Taurasi's No. 3 Retired by Mercury: WNBA's All-Time Scorer
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- Diana Taurasi had her No. 3 retired by the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday during a halftime ceremony at an 88-85 loss to the Portland Fire, joining wife Penny Taylor, Michele Timms, Jennifer Gillom, and Bridget Pettis as the only players with retired numbers in Mercury history.
- Taurasi retired in 2024 as the WNBA's all-time leading scorer with 10,646 points — the only player in the 10,000-point club — and the all-time leader in 3-pointers with 1,447.
- The No. 1 overall pick in 2004 spent her entire career with the Mercury, winning three championships, one MVP, two Finals MVPs, a record five scoring titles, Rookie of the Year, 11 All-Star nods, and 14 All-WNBA selections.
- Taurasi won a record six Olympic gold medals with Team USA, including the 2024 Paris Games where she played sparingly but helped the U.S. survive a scare from France for an eighth consecutive gold — making her the most decorated basketball player in Olympic history regardless of gender.
- Her 2014 playoff run featured a 31-point, 7-assist Game 3 performance against rival Minnesota to end the Lynx's six-year Finals streak, followed by a Finals MVP performance against the Sky where she clinched the title with a go-ahead and-one with 14.2 seconds remaining.
- The 2009 season stands as Taurasi's best all-around year — averaging 20.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.4 blocks on 46.1/40.7/89.4 shooting splits, earning her only regular-season MVP and her first Finals MVP against the Indiana Fever.
- The scoring record was set on June 18, 2017 when she surpassed Tina Thompson's 7,488 points, and she became the first player to reach 10,000 career points on Aug. 3, 2023; no active player has more than 8,188 points despite the league expanding to 50-game seasons in 2027 and 18 teams by 2030.
Why it matters: Taurasi's record sits 2,458 points clear of the next active player (8,188) despite the WNBA's expansion to 50-game seasons and 18 teams — meaning the all-time scoring mark is likely safe well into the next generation. Her jersey retirement also means only five Mercury players have ever received the honor, underscoring both her individual dominance and the franchise's reliance on her through every championship run.
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