PHOENIX — As Diana Taurasi walked the red carpet at the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony, she paused to reflect on a career that put a WNBA franchise on the map.
“It’s such a great honor,” she told The IX Sports before the event Thursday. “I’ve been here for two decades now, and when I got to Phoenix, I didn’t know anything about the state of Arizona. You know, I was an L.A. (Los Angeles) kid, then I went to (play college basketball in) Connecticut.
“But the day I landed in Phoenix, there was something special about this place, and just knowing the basketball culture that they’ve had here, (it’s) such an honor to be here for 20 years. And the whole point was to win championships and give that pride to the Valley, and we did that. This is a special night.”
Taurasi, widely considered one of the greatest women’s basketball players in history, was honored on the heels of another celebration of the sport, the Women’s Final Four in Phoenix.
The league’s all-time leading scorer was accompanied by her wife, Penny Taylor, who also helped lead the Mercury to three WNBA championships.
Taurasi has also earned numerous accolades, including the league’s Most Valuable Player award in 2009, six WNBA Peak Performer awards and two Finals MVP honors.
On the international side, Taurasi also became the most decorated Olympic basketball player in history, winning a record six gold medals with the U.S. women’s national team.
When she read her speech to the audience and her family members, she stated that her interaction with then-Phoenix Mercury and Suns owner Jerry Colangelo, whom she calls the “Phoenix Godfather,” got her thinking she would be a Phoenician for the rest of her life.
During the week of the Women’s Final Four in Phoenix, UConn Huskies players spoke highly of Taurasi’s influence in the city. Taurasi led UConn to three consecutive national championships from 2002 to 2004.
UConn guard Azzi Fudd, the top pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, was excited to play in the city where Taurasi built a franchise.
After her decorated collegiate career with the Huskies, the Phoenix Mercury selected Taurasi first overall in the 2004 WNBA Draft, and the rest is history.
“I mean, obviously would mean a lot to have success in her city,” Fudd said April 2. “I mean, she is one of the greatest to ever play the game of basketball. To play here is amazing. I mean, we’re staying on Diana Taurasi Way or something, which is really cool.”
UConn coach Geno Auriemma has always had a special relationship with Taurasi, from when they first met when she was still in high school in Chino to today.
When Taurasi played her final home game in 2024, Auriemma and some of her former Huskies teammates traveled to Phoenix to see her play in the city for the last time.
“I had dinner with D (Taurasi) last night,” Auriemma said April 2, smiling as he thought of it. “In typical D fashion, she’s the story. We practiced at ‘her’ facility yesterday, her logo on the court.
“…In my mind, the greatest basketball player to ever play college basketball, and maybe the greatest WNBA player of all time. So to be here, I know that means a lot to her. I know it means a lot to our players.”
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When Taurasi was asked about her favorite memories in Arizona, she brought up winning the title in a winner-take-all Game 5 of the 2009 WNBA Finals over the Indiana Fever.
In that game, she recorded 22 points, three 3-pointers made, nine rebounds and six assists before receiving Finals MVP honors.
“I’ve had so many (memories to choose from), it’s hard,” Taurasi said. “Our youngest daughter, Isla, was born here (in Oct. 2021), which is a pretty great moment, but I would say on the basketball side, winning the 2009 championship. Game Five was here in Phoenix, in front of our home fans. Hopefully, we gave a little joy to the state of Arizona.”
Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller, who coached the Mercury from 1997 to 2000, immediately envisioned the winning mentality Taurasi brought to Phoenix.
Based on her contributions to the franchise for two decades, Taurasi will have her jersey number retired and be inducted into the Phoenix Mercury Ring of Honor during a home game against the Portland Fire on August 16.
“First and foremost, Diana (Taurasi) is more than deserving to be in the Ring of Honor,” Miller told The IX Sports in March.
“What she’s contributed over the generations of play to young women, and as an inspiration, has just been extraordinary. She’s an iconic figure, and I just have to say, I’m so proud of her, and congratulations, DT, well deserved.”
During her speech, Taurasi sent appreciation to her parents, her wife, Ann Meyers Drysdale, the Phoenix Mercury franchise and the team’s CEO Vince Kozar.
Meyers Drysdale, whom she described as a “pioneer” of women’s basketball, also mentored Taurasi during her 20-year career.
“Well, it was funny,” Taurasi said. “I was at home, and Ann Meyers Drysdale kept calling me, and she kept texting me, and then she finally left the voicemail, like you need to call me back. I have some big news to tell you. So, Annie was the one who broke it to me.”
The moment when Taurasi became the first player in WNBA history to score 10,000 points in front of the home crowd in 2023, Miller told The IX Sports, “It’s the quietest 10,000 points I’ve ever seen in my lifetime.
“She made it look so easy,” Miller continued. “And being a point guard, to be able to do that while getting everybody else involved offensively is just a great credit.”
Over the past five years, the city of Phoenix has hosted two WNBA Finals, a WNBA All-Star game and, most recently, the NCAA Women’s Final Four.
“That was so amazing to see the whole world of basketball converge on our city and how well we were represented,” Taurasi said. “And I heard nothing but great things about it. And the culture of basketball here in the city runs deep with the Suns, the Mercury and ASU, so it was fun.”
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