Former Phoenix Mercury superstar Diana Taurasi’s post-retirement priorities revolve around her family, which takes precedent over her former team even when it comes to the WNBA Finals.
Taurasi told the Associated Press during an interview published Oct. 21 that she didn’t watch the Mercury’s recent championship series with the Las Vegas Aces because she was vacationing with her children in Hawaii. The Aces won the series in a four-game sweep on Oct. 10.
Advertisement
“That was their fall break and we needed to get away for a few days,” Taurasi said. “These days, you got to figure out when they are free and take advantage of it.”
Taurasi, the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, played all of her 20 years in the league with the Mercury, and led the team to three titles before she retired on Feb. 25.
Taurasi and her wife, Mercury Ring of Honor inductee Penny Taylor, also took their children to Taylor’s native Australia this past summer. Taurasi’s recent travels also include New York, where she promoted her partnership with Sanofi, Regeneron and the drug Dupixent. She has a deal with those companies to help share experiences for people like herself who suffer from the skin condition eczema.
Another growing part of Taurasi’s schedule is playing golf. She recently participated in the Jerry Colangelo Basketball Hall of Fame Golf Classic from Sept. 25-26.
Advertisement
“I’ve been getting a little bit better week by week,” Taurasi said of her golfing skills. “I started playing 10 years ago and then I had back surgery and it was put on the backburner.”
Taurasi, who played until she was 42, is still making time to work out on the basketball court.
However, she didn’t have a definitive answer to whether she’ll play in the new Project B basketball league slated to debut in the fall of 2026. The Middle East, multibillion-dollar 5-on-5 women’s league will feature six teams of 11 players each, hosting seven two-week tournaments across cities in Asia, Europe and the Americas, per The Athletic.
“It’s an interesting proposition,” Taurasi said. “I think the beauty of sports is having opportunities all over the world to play the sport you love. And obviously, we have that with the WNBA. We have that with Unrivaled. We have that with Europe. The potential of having a league in Saudi Arabia seems unconventional. But at the same time seems like the perfect place in a lot of ways.”
Advertisement
Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today. Sign up for azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don’t miss a thing.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Why didn’t Diana Taurasi watch Mercury in WNBA Finals?
