Kevin Durant weighs in on Diana Taurasi’s potential retirement from Phoenix Mercury (Image: GETTY)
During the Phoenix Suns’ Media Day ahead of the start of the 2024-25 NBA season, Kevin Durant weighed in on Diana Taurasi’s potential retirement from the Phoenix Mercury and the WNBA. Durant credited Taurasi for all that she’s done for the sport over the years and also mentioned that he thinks the Mercury star is capable of playing a few more years.
“DT has done so much for basketball as a whole,” Durant said. “I remember her as a high school – middle school player, setting an example for basketball in the women’s game, introducing some people to the women’s game when she was coming out of UConn.
“To be with one franchise her whole career, reach the pinnacle, be the all-time leading scorer, 20 years in the league, championships, gold medals, she’s done it all. It is still DT that I met 15 years ago. I appreciate what she has brought to the game of basketball, this area of Phoenix, and the whole of Arizona.”
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Durant added:
“I think she still got a couple more years left of play. Even if she doesn’t, she can walk away with her head held high for what she’s done for the game.”
While Diana Taurasi did not talk about retirement after the conclusion of the Phoenix Mercury’s 2024 season, she hinted at the possibility previously. The four-time WNBA champion hinted at her retirement when she addressed the Mercury crowd during the team’s final home game of the season.
Devin Booker had high praise for Diana Taurasi amid retirement rumors
Along with Kevin Durant, his teammate Devin Booker also had high praise for Diana Taurasi during the Phoenix Suns’ Media Day on Monday. While speaking about Taurasi, Booker mentioned that the bar set by the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer may be unreachable by other players.
“She [Diana] has been a historian of the game, understanding that she has paved the way for this coming generation. She set the bar so high that, you know, they probably won’t be able to reach.”
Booker also reminisced about the personal connection he shared with Taurasi, with both having represented Phoenix their whole career:
“Since Day 1, Diana has the energy and spirit like she is ready to play tomorrow. They say she is retiring, I don’t know, but I hope not because she has always been a staple for me throughout my whole career, even the short conversation of passing in the locker room or in the way rooms.”
Diana Taurasi has secured a long list of accolades in her illustrious 20-year career in the WNBA. While she has not confirmed anything yet, it is safe to say that if she chooses to retire ahead of the next season, she can do so with nothing left to prove.
