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Diana Taurasi
Taurasi in 2013
No. 3 – Phoenix Mercury
PositionShooting guard / Point guard
LeagueWNBA
Personal information
Born (1982-06-11) June 11, 1982 (age 42)
Glendale, California
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight154 lb (70 kg)
Career information
High schoolDon Antonio Lugo
(Chino, California)
CollegeConnecticut (2000–2004)
WNBA draft2004: 1st round, 1st overall pick
Selected by the Phoenix Mercury
Playing career2004–present
Career history
2004–presentPhoenix Mercury
2005–2006Dynamo Moscow
2006–2010Spartak Moscow
2010–2011Fenerbahçe Istanbul
2011–2012Galatasaray Medical Park
2012–presentUMMC Ekaterinburg
Career highlights and awards
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens Team
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing Team
Gold medal – first place 2012 London Team
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team
World Championship
Gold medal – first place 2010 Czech Republic
Gold medal – first place 2014 Turkey
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Brazil

Diana Lorena Taurasi (born June 11, 1982) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and UMMC Ekaterinburg of Russia.[1] Taurasi has won three WNBA championships (2007, 2009, 2014), WNBA Most Valuable Player Award (2009), two WNBA Finals MVP Awards (2009, 2014), four Olympic gold medals, (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016), five scoring titles (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011), and the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award (2004). She has also been selected to seven WNBA All-Star teams and nine All-WNBA teams. She is one of 9 women to win an Olympic Gold Medal, an NCAA Championship, and a WNBA Championship. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the WNBA's Top 15 Players of All Time.

Early life

Taurasi grew up in Chino, California, where she attended and played basketball at Don Antonio Lugo High School.[2] Taurasi's father, Mario, was born in Italy, and raised in Argentina. He has been a professional soccer player in Italy,[3] and played for several years as a goalie. Diana Taurasi's mother, Liliana, is Argentinian. Mario and Liliana Taurasi emigrated from Argentina to the United States before Diana was born. She has an older sister named Jessika.

High School

She attended Don Antonio Lugo High School, where she was the recipient of the 2000 Cheryl Miller Award, presented by the Los Angeles Times to the best player in Southern California.[4] She was also named the 2000 Naismith and Parade Magazine National High School Player of the Year, and the 1999 and 2000 Ms. Basketball State Player of the Year. Taurasi finished her prep career ranked fifth in state history with 2,156 points. Taurasi was named a WBCA All-American.[5] She participated in the 2000 WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored twelve points, and earned MVP honors.[6][7]

College

Taurasi with President George W. Bush at a White House ceremony for, inter al., the national champion 2002–03 Connecticut Huskies.

Following a highly decorated high school career, Taurasi enrolled at the University of Connecticut (UConn) and began playing for the women's basketball team during the 2000–2001 season. Taking the court primarily at point guard and shooting guard, she led the team to three consecutive NCAA championships. Leading up to the final championship, her coach, Geno Auriemma, would declare his likelihood of winning with the claim, "We have Diana, and you don't."[8]

Taurasi also received many personal accolades at UConn including the 2003 and 2004 Naismith College Player of the Year awards, the 2003 Wade Trophy, and the 2003 Associated Press Player of the Year award.[9] In addition to the national recognition she received during her time at UConn, Taurasi was held in legendary status by many Connecticut fans. For example, state senator Thomas Gaffey nominated her to join Prudence Crandall as the state's heroine.[10] She averaged 15.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in her collegiate career. During her time at UConn, her team compiled a record of 139 wins and 8 losses. Diana was a member of the inaugural class (2006) of inductees to the University of Connecticut women's basketball "Huskies of Honor" recognition program.[11]

WNBA career

Following her collegiate career, Taurasi was selected first overall in the 2004 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury, a team that went 8–26 in the 2003 season. At times in her career, she had to play forward because there were shorter players in the starting five on her team. However, she mainly plays guard. Also, right before the 2004 season, the Mercury acquired all-star Penny Taylor in a dispersal draft, to strengthen their roster.

In her WNBA debut, Taurasi netted 26 points and led the Mercury to an 84–76 victory over the Seattle Storm. For the season, the rookie averaged 17.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Although the Mercury did not qualify for the playoffs, Taurasi was named to the Western Conference All Star team and won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award.

In 2005, Taurasi averaged 16.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while battling an ankle injury. She was an All Star for the second straight year, but the Mercury faded down the stretch and again missed the playoffs.

Former NBA coach Paul Westhead became the Mercury's head coach prior to the 2006 season and brought his up-tempo style to Phoenix. Their roster was further bolstered by the addition of rookie Cappie Pondexter, the #2 overall selection in the 2006 WNBA Draft, forming a Big 3 of Taurasi, Pondexter and Taylor.

Taurasi at the White House

2006 would be a historic season for Taurasi as she flourished under Westhead's system, leading the league in scoring and earning a third straight trip to the All Star Game. She broke Katie Smith's league records for points in a season (741 during the 2006 season). In 2006, Taurasi averaged a WNBA record 25.3 points, 4.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game, including a career-high 47 points in a triple overtime regular season victory against the Houston Comets (a then league record that was recently broken by Maya Moore). During that game she made a WNBA record 8 three-pointers (which has since been tied by Riquna Williams). Taurasi also set a WNBA record with 121 three-pointers made in a single season. The Mercury finished 18–16, but after losing a tie-breaker with Houston and Seattle, missed the playoffs.

In 2007, Taurasi finally reached the WNBA playoffs. In the first round, the Mercury eliminated the Seattle Storm two games to none. Next, they swept the San Antonio Silver Stars in a hard fought two game series. Taurasi got to her first WNBA Finals, but had to face the defending champion Detroit Shock. Taurasi, Pondexter and Taylor led the Mercury to their first WNBA title. With this victory Taurasi became the seventh player ever to win an NCAA title, a WNBA title, and an Olympic gold medal. The others to achieve this are Ruth Riley, Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, and fellow Huskies Swin Cash, Kara Wolters, Sue Bird, and after the London 2012 Games, Maya Moore and Tamika Catchings.

Taurasi was a member of the USA women's 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 gold medal Olympic Basketball Teams.[12][13]

In the 2009 season, Taurasi was named the WNBA MVP and later led the Phoenix Mercury to its second WNBA championship in three years by beating the Indiana Fever, three games to two, as Taurasi was named the WNBA Finals MVP. Taurasi is one of only two players (the other being Cynthia Cooper-Dyke), to win the season scoring title, the season MVP award, a WNBA Championship and the finals MVP in the same season.[14]

In 2011, alongside being selected to her 7th All-WNBA First Team,[15] she was voted one of the Top 15 players in the fifteen-year history of the WNBA by fans.[16]

In 2012, Taurasi had an injury-riddled season, playing only 8 games she had to sit out the rest of the season with a strained left hip flexor.[17]

Entering the 2014 season, Taurasi became 2nd ranked in career points per game, 5th in career points and 9th in career assists. In the 2014 season, with a supporting cast of all-star power forward Candice Dupree (who was traded to the Mercury in 2010), rising star Brittney Griner (who was drafted 1st overall in the 2013 WNBA Draft) and the arrival of new head coach Sandy Brondello, the Phoenix Mercury finished 29-5, setting the record for most wins in a regular season, earning the top seed in the western conference. In the playoffs they advanced all the way to the WNBA Finals where they would sweep the Chicago Sky earning Taurasi her 3rd championship. Taurasi also won the WNBA Finals MVP for the second time in her career.

On February 3, 2015, Taurasi announced that she would sit out the 2015 WNBA season at the request of her Russian Premier League team, UMMC Ekaterinburg. The team offered to pay Taurasi more than her WNBA salary to skip the 2015 WNBA season. For the 2014 WNBA season, Taurasi made just under the league maximum of $107,000. But she makes 15 times that - approximately $1.5 million - playing overseas.

Taurasi returned to the Mercury for the 2016 WNBA season.[18] Taurasi averaged 17.8 ppg helping the Mercury to another playoff berth with a 16-18 record. With the WNBA's new playoff format in effect, the Mercury were the number 8 seed in the league, facing the Indiana Fever in the first round. The Mercury advanced to the second round beating the Fever in the first round elimination game as Taurasi scored 20 points. During that game, Taurasi made her 113th playoff career three-pointer, becoming the all-time WNBA leader in playoff career three-pointers made (passing Becky Hammon).[19] In the second round elimination game, the Mercury beat the New York Liberty advancing to the semifinals (the last round before the WNBA finals) with Taurasi scoring a game-high 30 points in the win. In the semi-finals, the Mercury would face the championship defending Minnesota Lynx in the best-of-5 series and would be swept 3 games to 0.

International career

Taurasi's international career began in 2005 when she played for Dynamo Moscow, a team had been dominant in the Russian league until late 90s, and even 2005 runner-up, but was slowly declining at that time. The Euroleague tournament ended in the quarter-finals, where Dynamo was eliminated by former champions CSKA Samara. In 2006 Taurasi was recruited to play for the Russian team Spartak Moscow. The team had finished in eleventh place in the Russian league when Shabtai von Kalmanovich decided to buy the team. Kalmanovich was a successful business man with various interests, including women's basketball. He had stopped in to see a local women's basketball team in Yekaterinburg, and "literally fell in love with the point guard, Anna Arkhipova". He ended up buying that team, but later decided to buy the Spartak Moscow Region team, and turn it into a top team. He arranged to add a number of top-notch players, who had earned seven Olympic medals between them. Many of the players were European, but the team also included Australian born Lauren Jackson and USA born Sue Bird and Taurasi.[20]

The team would go on to win four consecutive Euroleague championships from 2007 to 2010, and Taurasi was named Final Four MVP in 2009 and 2010.[21]

In 2010 Taurasi played for Turkish Champion Fenerbahçe, helping the team to repeat winning the national league. On December 24, 2010, Taurasi's lawyers revealed that she had tested positive for a mild stimulant; according to her lawyer, Howard Jacobs, the positive test came from an "A" sample, and that testing had been requested on a second "B" sample. Jacobs also was quick to point out that the substance Taurasi tested positive for "was not a steroid or recreational drug." Until the "B" sample can be tested, Taurasi has been provisionally suspended from the Turkish league.[22] In its own statement, the Turkish basketball association revealed that the WADA-list banned substance was modafinil.[23] On February 16, 2011, Diana Taurasi was finally cleared of doping allegations. ABC News indicated Taurasi was absolved from all doping allegations and could rejoin her Istanbul team following the retraction of the Turkish laboratory on its earlier finding on the former UConn star’s urine samples.[24]

In the 2011-2012 season Taurasi played for Galatasaray, the other major team from Istanbul and Fenerbahçe's long time rival; Taurasi joined WNBA stars Epiphanny Prince, Sylvia Fowles, Tina Charles and Ticha Penicheiro. The team ended winning the Turkish Cup but lost to Fenerbahçe in the League Final and was eliminated in the Final Eight quarter-final round of the 2011–12 EuroLeague again losing a decisive match to Fenerbahçe.

On May 16, 2012 Taurasi signed a contract with UMMC,[25] joining fellow WNBA star Candace Parker. The team dominated national and international competitions, winning the 2012–13 EuroLeague (second time for the club), Russian Championship and Russian Cup.

Season 2013-2014 saw the UMMC team repeating in winning Russian Championship and Cup, but falling short in Eurolegue competition, losing in the semifinal game against eventual champion Galatasaray; these occurrences repeated in 2014-2015 season with UMMC losing in the Euroleague final against Czech's USK Praha, in a game where Taurasi had to sit out with a broken hand.[26]

The injury and the consequent loss in the Euroleague final had a big role in the decision of UMMC club to offer Taurasi a deal to skip her 2015 WNBA season to rest. Taurasi choose to accept the deal, giving up the WNBA title defense and returning to Phoenix Mercury only in 2016;[27] her decision spread a big debate in USA about salary policies in women's professional sports compared to Europe and China.[28]

In 2015-2016 Taurasi was back to UMMC, leading the team to its third (and her sixth personal) Euroleague title, while also earning MVP honors.[29]

USA Basketball

Taurasi was a member of the USA Women's U18 team which won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship in Mar Del Plata, Argentina. The event was held in July 2000, when the USA team defeated Cuba to win the championship. In the closest match of the tournament, the semifinal game against Brazil, Taurasi connected on seven of her eleven three-point attempts and ended the game with 26 points. She averaged 12.6 points per game and led the team with assists with 5.46 per game.[30]

On May 12, 2004, Taurasi was selected to represent the United States with the US Women's National Basketball team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.[31] She helped the United States capture the gold medal, defeating Australia in the championship game. Taurasi represented the United States as a member of the US Women's National Basketball team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, where she started all eight games and helped lead the USA team to win the gold medal.[32] Taurasi was the second leading scorer on the USA Women's National Basketball team at the 2006 FIBA World Championship held in São Paulo, Brazil. The USA team earned the bronze medal.[33]

Taurasi has also earned a bronze medal as a member of the 2001 USA Junior World Championship team,[34] and a gold medal as a member of the 2000 USA Basketball Women’s Junior World Championship Qualifying team.[35]

Taurasi was invited to the USA Basketball Women's National Team training camp in the fall of 2009.[36] The team selected to play for the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Olympics is usually chosen from these participants. At the conclusion of the training camp, the team will travel to Ekaterinburg, Russia, where they compete in the 2009 UMMC Ekaterinburg International Invitational.[36]

Taurasi was named as one of the National team members to represent the USA Basketball team in the WNBA versus USA Basketball.[37] This game replaces the normal WNBA All-Star game with WNBA All-Stars versus USA Basketball, as part of the preparation for the FIBA World Championship for Women to be held in the Czech Republic during September and October 2010. Taurasi was selected to be a member of the National team representing the USA at the World Championships held in September and October 2010. The team was coached by Geno Auriemma. Because many team members were still playing in the WNBA until just prior to the event, the team had only one day of practice with the entire team before leaving for Ostrava and Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. Even with limited practice, the team managed to win its first games against Greece by 26 points. The team continued to dominate with victory margins exceeding 20 points in the first five games. Several players shared scoring honors, with Swin Cash, Angel McCoughtry, Maya Moore, Taurasi, Lindsay Whalen, and Sylvia Fowles all ending as high scorer in the first few games. The sixth game was against undefeated Australia — the USA jumped out to a 24-point lead and the USA prevailed 83–75. The USA won its next two games by over 30 points, then faced the host team, the Czech Republic, in the championship game. The USA team had only a five-point lead at halftime, which was cut to three points, but the Czechs never got closer. Team USA went on to win the championship and gold medal. Taurasi led the team in scoring with 12.0 points per game and was second on the team with 23 assists.[38]

Taurasi was one of 21 finalists for the U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball Team Roster. The 20 professional women's basketball players, plus collegiate player (Brittney Griner), were selected by the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee to compete for the final roster which will represent the USA at the 2012 Olympics in London.[39] Taurasi would win her third gold medal as USA beat Australia 92-65.

Taurasi played for Team USA in the 2016 Olympics in Rio, earning her fourth gold medal while helping USA beat Spain 101-72 in the final gold medal game.

Personal life

On July 2, 2009, Phoenix police spokesman Luis Samudio says an officer stopped Taurasi at about 2:30 a.m. for allegedly speeding. A police statement says the officer smelled alcohol and gave her several field sobriety tests. Taurasi was then driven to a mobile DUI van where she gave a blood sample, then was cited and released. Authorities later said her blood alcohol level was 0.17.[40] The Phoenix Mercury responded to this news by suspending her for two games later that month.[41] She however was named a reserve for her fourth All-star appearance that summer.[42] After extreme DUI and speeding charges were dropped, Taurasi pleaded guilty to DUI. She served one day in jail after a judge suspended nine days of the 10-day sentence.[43]

Taurasi had a cameo role in the 2006 film Believe In Me.[44]

Awards and honors

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career best ° League leader

University of Connecticut

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2000-01 Connecticut 33 33 23.9 .444 .386 .878 3.2 3.3 1.2 0.9 2.2 10.9
2001-02 Connecticut 39 39 29.0 .494 .440 .828 4.1 5.3 1.3 1.2 2.1 14.5
2002-03 Connecticut 37 37 31.9 .476 .350 .815 6.1 4.4 0.9 1.2 3.1 17.9
2003-04 Connecticut 35 35 31.9 .456 .390 .795 4.0 4.9 1.5 0.8 2.4 16.2
Career 144 144 29.3 .469 .392 .819 4.4 4.5 1.2 1.0 2.5 15.0

WNBA regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2004 Phoenix 34 34 33.2 .416 .330 .760 4.4 3.9 1.3 0.7 2.7 17.0
2005 Phoenix 33 33 33.0 .410 .313 .801 4.2 4.5 1.2 0.8 3.4 16.0
2006 Phoenix 34 34 33.9 .452 .397 .781 3.6 4.1 1.2 0.8 2.3 25.3
2007 Phoenix 32 32 32.0 .440 .367 .835 4.2 4.3 1.4 1.1 2.6 19.2
2008 Phoenix 34 34 31.9 .446 .360 .870 5.1 3.6 1.4 1.4 2.4 24.1
2009 Phoenix 31 31 31.5 .461 .407 .894 5.7 3.5 1.2 1.4 2.7 20.4
2010 Phoenix 31 31 32.2 .427 .374 .912 4.3 4.7 1.2 0.6 3.6 22.6
2011 Phoenix 32 32 30.2 .449 .395 .903 3.2 3.6 0.8 0.6 3.0 21.6
2012 Phoenix 8 8 20.8 .436 .395 .900 1.6 2.3 0.5 0.5 1.8 14.0
2013 Phoenix 32 32 32.3 .456 .347 .854 4.2 6.2 0.7 0.5 3.6 20.3
2014 Phoenix 33 33 32.3 .454 .365 .874 3.8 5.6 0.7 0.3 2.6 16.2
2016 Phoenix 33 33 29.8 .396 .350 .909 3.0 3.9 0.9 0.1 2.6 17.8
Career 367 367 31.7 .437 .366 .860 4.1 4.3 1.1 0.7 2.8 19.9

WNBA Postseason

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2007 Phoenix 9 9 33.2 .504 .390 .731 4.3 3.0 1.4 0.8 2.0 19.9
2009 Phoenix 11 11 32.9 .451 .365 .893 5.9 3.8 0.7 1.3 3.0 22.3
2010 Phoenix 4 4 31.3 .473 .542 .818 5.3 3.8 1.8 0.8 4.0 18.5
2011 Phoenix 5 5 31.2 .398 .286 .929 3.2 2.4 0.2 0.2 2.4 20.0
2013 Phoenix 5 5 37.2 .333 .176 .950 5.2 6.0 1.6 0.2 3.0 20.8
2014 Phoenix 8 8 32.4 .492 .386 .853 4.3 5.8 1.0 0.5 3.9 21.9
2016 Phoenix 5 5 30.7 .515 .432 .970 2.6 2.8 0.2 0.6 2.0 23.6
Career 47 47 32.8 .454 .369 .890 4.6 4.0 1.0 0.7 2.9 21.2

Euroleague

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2005-06 Dynamo Moscow 9 9 28.4 .400 .419 .625 4.1 2.2 0.9 0.3 1.9 11.4
2006-07 Spartak Moscow 12 12 29.3 .417 .438 .652 5.3 2.1 0.7 0.5 1.9 13.1
2007-08 Spartak Moscow 14 14 30.6 .485 .481 .872 4.9 4.4 1.3 0.6 2.4 16.8
2008-09 Spartak Moscow 17 17 31.9 .485 .457 .831 5.6 3.8 1.4 0.3 4.0 20.5
2009-10 Spartak Moscow 16 16 30.3 .496 .446 .853 5.7 3.8 1.6 0.3 2.7 24.9
2010-11 Fenerbahçe 7 7 33.7 .492 .515 .886 5.4 4.7 1.1 0.0 2.4 24.6
2011-12 Galatasaray 18 18 30.4 .451 .440 .900 4.4 3.1 0.9 0.2 2.9 20.9
2012-13 UMMC Ekaterinburg 17 17 29.2 .439 .394 .895 4.4 4.7 0.6 0.5 2.4 15.5
2013-14 UMMC Ekaterinburg 14 14 29.5 .500 .481 .789 3.3 5.0 0.8 0.1 2.4 15.0
2014-15 UMMC Ekaterinburg 14 14 31.0 .479 .511 .844 4.2 5.9 1.1 0.1 2.3 16.9
2015-16 UMMC Ekaterinburg 19 19 32.1 .461 .432 .905 5.0 4.2 0.9 0.2 2.6 20.9
Career 157 157 30.6 .467 .445 .857 4.8 4.0 1.0 0.3 2.7 18.5

See also

References

  1. ^ New player UMMC – Diana Taurasi
  2. ^ Landon Brown, "Taurasi Meets High Schooler Who Shattered Her Record," Cronkite News, Arizona PBS, May 23, 2016.
  3. ^ David L. Porter, ed. (2005). Basketball: A Biographical Dictionary. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-30952-6.
  4. ^ "Diana Taurasi". WNBA. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  5. ^ "Past WBCA HS Coaches' All-America Teams". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  6. ^ "WBCA High School All-America Game Box Scores". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  7. ^ "WBCA High School All-America Game Team MVP's". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  8. ^ "UConn's Taurasi proves why she's best in nation". Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  9. ^ a b "The Wade Trophy". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  10. ^ "Senator nominates UConn's Taurasi for state heroine". CNN. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  11. ^ "Women's Basketball 1995 National Championship Team to be Recognized as "Huskies of Honor"". Retrieved July 24, 2009.
  12. ^ "Games of the XXVIIIth Olympiad – 2004". Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  13. ^ "Games of the XXVIIIth Olympiad – 2008". Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  14. ^ "Taurasi, Pondexter lead Mercury to second title in three years". ESPN. October 9, 2009. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
  15. ^ a b http://www.wnba.com/playoffs/2011/allwnba_team_111004.html
  16. ^ http://www.wnba.com/allstar/2011/top15_072311.html
  17. ^ http://www.northjersey.com/sports/strained-hip-flexor-sidelines-taurasi-1.421111
  18. ^ Mercury's Diana Taurasi to rest, sit out 2015 WNBA season
  19. ^ http://www.wnba.com/news/diana-taurasi-sets-wnba-record-postseason-three-pointers/
  20. ^ WOLFF, ALEXANDER (December 15, 2008). "To Russia With Love". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  21. ^ Coward, Cheryl (April 12, 2010). "Spartak Moscow EuroLeague champions again, Taurasi MVP again". Hoopfeed.com. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  22. ^ "Positive Test for Taurasi, Ex-UConn Star". The New York Times. December 24, 2010. Retrieved December 24, 2010.
  23. ^ "Taurasi tested positive for modafinil". Washington Post. December 25, 2010. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
  24. ^ "WADA Could Suspend Turkish Lab in Taurasi Case". Retrieved February 17, 2011.
  25. ^ UMMC Ekaterinburg sign Diana Taurasi
  26. ^ "UMMC Left Reeling From Taurasi Absence". Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  27. ^ "A Russian team paid Diana Taurasi to sit out 2015 WNBA season". Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  28. ^ "Diana Taurasi's decision to sit out should spark WNBA salary changes". ESPN. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  29. ^ "UMMC Ekaterinburg claim 2016 EuroLeague Women title". FIBA.com. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  30. ^ "Fourth Women's Junior World Championship Qualifying Team -- 2000". USA Basketball. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on September 12, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ "Games of the XXVIIIth Olympiad – 2004". USA basketball. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  32. ^ "Games of the XXVIIIth Olympiad – 2008". USA Basketball. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  33. ^ "FIFTEENTH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FOR WOMEN – 2006". USA Basketball. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  34. ^ "FIFTH FIBA WOMEN'S U19/JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – 2001". USA Basketball. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  35. ^ "FOURTH WOMEN'S JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFYING TEAM – 2000". USA Basketball. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  36. ^ a b "USA Basketball Women's National Team To Tip-Off Training Tomorrow In D.C." USA Basketball. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
  37. ^ "Six Olympic Gold Medalists Among 11-Member Team Set To Participate In WNBA vs. USA Basketball: The Stars at the Sun Game". USA Basketball. June 30, 2010. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  38. ^ "FIBA World Championship for Women". FIBA. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  39. ^ "Twenty-One Finalists In The Mix For Final 2012 U.S. Women's Olympic Basketball Team Roster". USA Basketball. February 13, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
  40. ^ "Taurasi faces 3 drunk driving charges". Retrieved July 16, 2009.
  41. ^ "Mercury Suspends Taurasi". Retrieved July 23, 2009.
  42. ^ "Taurasi and Pondexter Named WNBA All-Stars". Retrieved July 23, 2009.
  43. ^ "Taurasi serves day in jail". ESPN. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
  44. ^ Koehler, Robert (March 5, 2006). "Believe in Me". Variety. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  45. ^ a b "PAST HONDA SPORTS AWARD WINNERS FOR BASKETBALL". THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  46. ^ "All-WNBA 1st, 2nd teams announced". ESPN.com news services. September 14, 2010. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  47. ^ "Diana Taurasi gets USA hoops honor". ESPN. January 9, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  48. ^ Oliva, Anthony. "Taurasi Shoots Herself Into History". WNBA. Retrieved September 13, 2014.

Further reading

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