By Emily Adams Hartford Courant
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HARTFORD, Conn. — The Phoenix Mercury’s final home game of the 2024 WNBA season was a celebration of UConn legend Diana Taurasi’s legacy after 20 years with the franchise, marketed under the slogan, “If This Is It.”

Family, friends and former teammates from more than two decades of basketball came together in Phoenix on Sept. 19, including longtime Huskies coach Geno Auriemma and his wife, Kathy. Taurasi gave a speech that sounded like a goodbye to the sold-out crowd at the Mercury’s Footprint Center, but she left the door open for a possible future.

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“If it is the last time, it felt like the first time. I love you guys,” Taurasi concluded with a smile.

Taurasi finally removed the ‘if’ from her statement on Tuesday, officially breaking the news to TIME that she is retiring from basketball. She concludes her career as arguably the greatest player in the history of the sport with a resume that includes nearly every possible accomplishment at every level she has competed.

“It’s hard to put into words … what this means. When someone’s defined the game, when someone’s had such an impact on so many people and so many places, you can’t define it with a quote,” Auriemma said in a statement. “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 helped establish the original UConn dynasty, leading the team to four consecutive Final Four appearances and three NCAA championships from 2000-04. She was a three-time All-American, and she won the Naismith Trophy in both 2003 and 2004, making her one of just eight players to earn the award in back-to-back seasons since it was established in 1983. Taurasi still ranks 10th all time at UConn in career points with 2,156, and she is third in program history in both career assists (648) and made 3-pointers (318).

The Mercury selected Taurasi No. 1 overall in the 2004 WNBA Draft, and she spent her entire professional career with the organization. She was the league Rookie of the Year, a first-team All-WNBA selection and finished third in MVP voting her first season, setting the tone immediately for what would become one of the most decorated careers in the league’s history. She received MVP votes for each of her first eight WNBA seasons with seven first-team all-league selections and five All-Star nods.

Taurasi won her first WNBA championship in 2007, then led Phoenix to a second title in 2009 — the same season she was named MVP. She added a third trophy to her case in 2014, leading the Mercury in scoring on all three runs and earning Finals MVP in both 2009 and 2014. Taurasi is one of 10 players in WNBA history to win three or more championships and one of six to win all of her titles with the same franchise.

Taurasi’s name is all over the WNBA’s record books, headlined by her unmatched scoring over 20 seasons. She became the first player in league history to surpass 10,000 points in August 2023 and finishes with 10,646. She also holds career records for field goals, 3-pointers and made free throws, and she is second all time in games played with 565 appearances, behind only longtime friend and former UConn teammate Sue Bird with 580.

“Diana Taurasi is one of the greatest competitors to ever play the game of basketball on any stage,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. “She has earned the unquestioned respect of players around the globe, delivered electrifying moments and captivated fans again and again. On behalf of the WNBA family, I thank Diana for everything that she has brought to the WNBA — her passion, her charisma and, most of all, her relentless dedication to the game. She leaves a lasting legacy and the future of the WNBA is in a great position because of her impact, that will be felt for generations to come.”

Taurasi’s legacy also includes remarkable longevity representing USA Basketball on the international stage. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Taurasi became the first basketball player, men’s or women’s, in the history of the Games to win six gold medals. She has an additional three golds plus a bronze from FIBA World Championships. She won five of those medals — three Olympics and two World Championships — under Auriemma as the head coach of Team USA.

“In my opinion, what the greats have in common is they transcend the sport and become synonymous with the sport. For as long as people talk about college basketball, WNBA basketball, Olympic basketball: Diana is the greatest winner in the history of basketball, period,” Auriemma said in his statement. “I’ve had the pleasure of being around her for a lot of those moments, and she’s the greatest teammate I’ve ever coached. I’m happy for her and her family. At the same time, I’m sad that I’ll never get to see her play again, but I saw more than most.”