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The ESPY Awards bring out the biggest names in sports every year, and the 2025 version of the event was no exception. Among the stars were former WNBA and USWNT stars Diana Taurasi and Alex Morgan, respectively, who were there accepting the appropriately named ESPYs Icon Award in “recognition of their incredible careers and significant impact on the world of sports.”
The pair took the stage together to collect their trophies and give their acceptance speech, with each taking the moment to be vulnerable with who they credited for their great sports career success.
“We're standing on the shoulders of giants, and this is a huge tribute to them as much as us,” Morgan said during her turn to speak. “So, to the women before us, it's because of you that we never have to apologize for speaking up or for fighting to raise the bar.
“It's because of you that we have no limits.”
When Taurasi took her turn on the mic, she made her tribute a little more personal.
“In my case, let's celebrate my parents and their immigrant grit,” the three-time WNBA champion began. “That's the stuff that doesn't show up in the highlight reels, but it shows up when the lights go off and you're still out there grinding, giving me a better life that's built what my career is, and built this country.”
Taurasi called it a career in 2025, a few months before the 2025 WNBA season, ending her 20 seasons as the face of the Phoenix Mercury with over 10,600 points and a reputation as one of the best basketball players to ever hit the court.
Morgan's announcement of her retirement stunned the soccer world in 2024 when she learned she was pregnant with her second child. The co-captain of the legendary US Women's National Team hung up her cleats after spending three years with San Diego Wave FC, where she's the franchise leader in goals and assists. Morgan amassed over 200 goals and 88 assists in a 13-and-a-half-year career.
