Diana Taurasi retirement: Caitlin Clark, LeBron James, Geno Auriemma react to WNBA legend stepping away

In an unassuming move that was on brand with how she handled much of her career, WNBA legend Diana Taurasi announced her retirement on a random Tuesday. After 20 years with the Phoenix Mercury, she leaves the sport as one of the most decorated players in basketball history and a champion at every level.

"Thank you Diana for changing the game forever, all of the accolades could never amount to the type of person and edge you embodied when you stepped out there on the court," read a post by the WNBA.

Taurasi was the 2004 Rookie of the Year after being the No. 1 pick, and that was just the beginning of a legendary career. She won three WNBA championships and is the league's all-time leading scorer with 10,646 points -- with no one else coming even remotely close to that level of offensive production.

Sue Bird, her teammate at UConn and Team USA, played alongside Taurasi in some big moments. She explained what makes Taurasi so unique and one of the greatest to ever play the game.

"There are players that have full games," Bird told Time Magazine. "You can talk about Maya Moore in this conversation, Candace Parker, Lisa Leslie. You could talk about all these great names. The difference is the way she makes her teammates feel. The way she raises the level of her teams. That, to me, is the separator."




https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/diana-taurasi-retirement-caitlin-clark-lebron-james-geno-auriemma-react-to-wnba-legend-stepping-away/