Diana Taurasi's potential last regular-season game had emotions, but not a retirement announcement
We don't know for sure if Diana Taurasi is retiring.
We do know the Phoenix Mercury's regular-season finale against the Seattle Storm on Thursday felt a little different. We know that every person in the crowd received a special T-shirt featuring the words "If this is it." We know the Mercury had a special video tribute to Taurasi prepared for the end of the game. We know Taurasi checked in the final minutes to a standing ovation. And we know Taurasi had some words of love for that crowd in return when it was all over.
But we don't know for sure if she's retiring.
The Mercury certainly operated as if the WNBA's all-time leading scorer just played her final regular-season game, an 89-70 loss to the Seattle Storm in a game that meant nothing for their playoff seeding.
Taurasi finished the game with nine points on 3-of-9 shooting with two assists. She checked out in the third quarter, with Phoenix down 14, and didn't return until nearly the end of the fourth quarter. That was at the request of a Footprint Center crowd chanting "DT."
Smiling while shaking her head, Taurasi waved to the crowd before checking in.
Diana Taurasi checks back in and the crowd is lovin' every second of it 🥹
SEA-PHX | League Pass 📱 pic.twitter.com/MIaFPkvB0g— WNBA (@WNBA) September 20, 2024
As the game ended, the Mercury crowd chanted "One more year" to the 42-year-old Taurasi. They were soon watching the Mercury's tribute video, featuring Taurasi's wife Penny Taylor, agent Lindsay Colas, teammate Brittney Griner and sister Jessika Taurasi.
Dear Dee -
Love,
All of Us pic.twitter.com/SnO1q10Fdp— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) September 19, 2024
Taurasi proceeded to address the crowd with what certainly sounded like a retirement speech, but again, we don't know for sure:
"There's really no place to start, but there's always a place to finish. It seems to be the same place, which, as you guys know, when I got here in 2004, I kinda knew I was going to be here for a long time. I had a feeling that this was home in a strange and mysterious way. The people here, the city and thinking back on 20 years and what we've done as a franchise, putting banners up in the stands, knowing every single night that we came into this building, knowing that we had you guys behind our back.
"I want to thank every single coach, every single player, every single person that's put on a WNBA jersey, because it takes a village and our league is about uplifting each other and in return. To see where we are now, 28 years later, for the ones who played before, this league is where it is now, we're thankful for you guys, and we're thankful for the next generation.
"If it is the last time, it felt like the first time."
The crowd interrupted Taurasi when she first said "If it is the last time." Taurasi responded with her trademark dry humor and a dig at former UConn teammate Sue Bird, who retired two years ago and was in attendance: "I think they tricked Sue with that one last time."
If Taurasi really is retiring — and we still don't know! — she will get at least one more chance to play in front of the Phoenix crowd next Friday when the Mercury host the Minnesota Lynx in Game 3 of their first-round series.
