Diana Taurasi Surpasses Michael Jordan and Every Other NBA Player in Latest WNBA Feat

Diana Taurasi is a star beyond comparison. While most athletes retire in their late 30s, Taurasi is having an extended run with the Phoenix Mercury and how. The recently turned 42-year-old is averaging higher points, rebounds, and steals than last season. While she isn’t the primary ball-handler on the team anymore, Taurasi has taken up more of a scoring role. And in doing so, the California-born superstar has surpassed NBA legend Michael Jordan with a rare feat.

In Phoenix’s 103-99 loss against the Las Vegas Aces, Taurasi had 22 points on 57% shooting from the field, along with 4 assists. In doing so, the 10x All-Star surpassed His Airness for the most 20-point games at age 40 or older. Since MJ was the only player in NBA or WNBA history with at least 20 such games at age 40, Taurasi now holds the record across both the pro leagues.

Celebrated ESPN journalist Alexa Philippou tweeted, “Diana Taurasi now has 21 games with 20 or more points at age 40 or older — surpassing Michael Jordan for the most of any player in NBA or WNBA history.”

This run started when she scored 23 points against the Atlanta Dream in the 2022 season and the record-breaking came last night. Even this season solely, Taurasi has already had 6 20 or more points games, the highest of which came against the Los Angeles Sparks when she scored 31 points. She is averaging 17 points per game in 13 games played so far this season, her highest since the 2020 season.

On the other hand, Jordan only played 30 games as a 40-year-old as he turned 40 on February 17, 2003, during his last season in the league with the Washington Wizards. In that 30-game stretch, the 6x NBA champion scored 20 points 20 times, surpassing the 30-point mark 3 times as well. As it doesn’t seem like Taurasi is going anywhere anytime soon, she is sure to add to her tally of 20-point games in the future.

Diana Taurasi’s other milestones

Even last season, Taurasi became the player with the most WNBA points when she crossed the 10,000 landmark by scoring 42 on the night. By doing so, she achieved another feat. She became the oldest player to have a 40-point game in the WNBA, surpassing Cynthia Cooper, who had her last 40-point game when she was 36 years old in 1999. 

Meanwhile, with this feat, she inched closer to Jordan, who is the only player in the NBA, to have a 40 or more point game after turning 40. With Natasha Cloud taking over the ball-handling duties, Taurasi’s assists numbers have dropped considerably. From 4.6 APG last year to 1.8 this season, Taurasi’s role has clearly changed. So we can expect the 2x Finals MVP to have more scoring outbursts.

While it is an extraordinary record to hold as it consists of both the NBA and the WNBA, Taurasi is all too used to making history. This was just the latest chapter in her legendary career. She will hope that she can take the Mercury to another Championship in what could be her last season in the WNBA.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the Reese-Clark rivalry and more, watch this video.