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Diana Taurasi is fully involved in what could be the last home game of her 20-year career
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Diana Taurasi is fully involved in what could be the last home game of her 20-year career

PHOENIX (AP) — Diana Taurasi’s teammates on the Phoenix Mercury wore her No. 3 jersey during her introduction, a nod to the fact that this may be the last home game in the 20-year career of the player widely considered the greatest player of all time.

If this was her last game, Taurasi did not act like it.

Despite deafening roars during player introductions, Taurasi treated Thursday night’s game against Seattle like any other, clapping her teammates’ hands before trotting onto the field.

Taurasi remained tight-lipped about his retirement, remaining noncommittal but hinting that it could be imminent.

The Mercury fuelled the embers of resignation talk on social media last week with a post declaring “if that’s it” and another early Thursday reading a letter from their wife, former Mercury player Penny Taylor.

Whenever Taurasi hangs up her basketball shoes, her place in women’s basketball history is already assured.

Taurasi won three consecutive national championships with UConn and continued to win after the Mercury selected her with the No. 1 pick in the 2004 WNBA Draft. She was named WNBA Rookie of the Year and won the first of three WNBA titles in 2007.

The Glendale, California native is one of four players to be named WNBA Finals MVP multiple times (2009, 2014) and was the league’s MVP for the 2009 season. She won six Euroleague championships despite playing year-round for most of her career and won her sixth Olympic gold medal at the Paris Games this summer. She is the WNBA’s leading scorer – about 3,000 more than second-place Tina Charles – the leading playoff scorer and has made the most 3-pointers in league history.

Taurasi is also a ten-time first-team All-WNBA selection and an eleven-time WNBA All-Star, including this season.

And at 42, she has barely slowed down: she averaged 15.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists and led the Mercury into the playoffs.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

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