A Phoenix Mercury ticket promotion has raised questions about star guard Diana Taurasi’s future in the WNBA. On Monday, the Mercury posted a cryptic video on social media, saying Phoenix fans only have two more chances to see Taurasi play at home.
The video, which includes footage of the 42-year-old point guard throughout her career and the words “If This Is It,” clearly implies that this season will be Taurasi’s last. The post draws attention to Phoenix’s final home games of the season, which will take place in September.
Taurasi signed a two-year contract before the 2023 season, making her a free agent at the end of this season. Taurasi was drafted first overall by Phoenix in 2004 and has spent her entire career with the Mercury; if she were to retire, it would make sense for her to do so in a Mercury uniform.
Taurasi, who at 42 is the oldest active player in the league, has long held off retirement rumors but has been clear about what she would like her retirement to look like.
In 2022, he said he planned to “play for a while,” but said if he stopped, he wouldn’t have a slow exit.
“I’ll let you know when I’m done because you won’t be seeing me anymore,” Taurasi said. He told ESPN in 2022. “When I’m done playing, I’m just going to stop playing. I’m not going to go away slowly. I want to play, and when it’s a mess, I’m not going to play. Believe me, I’ll be in those workouts in the winter and I’ll be like, ‘Hmm, that’s it.’”
In July, ahead of Taurasi’s appearance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the guard joked Taurasi told reporters that they would see her in Los Angeles in 2028 “on the beach with a beer,” indicating, at the very least, that Paris would be her final Olympics. Taurasi, who is one of only three people to have represented Team USA in six or more Olympic Games, won her sixth gold medal in Paris.
The 11-time WNBA All-Star has had another standout year so far, averaging 15.1 points, four rebounds and 3.3 assists. (Taurasi also continued her proud tradition of leading the league in technical fouls, tying Mercury teammate Natasha Cloud for the lead with seven so far this season.)
If the Mercury’s implications are correct, Taurasi will have just four regular-season games remaining in a Phoenix uniform, with two home games: Sept. 13 against the Connecticut Sun and Sept. 19 against the Seattle Storm.
Phoenix is currently in seventh place in the WNBA standings, meaning a playoff spot is within reach, which could extend Taurasi’s season a bit longer. However, the Mercury would get a lower playoff seed, meaning a home playoff game is unlikely.
