Diana Taurasi

Diana Taurasi is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

She was drafted by Phoenix first overall in the 2004 WNBA draft. Taurasi has won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award (2004), three WNBA championships (2007, 2009, and 2014), five Olympic gold medals (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020), one WNBA Most Valuable Player Award (2009), two WNBA Finals MVP Awards (2009 and 2014), five scoring titles (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011), and three FIBA World Cups (2010, 2014, and 2018).

Taurasi has been selected to ten WNBA All-Star teams and fourteen All-WNBA teams (including ten first-team selections). In 2011, she was voted by fans as one of the WNBA's Top 15 Players of All Time, and was named by the league to its 20th and 25th anniversary teams, respectively the WNBA Top 20@20 in 2016 and The W25 in 2021. Also in 2021, she was selected by fans as the league's greatest player of all time. On June 18, 2017, Taurasi became the WNBA all-time leading scorer.

Her penchant for scoring in crucial situations has earned her the nickname "White Mamba", coined by Kobe Bryant. Taurasi is one of 11 women to win an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA Championship, a FIBA World Cup, and a WNBA Championship.

Family life

Taurasi grew up in Chino, California. Taurasi's father, Mario, was born in the small hamlet of Taurasi, Avellino, Italy and raised mainly in Argentina. He was a professional soccer player in Italy and played for several years as a goalkeeper. Taurasi's mother, Liliana, is Argentine. Mario and Liliana Taurasi emigrated from Argentina to the United States before Diana was born. She has an older sister named Jessika.

Taurasi is married to former teammate Penny Taylor. After eight years of dating, Taurasi wed Taylor, who at the time was the Phoenix Mercury Director of Player Development and Performance on May 13, 2017. She later told People magazine in an interview, "It was the most amazing and beautiful day of our lives. To be able to share our love with family and close friends meant the world to us."

On March 1, 2018, Taylor gave birth to the couple's son, Leo.

Taylor expected to give birth to the couple's second child on October 6, 2021, but the baby was late. After a Game 4 loss of the semifinals, Taurasi played in a winner-take-all Game 5 that would decide whether the Phoenix Mercury would play in the 2021 WNBA finals. After a Game 5 win on October 8, 2021, Taurasi had a message for Taylor in her post-game interview, closing it with "Hold it in babe, I'm coming". Taurasi then flew from Las Vegas, where the game took place, back to Phoenix, arriving in time to witness Taylor give birth on October 9, 2021, at 4:24 am to the couple's first daughter, Isla. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sources

• Aguirregomezcorta, Gonzalo. "Mercury star Diana Taurasi rooted in Argentine, Italian heritage." ESPN, published 21 September 2016. < link > Accessed 4 July 2024.
• Deford, Frank. "Geno Auriemma + Diana Taurasi = Love, Italian Style." Sports Illustrated, published 23 November 2003. < link > Accessed 4 July 2024.
• "Diana Taurasi." Encyclopaedia Brittanica, revision of 16 June 2024. < link > Accessed 4 July 2024.
• "Diana Taurasi." USA Basketball, revision of 11 June 2024. < link > Accessed 4 July 2024.
• "Diana Taurasi." Wikipedia, revision of 3 July 2024. < link > Accessed 4 July 2024.
• Taurasi, Diana. "Just a Kid from Chino." The Players' Tribune, published 3 September 2015. < link > Accessed 4 July 2024.