Diana Taurasi details her 'favorite part' of the Olympics

Six-time Olympian Diana Taurasi has more experience living in an Olympic village than most of the 592-strong Team USA contingent traveling to the 2024 Paris Olympics. During her previous five trips, the veteran WNBA star truly understood the honor an athlete feels while representing their country at the Olympiad.

"My favorite part of the Olympics is the opening ceremony," Tauri told reporters after Mercury's 96-87 victory on Tuesday. "When you're in that tunnel and the whole delegation is with you, every single American athlete that's worked so hard to get to that point and you walk on — in this case probably float together down the river — it's a pretty moving moment for you as an individual, and for our team. 

"The opening ceremony marks how serious and amazing this moment is. You get a chance to just look around and be humbled and proud."

Taurasi, a five-time gold medalist, closely followed the journeys of her fellow Team USA teammates during her previous Olympic trips and plans to do so again. The three-time WNBA champion said she's hoping to watch the track-and-field and swimming events this year just as a spectator. 

"Hopefully I can sneak into swimming," Taurasi said of her plans at the 2024 Paris Olympics. "When I think of the Olympics, I think of who the fastest person in the world is. Who can jump the highest, who could swim the fastest — those are fascinating sports for me because it's one night of your best performance. And that is the ultimate pressure."

The 42-year-old stalwart also hopes to watch the Argentina soccer team following their 2024 Copa America victory. 

Taurasi and her teammates are seeking Team USA's eighth consecutive gold medal in women's basketball, the first of which came at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.