properly celebrated for her unbelievable WNBA career. For now though, Phoenix still has a handful of games to get through before the chapter can be closed in 2023. The team is next in action Saturday against the Seattle Storm in a 10pm ET game.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Danny Karwoski. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.