Diana Taurasi remained true to herself.
The three-part documentary series featuring her debuted on Thursday, following a teasing clip released by Prime Video the day before. In this clip, Taurasi opened up about the financial struggles in the WNBA during her career.
“The fledgling custodian at the arena made more money than I did,” she pointed out.
“I’m the best player in the world, and I have to go to a communist country to get paid like a capitalist,” she stated. The series is set to premiere on Prime Video tomorrow.
Taurasi expressed that she relied on the WNBA offseason to supplement her income by playing overseas.
“We didn’t earn much, so building generational wealth meant heading to Russia every year,” she explained. “Now, we have to come back home, get paid almost nothing, and play in a less competitive league, against the best competition globally.”
It wasn’t only the pay that troubled her during her lengthy stints in Russia over the years.
“I remember returning home and thinking, ‘Wow, my parents have aged and missed so much while I was gone,’” Taurasi recalled.
Having retired in 2024, she is regarded as one of the greatest WNBA players in history after a remarkable 20-year stint with the Mercury.
Since stopping play overseas after 2017, many current leagues still draw talent away during the offseason, essentially pulling players from their home league for extra income.
Despite the WNBA gaining more viewership than ever in 2025, the pay doesn’t necessarily reflect this increasing attention. Taurasi earned $234,936 in her last season.
Negotiations are ongoing between the WNBA Players Association and league commissioner Kathy Engelbert for a new collective bargaining agreement, but progress seems slow.
During the All-Star Game in late July, players donned shirts reading, “Pay us what you owe us.”
