US Olympic basketball files: four things to know about Diana Taurasi

Over the next week, SB Nation will be profiling each of the 12 members of the U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team.

Here’s what you need to know about the legendary Diana Taurasi.

Fast Facts

team: Phoenix Mercury (13-12)

2024 Regular Season Statistics: 16.1 points (39.5%), 4.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists

position: Guard

Draft Class: 2004, No. 1

All-Star Selection: 11 (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2024)

Past Olympic Games: Five-time Olympic Gold Medalist (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020)

CollegeUniversity of Connecticut — 3-time national champion (2002-2004)

Diana Taurasi is the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer

Widely considered one of the best basketball players in WNBA history, Taurasi is the league’s all-time leading scorer, and the record isn’t particularly close: She has scored a total of 10,447 regular-season points over her 20-year career, putting her well ahead of the current second-leading scorer of all time, Tina Thompson, who has 7,488 career points.

And the accolades don’t stop there. Taurasi also leads the NBA in three-pointers made (1,418). She’s second to Sue Bird in games played (550), but there are only 30 games left. If she decides to play another year with the Mercury, she could make up for it by next season. She’s also fifth all-time in assists (2,327) and is primed to be a mainstay on the Olympic team.

“Dee is going to be one of our best scorers. WNBA “No matter how many points she has or how many points she finishes with, she’s not going to go down in history,” Sue Bird said. He told ESPN.

Taurasi is also the oldest player in the league.

Diana Taurasi is by far the oldest WNBA player at 42, but she remains a talented point guard, averaging 16.1 points and 4.2 assists per game. Taurasi is five years older than the next-oldest player in the league, Alesha Clark, who is 37 and off the bench in Las Vegas. Taurasi attributes her longevity in part to her plant-based diet.

“I’ve been vegan for about three years now and I’ve really benefited from it.” “I’m a big fan of the sport,” she told Women’s Fitness magazine in 2015.“Avoid foods that cause a lot of inflammation, fats and sugars. We all know that in large amounts it can be counterproductive.”

Taurasi has been incredibly consistent throughout her career, averaging double-digit points in 19 seasons. That kind of longevity is unmatched in the WNBA, and Taurasi has shown few signs of slowing down. Her production this season is not that low compared to her career averages. Taurasi is averaging 16.1 points this season, and her career average is 19 points.

She is the most decorated Olympian in basketball history.

Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird, longtime friends and teammates at the University of Connecticut, have jointly won five Olympic gold medals for Team USA, more than any other basketball player, male or female. On the men’s side, Carmelo Anthony leads the way with four Olympic gold medals. If Taurasi can lead Team USA to a gold medal, she will become the only player in basketball history to win six Olympic gold medals.

But otherwise, hosting a seventh Olympics seems unthinkable.

“Yeah, you can find me drinking beer on the beach in LA,” Taurasi said. She told WNBA reporter Richard Cohen.When asked about the prospect of competing in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, he said:

She’s known as the “White Mamba”

Diana Taurasi was nicknamed the “White Mamba” by Kobe Bryant in 2017 for her unwavering composure under pressure. Taurasi has made countless game-winning and game-winning shots throughout her career.

“I end every workout with Kobe winning,” Taurasi said. Said in 2020Dribble hard to the right three times, then pivot on your left foot and swing your right foot through, lift it up, face forward, and follow through.