The Phoenix Mercury may be struggling in 2023, but All-Star Diana Taurasi is continuing to dominate for the squad at the age of 41. She is closing in on an incredible 10,000 career points milestone, and former coach Geno Auriemma is singing her praises.
Taurasi starred at UConn back in the day, and played under Auriemma for four seasons. He also coached her at the U18 Junior World Championship before her college career, and knew immediately how special she would become.
Auriemma told Taurasi before a big matchup that she needed to put up major points for the U.S. to get a victory, and the youngster contributed 26 in a win.
“That's when I realized when this kid sets her mind to do something, it's going to get done,” Auriemma told ESPN. “And that hasn't stopped for the last 20-some years.”
She went on to join him at UConn later that year, and helped the Huskies to three straight National Championships from 2002-2004. It helped kick off two decades of dominance for Auriemma, and he knows the incredible impact she had on the program before getting drafted first overall.
Fast forward back to this week, Taurasi lit up the scoreboard in a one-point loss on Tuesday night, dropping 29 points against the Indiana Fever. She now only has 18 points remaining to hit the 10,000 point threshold ahead of her matchup with the Atlanta Dream.
No player in the history of the WNBA has come near her achievements, with the next closest scorer at more than 2,500 points behind. She has the second-most games played ever, behind only the legendary Sue Bird, and is looking to put her scoring record far out of reach.
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