Diana Taurasi has been hailed as one of the greatest players in the history of the WNBA. (More Basketball News)
WNBA: Phoenix Mercury 101-88 Minnesota Lynx—Was It The Swansong For GOAT Diana Taurasi?
The 42-year-old has had a storied basketball career at all levels that she has competed at, winning three NCAA National Championships at UConn early in her career
Taurasi, who is the WNBA's all-time scoring leader, has eluded that the curtain may have closed on her glittering 20-year stint in the sport.
It means she may have played her last game in the Phoenix Mercury's 101-88 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday.
The 42-year-old has had a storied basketball career at all levels that she has competed at, winning three NCAA National Championships at UConn early in her career.
She then triumphed in three WNBA Championships with the Mercury and earned six Olympic gold medals, winning at every Games since 2004 in Athens.
Taurasi has also racked up several records along the way for points (10,646), free throws made (2,517), field goals made (3,341) and three-pointers made (1,447) in a career.
After she fouled out of Wednesday's contest, Taurasi, who finished with 10 points, left the court to a standing ovation.
A potential departure from the sport saw her teammates laud her impact in the WNBA, with Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts thankful for his time with her.
"We'll see what she decides to do," Tibbetts said.
"It's kind of been her approach the whole way, but personally, I'd just like to thank her [as] a new coach coming into a new league.
"The way that she welcomed me and helped me through this season. What an opportunity for me to coach the greatest ever, and I'm super thankful for that."
Taurasi still proved that age is just a number, becoming the first player in WNBA history to score 20-plus in a playoff game after the age of 40 in Game 1.
"I've never seen somebody come in, day in, day out, do the exact same thing and add to it so she can stay on this court," Mercury’s Brittney Griner said.
"I've always said I credit a lot of my game to the way I read it, the way I can see things developing on the court, to [Taurasi].
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"But I'm also lucky to take away life lessons from [Taurasi], too."
Natasha Cloud added: "[Taurasi] is one of the GOATs of this game. She will forever go down as one of the greatest to ever touch this ball."
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