Phoenix Mercury Honor Diana Taurasi By Retiring Her No. 3 Jersey - Page 8

The Phoenix Mercury didn’t have too much time to sulk over their 88-85 loss to the Portland Fire because they had a legend to celebrate.

Diana Taurasi, the WNBA’s arguable GOAT, was at the Mortgage Matchup Center for the team to retire her No. 3 jersey. 

For her, the moment came with a mix of emotions because she’s proud of all she’s accomplished, but it also provokes a sense of finality she wasn’t expecting. She waxed poetic in her 30-minute speech, flowing between a serious and a more joking tone. 

“I really don’t know where to start because I don’t know where it ends,” Taurasi said. “And tonight feels like the end and the beginning of so many things in my life. Driving to the game today, I didn’t know whether I was going to suit up and play, whether it was my funeral, a celebration, and I’ve come to realize it’s all of it and it’s amazing. And I wouldn’t have it any other way because that’s how I live every single day of my life with every single one of those emotions in this building.”

She added, “When your number goes up there, you can’t use it anymore. It’s done. So, if there was any little competitiveness still in me, I think today it goes up in the rafters with the number, and it feels really good to know that.”

After acknowledging that her playing days are over, she praised everyone who helped her through them, especially her parents who migrated from Argentina.

“My mom and dad didn’t just come to this country. They came to contribute, to make it better,” she said. “And it doesn’t matter where you come from. It does not matter where you come from. And life’s not fair. They always say, ‘Oh, life is a game of chess.’ No, the hell it’s not. We don’t all get the same pieces. We don’t.”

“But don’t let those shortcomings knock you down because, like my parents that came to this country, hey, look at their last name,” Taurasi said, pointing to her retired number.

The basketball elite sang her praises too, with the ceremony beginning with props in a series of video messages from Sue Bird, Lisa Leslie, Dawn Staley, A’ja Wilson, Paige Bueckers, Breanna Stewart, Nick Van Exel, Magic Johnson, and LeBron James.

It’s all well deserved, with her lengthy list of career accolades including six-time Olympic gold medalist, three-time WNBA champion, two-time Finals MVP, five-time scoring champion, and 11-time All-Star over the course of two decades with a singular franchise.

 “It’s been 20 years, one city, one team, one jersey, and tonight that No. 3 is on all our backs,” she ended her speech.

See social media celebrating her storied career below.