Diana Taurasi doing what is best for Mercury, team shows unwavering support

The Phoenix Mercury have been one of the hotter teams in the WNBA as they have extended their winning streak to three games with an 83-80 win over the Washington Mystics, and one of their legends continues to contribute at an All-Star level.

Taurasi’s Elite Mentality Carries on for Two Decades

Mercury icon Diana Taurasi has guided the same team for two decades, continuing to show just how special and influential she has been in Arizona sports history as a whole. She has started in all 533 games she has played, averaging 19.1 points, 4.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds.

The accolades and achievements she has earned along the way don’t go unnoticed as she is regarded as the GOAT of women’s basketball. The UConn product is a three-time WNBA champion, 10-time All-Star and All-WNBA First Team honoree, the 2009 WNBA MVP and has a vast array of other awards during her 20-year career.

Every time she steps foot on the court, the California native makes her presence known and her greatness attracts each and every fan’s attention. When she has a “bad” game offensively, she still makes an impact with the finer details that contribute to Phoenix playing winning basketball.

Having as much experience and talent as she does, her leadership has gone a long way in revitalizing the Mercury this season after going 9-31 a year ago. Taurasi’s insights and tips for her younger counterparts have seen them go on an early, three-game winning streak.

While in Las Vegas against the Aces on Tuesday, Taurasi scored nine points from 3-of-13 (23%) shooting and while she couldn’t get firing, she contributed with three assists, two steals and two rebounds en route to a 89-80 victory.

Bouncing back with 20 points vs. the Mystics, she talked about how she responded after the Aces game and prioritized the team’s performance over her own.

“That was personally not my best game, but we won so you just have to do other things to make sure the team gets over the line,” Taurasi said. “Today was a little bit different, scoring a little bit more and some rebounding.”

Mercury Always Going to Rally Around DT

Around the WNBA and every teammate of hers on the Mercury recognizes her greatness, knowing how much she has done for the sport and how good she still is.

One vocal supporter of hers is Phoenix’s head coach Nate Tibbetts who credits Taurasi for her mental fortitude to push past hurdles and keep going on.

“DT is going to find a way,” Tibbetts said after beating the Mystics. “She’s a worker, she’s competitive, she loves the competition. She is going to miss some shots once in a while and you are going to believe the next time she steps up, she is going to knock it [the ball] down. It was a great bounceback game for her to get her going. I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about her offensively.”

Joining the Mercury in the offseason, Natasha Cloud has also been a long admirer of Taurasi and her work ethic before she signed as a free agent.

When reflecting on Taurasi’s performance on Thursday night, Cloud praised her for not only her impact on the floor but off of it as well.

“There’s going to be nights when she is on and there’s going to be nights where she is off, but that belief in her is still there every single night,” Cloud said on Taurasi. “I told her, ‘Let that mother f***** fly.’ Like I don’t care, shoot that and you miss, shoot that s*** again.

“That is just a testament to who she is. DT was really great for us leadership-wise tonight when we needed that extra spark, that extra voice in huddles and on the court. I think that allowed her to get going herself too.”