One of the most decorated careers in all of professional sports has reached its climax.
Diana Taurasi is now the all-time leading scorer in WNBA history
Taurasi passed Tina Thompson for the best scoring mark in the WNBA.
Diana Taurasi scored her 7,489th points during the Phoenix Mercury’s matchup against the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday. In doing so, she passed Tina Thompson as the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, solidifying her standing atop a list that also features heralded hoopers like Lisa Leslie, Tamika Catchings, Becky Hammon, Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson, and Katie Smith.
Taurasi scored the record-breaking points in the final minute of the first half as she came off a screen, weaved between defenders, and laid the ball in. It put the cap on a remarkable 13-year playing career.
For the 35-year-old Taurasi, the record was the final step in cementing her already established legacy. The Mercury guard is a three-time WNBA champion, two-time Finals MVP, and seven-time WNBA All-Star. She’d been named to the All-WNBA First Team nine times and was already named one of the WNBA’s 15 greatest players of all-time.
Now, with one of the biggest records under her belt, Taurasi can sleep easy knowing she’s checked every possible box in her career. Sue Bird and Cappie Pondexter are the only active players in the Top 10 of the WNBA’s all-time scoring list. Candice Dupree, Seimone Augustus, and Lindsay Whalen are also in the Top 15, and Angel McCoughtry is ranked No. 18.
But at the rate Taurasi scored, it’s highly unlikely anyone ever catches her. And there’s no better way to put the icing on an illustrious career than to know her mark is safe for the foreseeable future.
