The WNBA season tipped off in grand fashion this weekend and it didnt take long for records to start falling. Living legend Diana Taurasi, one of the iconic trash-talkers and the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer became the first woman in league history to drain 1,000 career three-pointers.
WNBA on Twitter
Some good company for @DianaTaurasi! #WatchMeWork
Taurasi, known as The White Mamba for her ability to take over a game in clutch moments like Kobe Bryant, scored 26 points in the Phoenix Mercurys season-opening 86-76 win over the Dallas Wings, draining 5-of-8 from deep.
Already the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer and as accomplished as any hoopster, it’s Taurasi’s grit, determination and kill at will court demeanor that has separated her from other scoring machines during her 14 years in the league.
Diana Taurasi vs Katie Smith
Diana Taurasi committed a hard foul on Katie Smith knocking her to the floor. Smith got up and took a couple of steps towards Taurasi before Sue Bird grabbed her. Diana Taurasi then fouled out of the game with 6.38 to go, drawing a technical on her way out for cursing and swinging her arms back and forth.
Her classic stroke is what puts her on a level with any man when it comes to executing the art of the jump shot. When she flashes that condescending smile after eating an opponent’s lunch, it’s like her victory lap. A subtle declaration of her superiority.
Diana Taurasi Sinks Record-Tying 8 Threes to Pass Catchings on All-Time Scoring List
With a record-tying eight three-pointers en route to 37 points, Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi passed Katie Smith for the all-time lead in career three-pointers and Tamika Catchings for No. 2 on the all-time scoring list. #WatchMeWork: http://www.wnba.com/tickets/
Already a legendary college player out of powerhouse UConn and a personal favorite of iconic coach Geno Auriemma, Taurasi hit the WNBA streets on turbo, winning the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2004.
Her career couldnt have been scripted any better as shes won three WNBA championships (2007, 2009, 2014) an MVP, two WNBA Finals MVP Awards (2009, 2014), four Olympic gold medals and five scoring titles.
WNBA on Twitter
Some good company for @DianaTaurasi! #WatchMeWork
Taurasi is a Top 20 all-time great, who just keeps going and going like Hercules on viagra. Shes still building on her seven WNBA All-Star teams and nine All-WNBA teams.
Taurasis hunger and push for perfection is unrivaled as her win at all costs attitude has landed her in hot water once or twice, but never enough to diminish the fact that shes one of 9 women to win an Olympic Gold Medal, an NCAA Championship and a WNBA Championship.
Diana Taurasi on Twitter
The all in, all the time attitude, behavior and drive. That’s the only way I know how to be.
She gets buckets in a Steph Curry fashion — but with extra hot sauce. Taurasi screamed motherf***** after reaching the three-point mark on Friday and gave her traditional in-game scowl that has become synonymous with her success along with her insane long-range game of course.
Shea Serrano on Twitter
big big fan of any player who splashes a 3 and then says “motherfucker” to everyone on the court https://t.co/U7u33C5qes
So props go out to one of the icons of the womens game and one of the driving forces behind the consistency and burgeoning popularity of the WNBA over the past decade and a half. She’s forever one of the titans and tastemakers for hoopers across the globe.
Taurasi would be considered part of that second wave of WNBA pioneers who helped revitalize the NBA and attract more fans after the early novelty of those original late 90s teams began to wear off. She also falls in that transcendent category of women game changers — along with Cheryl Miller and Cynthia Cooper and Sheryl Swoopes, Nancy Lieberman and Lisa Leslie and Brittney Griner — whose games were so effective and all-encompassing that fans began to acknowledge their performance before their genders.
