retired<\/a> on Feb. 25, 2025, after 20 seasons in the WNBA, all of them with the Mercury. In two decades, she racked up a catalog of accomplishments longer than a CVS receipt. She is the WNBA\u2019s career leading scorer, a three-time WNBA champion, 11-time All-Star, 2009 MVP, five-time scoring champion, six-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time finals MVP and 10-time All-WNBA first-teamer.<\/p>\nThe Mercury and the city of Phoenix spent the weekend celebrating the career of their adopted daughter.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, a street outside of Mortgage Matchup Center was named \u201c10646 Taurasi Way\u201d in honor of her career point total. Taurasi partook in a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday for one of the three refurbished outdoor courts in the Phoenix area. A mural with her likeness was painted on a wall outside of the arena.<\/p>\n
The weekend culminated with Sunday\u2019s jersey retirement ceremony and Taurasi\u2019s induction into the franchise\u2019s Ring of Honor. She joins Mercury legends Cheryl Miller, Jennifer Gillom, Bridget Pettis, Michele Timms and Penny Taylor, who is Taurasi\u2019s wife.<\/p>\n
Team owner Mat Ishbia, who also owns the NBA\u2019s Phoenix Suns, welcomed Taurasi onto the court at halftime. Her parents, sister, wife and children were there waiting for her. Ishbia delivered a brief speech before passing the mic to Pettis, a former teammate of Taurasi\u2019s, who accepted her into the Ring of Honor. Then it was time for Taurasi\u2019s speech, which she called an \u201cappetizer\u201d ahead of a lengthier ceremony to be held after the game.<\/p>\n
Taurasi thanked Ishbia and the organization for valuing the Mercury with equal treatment and respect as the Suns organization. She then spoke directly to Mercury fans and Phoenix residents. She shared the story of her first conversation with former Mercury owner Jerry Colangelo and said she knew she would never leave the desert.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis place made me who I am,\u201d Taurasi said. \u201cYou guys let me grow. You let me fall. You let me get back up and you gave me the space to become who I am today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sitting courtside were noteworthy attendees such as 23-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, four-time WNBA champion Sheryl Swoopes, retired Arizona Cardinals Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and Taurasi\u2019s former teammate Brittney Griner, who helped Taurasi lead the Mercury to the 2014 WNBA championship.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve been the epitome of what Phoenix basketball is, a great person to follow and a great mentor,\u201d Booker said in a video tribute.<\/p>\n
The common thread in all characterizations, whether from close friends or on-court foes, is the competitive fire that fueled her success. At a news conference before Sunday\u2019s game, Taurasi acknowledged the pressure that came with her drive to win. But while she spoke, there was an unmistakable sense of peace as she described how she defines success in retirement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThroughout my career, it wasn\u2019t about winning in this weird way,\u201d Taurasi said. \u201cThat didn\u2019t make me happy. The winning or the losing, it didn\u2019t motivate me more or less. So, once I retired, I didn\u2019t have this urge to be competitive. I didn\u2019t have this urge to prove myself. Hopefully, I still treat the day the same way, where whoever I come in contact with, I give them my attention, I give them my energy.\u201d<\/p>\n