By Theresa Pham
The Phoenix Mercury were eliminated from the 2024 WNBA playoffs after being swept by the Minnesota Lynx in the first round — possibly signaling the farewell of WNBA and Mercury legend Diana Taurasi. Taurasi scored 18 points before fouling out with 2:48 left in the game. She walked off the court to a standing ovation and chants of fans begging her to play “one more year.” After the game, Taurasi addressed the crowd, saying, “I want to thank every single coach, every single player, every single person that’s put on a WNBA jersey because it takes the village […] for everyone who played before this league is where it is now — we’re thankful for you guys and we’re thankful for the next generation.” While her retirement has not been officially announced nor confirmed, Taurasi revealed, “If it is the last time, it felt like the first time.”
If Taurasi does indeed retire, the curtain will be closed on a glorious era of women’s basketball defined by Taurasi and her former UConn teammate Sue Bird. The two have shaped women’s basketball for the greater part of the 21st century, winning a combined 11 Olympic gold medals and seven WNBA championships. Off the court, they used their platforms to promote inclusion and equality — particularly on issues of women’s and LGBTQ rights. Bird, the vice-president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) during COVID, helped the league navigate the pandemic and ensured that players could display social justice messages on the court.
Bird-Taurasi basketball is all I have ever known. They entered the league before I was born and have had a significant impact since. Both are stalwarts in their own right, playing in incredibly different styles: Taurasi a more “lethal scorer” and Bird as “the all time assists leader for a reason.” Yet, they were brilliant and made basketball so easy and fun to watch. I’ll miss the Bird-Taurasi era, but the league is in good hands. We’re currently amid the A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, and of course, how can we forget the budding Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese era. The WNBA playoffs continue this week with the Connecticut Sun battling the Minnesota Lynx and the Las Vegas Aces battling the New York Liberty for the two spots in the finals.
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