“Especially in women’s sports, in women’s professions. Only a woman would have 20 years of experience and it’d be an Achilles’ heel,” Diana Taurasi had confessed the harsh narrative as she made it to the Olympic stage for the 6th time. But if it were up to the WNBA champion to describe, she’d call it a treasure. 20 years in the league, 12 overseas, DT had more than a few lessons to learn; and not just on the court. So as she retires from the hardwood, you know one thing she’d preach loud and proud.

For two decades, Diana Taurasi set the standard—not just for winning, but for demanding more. More respect, more money, more power. But this year, something shifted. “I just didn’t have it in me,” she admitted, choosing to walk away on her own terms. Then came the reality check—one that 36 Unrivaled players might not be ready to hear.

“Mentally and physically, I’m just full,” Diana Taurasi announced on the 25th of February via TIME.

Her reality check? Experience is priceless. Taurasi, who spent a significant portion of her career playing overseas, particularly in Russia, acknowledges that the landscape of women’s basketball is changing. The rise of leagues like Unrivaled—a 3-on-3 league launched by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier—means WNBA players no longer have to travel across the world for financial security.

The average salary in Unrivaled is $222,222, nearly double the WNBA’s $119,590. Yet, Taurasi argues that something invaluable may be lost in this shift.

“If you asked the 22-year-old me, ‘Would you rather play in Moscow or Miami?’ I think I would have picked Miami,” Taurasi admitted. “But you asked the 42-year-old me, and those 12 years I spent overseas, especially the 10 I spent in Russia, I learned lessons that you can’t learn anywhere else.”

Across 12 years, DT earned six EuroLeague titles, seven Russian National League championships and a Turkish National League title. But that is not to say the downside evaded her. She received a provisional ban in late 2010 and watched her teammate, Brittney Griner get wrongfully detained in Russia. She isn’t oblivious to the poor condition or the endorsement deals moving overseas could cost her. But the adaptability and lessons she has learned through all those seasons, easily overpower.

“It made me know I can live anywhere in the world with anyone, get along with any type of person, whether there was a language barrier, a mindset barrier, a political barrier—you name it, you had to make it work. I’m really grateful I got to do that,” she added.

Beyond lessons learned, Taurasi also dropped a brutally honest confession—she wanted to be the highest-paid player in the world. In 2015, she sat out an entire WNBA season at the request of her Russian team, which was paying her $1.5 million, while her WNBA salary at the time was just $107,000. Even in 2024, with the WNBA maximum salary increased to $241,984, it pales in comparison to what she once earned overseas. “Not only did I want to be the best player in the world, I wanted to be the highest-paid player in the world. You can only do that in a free market. And that’s what overseas gives us,” Taurasi concluded.

For DT, winning was never enough—she wanted to dominate in every aspect, including financially. This ruthless ambition defined her career.

Taurasi’s unapologetic exit: No farewell tour, just a legacy

Her close friend and former teammate, Sue Bird, shared a hilarious memory that perfectly captured Taurasi’s one-of-a-kind personality. “One time I wasn’t playing in the game, I had to f-king go back to her apartment to get her jersey,” Bird laughed. “You’re like, ‘What happened to your brain?’” But that was Taurasi—unapologetically herself, never caught up in the theatrics of superstardom.

Unlike many legends, she had no desire for a grand farewell tour. “I felt like 20 years of opposing arenas was enough,” she shrugged. “All I need is another pair of sneakers.”

Her exit marks the end of an era. The WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, a 3X champion, and a 6X Olympic gold medalist, Taurasi leaves behind a legacy that will be impossible to replicate. Her former UConn coach, Geno Auriemma, summed it up best: “It’s a life that is a novel, it’s a movie, it’s a miniseries, it’s a saga. It’s the life of an extraordinary person who, I think, had as much to do with changing women’s basketball as anyone who’s ever played the game.”

Taurasi wasn’t just another player; she was a force. And in true Taurasi fashion, she leaves the game on her own terms. For the 36 players in Unrivaled and the generations to come, her message is clear—don’t just play the game. Own it.