Diana Taurasi's No. 3 now hangs in the rafters in Phoenix. The Phoenix Mercury retired Taurasi's jersey Sunday during halftime of their game against the Portland Fire, adding her to the franchise's Ring of Honor. The ceremony came in front of an announced sellout crowd of 16,513.
Taurasi spent her entire 20-season WNBA career with Phoenix. The Mercury selected her with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 WNBA Draft after she won three consecutive national championships at UConn.
As a rookie, Taurasi averaged 17.0 points in 34 games. She was named Rookie of the Year.
Phoenix won championships with Taurasi in 2007, 2009 and 2014. She was Finals MVP in 2009 and 2014 and won the league's regular-season MVP award in 2009.
Taurasi also won five scoring titles and made an All-WNBA team 14 times, including 10 First Team selections. She was selected to 11 All-Star teams before playing her final season in 2024.
Her career scoring total stopped at 10,646 points in 565 regular-season games. Taurasi also made 1,447 3-pointers and finished with 2,394 assists. She averaged 18.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists over her career.
Nobody else has reached 9,000 points.
Tina Charles retired in May with 8,396 career points. Charles is second on the WNBA's career scoring list.
DeWanna Bonner became the third player in WNBA history to reach 8,000 points in July, joining Taurasi and Charles.
Taurasi became the first player in league history to reach 10,000 points on Aug. 3, 2023. She scored 42 points that night in a 91-71 Mercury win over the Atlanta Dream.
Sunday put Taurasi alongside Jennifer Gillom, Cheryl Miller, Bridget Pettis, Penny Taylor and Michele Timms in the Mercury's Ring of Honor.
Taylor, Taurasi's wife and former Mercury teammate, attended the ceremony with their two children. Brittney Griner and Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker participated in tributes, while Sheryl Swoopes, Michael Phelps and Larry Fitzgerald were also in attendance.
Before the game, Taurasi said seeing No. 3 go into the rafters made her retirement feel more final. Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon had reflected on Taurasi's competitiveness earlier in the week ahead of the ceremony.
Taurasi addressed the crowd before the banner was unveiled. The No. 3 jersey was then raised alongside the other names honored by the franchise.
Lisa Leslie, Paige Bueckers, Magic Johnson and LeBron James also appeared in video messages. Taurasi received a standing ovation before speaking again.
Her career with USA Basketball stretched across six Olympic Games. Taurasi won gold in 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024, becoming the first basketball player to win six Olympic gold medals.
She also spent parts of her career playing overseas. Taurasi won six EuroLeague championships and played for Dynamo Moscow, Spartak Moscow, Fenerbahçe and UMMC Ekaterinburg.
Taurasi officially announced her retirement in February 2025, several months after completing her final season with Phoenix. She finished her last WNBA season averaging 14.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 36 games.
Phoenix originally drafted Taurasi after she went 139-8 during four seasons at UConn. She won national championships in each of her final three college seasons and was twice named the Naismith College Player of the Year.
Her next opportunity for another major honor comes in 2027. Taurasi will be eligible for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for the first time that year.