For me, the indelible, iconic Diana Taurasi moment comes from her UConn Husky days. 20 years ago, upon leading an inexperienced UConn team to a second-straight national championship, Taurasi, then a junior, punted the ball into the rafters immediately after the buzzer sounded.
The boundary-pushing boldness of her celebration encapsulates the attitude that, on Thursday night, resulted in Taurasi scoring her 10,000th point in the WNBA.
Early in the third quarter, after nailing an absurd, shot-clocking beating 3-pointer, Taurasi came off a screen on the right wing, caught the pass from Moriah Jefferson and rose for the 3-point attempt that would give her an even 10,000 points. Swish!
After the game, Taurasi reflected on the moment, sharing:
At that point, I was just trying to find a good shot — or a bad shot. It was going up. But I’m kind of happy it happened with a 3. I’m happy that someone set a screen. I’m happy that someone passed me the ball. That’s how basketball is played, with everyone having a little part, and it’s perfect.
And, she was not done. Hitting the historic 10,000-point mark only supercharged Taurasi. She would go on to score 42 points, her most ever in a regular season game. The explosion earned her additional records:
- Most games of 40 or…
