Mercury legend Diana Taurasi’s connection to No. 3

Amazon Prime recently released Taurasi’s docuseries, titled after the basketball legend. In the first episode of the series, Taurasi explains how she received her jersey number playing for the University of Connecticut as a freshman. She had used many different numbers before, such as No. 9 for Van Exel and No. 32 for Magic Johnson.

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma ultimately gave Taurasi the No. 3.

“You’re gonna be number three,” Taurasi said in the series, remembering her conversation with Auriemma. “You’re gonna be the Babe Ruth of women’s basketball. And I was like, ‘Who the f— is Babe Ruth?’”

Ruth is one of the most prominent figures in all of sports and a Major League Baseball legend. Many remember him for his excellence in both pitching and batting, a rarity in the sport. Ruth once held the record for most home runs by a single player, with 714 homers, before sliding down to third most.

Taurasi was also a rarity in women’s basketball.

Throughout her 20-year career, the Mercury legend set the record as the all-time leading scorer with 10,646 points. She also holds the record for the most WNBA championships by a single player, with three. The legend has won the most gold medals in women’s basketball in the Olympics with six.

Other athletes have worn No. 3 and have gone on to excel in their sports, such as Dale Earnhardt Sr., Dwyane Wade and Russell Wilson.

For women’s basketball, the number 3 will always be remembered for Taurasi’s excellence and for changing the sport for the better.