How Mercury's Taurasi Impacted The Olympics

When it comes to the Olympics, there have been some great players, and Jackson is the all-time leading scorer in Olympic games. She scored 581 points in those years, and she cemented her legacy. There have been some other great scorers, and a Phoenix Mercury star is in the top five in this category.

Jackson may be first, but there is another player who scored over 500 points. Janeth Arcain scored 535 points in her time, and she was the all-time leader before Jackson broke her record.

After Jackson and Arcain, who played for Australia and Brazil, respectively, there is a U.S. player on the list. Lisa Leslie scored 488 points in her Olympic years, and she began her journey in 1996. Years later, she played on the Olympic team one last time, as USA won gold in 2008.

After Leslie, Diana Taurasi is the next-highest scorer. She scored a total of 419 points, and she begn her journey in 2004.

Taurasi has a big year

That was a big year for Taurasi, as she helped UConn win another championship. She was later drafted by the Mercury with the first pick of the draft and then she represented the country. After that, she played with the Olympic team in 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024.

Taurasi played a role in the team's success in those years, and after years of strong performances, she became USA's second-leading scorer.

Leslie and Taurasi made history, and there are some other great players behind them. Sheryl Swoopes is eighth on the list, as she scored 284 points. Then, the Mercury have more representation further down the list, as Penny Taylor is 12th. She scored 275 points in her Olympic career, and she was one of Australia's best players.

Kristi Harrower is also on this list, and she spent some time with the Mercury in their early seasons. She scored 250 in her years.

Taurasi is in great company, and in due time, some other players will join this list.