Diana Taurasi first to reach milestone 9,000 points in WNBA
Diana Taurasi has spent the last four years adding to her WNBA-best career points total. Now, she's pushed it past another milestone for the league in its 25th season.
Taurasi eclipsed 9,000 points on Sunday in the Phoenix Mercury's 88-79 win over the Los Angeles Sparks. Taurasi needed just six points to reach the milestone, and in true Taurasi fashion, she was the game's leading scorer with 25 points.
It was her first game back after missing a month with a fractured sternum.
This is 9,000 🚨
It's only fitting that @DianaTaurasi makes an and-1 to hit 9K 🤩Congratulations, DT 👏#CountIt pic.twitter.com/8ErjYDReeG— WNBA (@WNBA) June 27, 2021
Diana Taurasi leads three 4 active players in top 10 points
Taurasi passed Tina Thompson in June 2017 as the league's all-time career scorer. Thompson, a Hall of Famer, retired after the 2013 season with 7,488 points over 17 seasons with the now defunct Houston Comets, Los Angeles Sparks and Seattle Storm. She averaged 15.1 points per game over her career.
Tamika Catchings, the Indiana Fever Hall of Famer who retired after 2016, is third with 7,380 points. Candice Dupree, a member of the 2014 Phoenix championship team, is fourth at 6,822 points through Sunday's game. The veteran is currently with the Seattle Storm and moved up a spot this season.
Cappie Pondexter, a two-time WNBA champion with Taurasi and the Mercury, is now fifth with 6,811.
The Storm's Sue Bird (6,436 points, seventh) and Mystics' Tina Charles (6,338, eighth) are the only other active players in the top 10.
Taurasi's legacy keeps growing in stats
Taurasi, who turned 39 on June 11, is already a future Hall of Fame selection who seemingly defies age and keeps performing at the top level of the sport. The former No. 1 draft pick and UConn star is only padding her stats and legacy as she continues toward 40. As she said herself, "Why can't old people dream, too? There's no age limit to being great."
The nine-time All-Star selection has played the third-most games of any player in the W right now and is ninth all-time at 461 contests as of Sunday's game. She's first in career field goals and attempts, 3-point field goals and attempts, and free throws and attempts.
Her 1,968 assists as of Friday morning rank fifth, her offensive wins shares lead the league and her overall win shares are third. It also bears noting she ranks second in career personal fouls, partly because of how long she's played but also how she plays. Which is why fans enjoy watching her.
Taurasi is one of the greatest the WNBA has seen, and will see, and she continues to show us why. On the international stage, the GOAT is going for a record fifth gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics next month.
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