Diana Lorena Taurasi is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury. Diana Taurasi’s basketball career in the WNBA and for international clubs like Russia’s UMMC Ekaterinburg has contributed to her wealth. The Phoenix Mercury selected Taurasi in the 2004 draft.
Taurasi became the sixth player in history to win the WNBA, NCAA, and Olympic Gold Medal while playing for the United States in the Women’s National Basketball League when The Phoenix Mercury won the WNBA championship in her debut season.
She has received numerous honors throughout her career, including MVP of the NCAA Tournament, WNBA Rookie of the Year, WNBA Most Valuable Player, WNBA Scoring Champion, and more.
Taurasi participated in four straight Euroleague championships while playing for the European team Spartak Moscow from 2006 to 2010. This article will discuss Diana Taurasi’s net worth, early life, personal life, career, and more.
Diana Taurasi Net Worth
The approximate value of Diana Taurasi’s net worth is $3.5 million. Her professional basketball experience has taught her a great deal. Taurasi presently receives a $500k yearly salary from her team, the Phoenix Mercury.
Salary Highlights
Diana Taurasi receives the highest salary in the WNBA, which is $221,000 as of this writing. She regularly earns more than $1 million for a single season when she plays for Russian teams overseas.
Diana Taurasi Early Life
Taurasi was born in Glendale, California, on June 11, 1982, and she spent her childhood there with her older sister, Jessika. Mario, her father, was born in Argentina and eventually made a living playing soccer in Italy. Before Taurasi was born, her mother, Liliana from Argentina, moved to America with Mario.
Taurasi played basketball while attending Don Antonio Lugo High School. Her abilities as a high school athlete were well known. She won the Cheryl Miller Award in 2000 and was recognized as the National High School Player of the Year by Parade Magazine.
She scored fourth in California state history and was voted the WBCA High School All-America Game MVP. After high school, Taurasi attended the University of Connecticut and guided the squad to three straight NCAA titles.
Taurasi won numerous honors and prizes while there. She won the 2003 and 2004 Honda Sports Awards and the 2003 Player of the Year from the Associated Press. She was also well-valued by the state of Connecticut, and state senator Thomas Gaffey praised her abilities.
Diana Taurasi Career
The Phoenix Mercury selected Taurasi first overall in the 2004 WNBA Draft after she had finished her college career. The team had an 8–26 losing record the year before. Taurasi scored 22 points in her first game and averaged 17 points a game for the rest of the season.
Taurasi was selected for the Western Conference All-Star team and won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award despite Mercury missing out on the playoffs that year. Despite dealing with an ankle issue, she averaged 16 points per game the following season.
Despite being chosen an All-Star, the Mercury missed the playoffs. Before the next season, former NBA coach Paul Westhead took over as the Mercury’s head coach. Cappie Pondexter, another promising rookie, was also signed by the organization.
The Mercury were anticipated to perform well in the upcoming season in addition to Taurasi and another star player Penny Taylor. Taurasi’s 2006 season was historic because he played under Westhead’s direction well. She set a league record for points in a season and topped the league in scoring.
On average, she scored more than 25 points per game and produced a 47-point performance in a triple-overtime contest against the Houston Comets. She also established a WNBA record by converting 121 three-pointers in a single season. The Mercury didn’t make the playoffs, though.
The Mercury made it to the WNBA playoffs the following year, in 2007, and even to the Finals, where they faced the Detroit Shock, the reigning champions. Taylor, Pondexter, and Taurasi all contributed to the team’s success. In 2009, the Mercury made a return trip to the championship game.
This time, they prevailed, and Taurasi was awarded WNBA Finals MVP. She joined only two other players in having their season MVP, season scoring title, WNBA Championship, and finals MVP, and all won in the same year.
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Taurasi has spent her entire WNBA career with the Mercury, although she occasionally sustained ailments that limited her playing time. She could only play eight games in 2012 due to her condition. Due to a strained hip flexor, she was forced to miss the remainder of the season.
With a 7-27 record that year, the Mercury were the second-worst team in the league. However, she made a comeback in 2013 and helped the group reach the playoffs. She agreed to an extension of her contract with Mercury in May 2017.
In the same month, she became the first player in league history to score 7,000 points, grab 1,500 rebounds, and dish out 1,500 assists. In June of that same year, she became the league’s all-time leading scorer.
In addition to her WNBA career, Taurasi represented the United States in the Women’s Olympic Basketball Teams competitions in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016. She supported the group’s gold-medal victory in each of the four games.
Taurasi has also enjoyed a successful career abroad, where she frequently faces Turkish and Russian opposition. She typically managed to play both in the U.S. and Europe, thanks to the different scheduling of the European leagues.
However, in 2015, the Russian UMMC Ekaterinburg team paid Taurasi to skip her WNBA season to relax, hoping she would aid in their quest for a European championship. Taurasi eventually gave up competing in Europe in 2017.
Diana Taurasi Personal Life
After dating Penny Taylor for eight years, Taurasi married her. Before Taylor was appointed Director of Player Development and Performance for the Phoenix Mercury, the two had been teammates. They tied the knot on May 13, 2017, and later spoke about their joy in a “People” magazine interview.
Leo Michael Taurasi-Taylor, the couple’s kid, was born to Taylor in March 2018. Taylor was set to give birth to the couple’s second child, a daughter, in October 2021.
The newborn was running late, so Taurasi was compelled to leave to play Game 5, which would determine whether or not her team would proceed to the 2021 WNBA championships. Following her victory, Taurasi hurried back to Taylor, where she made it in time to see the birth of the couple’s first child.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the father of Diana Taurasi baby?
WNBA player Diana Taurasi and her wife Penny Taylor already have a 3-year-old son named Leo and expect a girl.
Is Diana Taurasi retiring?
Taurasi confirmed to Nick King of Arizona's 3TV CBS5 on Saturday that she intends to play in the WNBA again in 2023.
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