Diana Taurasi's No. 3 jersey is retired by Phoenix Mercury in halftime ceremony

After 20 years with the Phoenix Mercury, Diana Taurasi retired as a legend. On Sunday, she was honored like one.

Taurasi’s No. 3 jersey number was retired by the Mercury in a ceremony on Sunday, with Phoenix raising the name of its longtime, highly-decorated point guard in the rafters.

In a speech prior to the unveiling, Taurasi praised the city of Phoenix and said she would “forever be grateful” for the fanbase’s support.

“I got to this city in 2004, and I instantly knew this was the place for me,” Taurasi said. “This place has made me who I am. You guys let me grow, you let me fall, you let me get back up, and you gave me the space to become who I am today.”

Taurasi’s No. 3 joins four other numbers retired by the organization: Michele Timms (No. 7), Penny Taylor (No. 13), Jennifer Gillom (No. 22) and Bridget Pettis (No. 32).

The ceremony took place at halftime of the Mercury’s matchup against the Portland Fire. T-shirts honoring Taurasi’s jersey retirement were laid out on every seat in Phoenix’s Mortgage Matchup Center.

An area just off the court also featured a petting zoo filled with goats, a play on Taurasi’s G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) nickname.

Taurasi’s career came to an end in 2024, though — in a move very true to the guard — she didn’t announce her retirement officially until the following February. Taurasi spent her entire WNBA career with the Mercury, after being drafted first overall by the team in 2004.

Among her many accolades, Taurasi was a three-time WNBA champion, 11-time All-Star, the 2009 MVP and two-time Finals MVP, plus three NCAA titles and six Olympic gold medals. She scored more than 10,000 points throughout her WNBA career — the only player to ever reach that mark.

With her retirement, Taurasi walked away from basketball as one of the greatest players not only in Mercury franchise history, but in the WNBA as a whole. A feisty player known for her high-level scoring as well as her tendency to pick up a technical foul, Taurasi is uniquely and widely respected throughout the league.

While Taurasi said in a Mercury video leading up to the ceremony that it would be an honor to see her name alongside the other Phoenix legends, she also felt like it would mark the true end of her time playing basketball.

“Personally, it’s kind of the real end of my career. Up to now, I feel like I can still play, and I still want to play,” Taurasi said. “Once the jersey goes up there I feel like, you know, that’s the last nail in the coffin.”

This story will be updated.

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