The Mercury took care of business before tipoff against Portland, turning what could've been just another late-August game into a full-blown celebration of the best player the franchise has ever had. Taurasi retired from the WNBA in February 2025 after 20 seasons, all of them in Phoenix, and the club locked in this exact date months ago to give her the send-off she earned.
3x WNBA Champion. 2x WNBA Finals MVP. 1x Kia WNBA MVP. 14x All-WNBA. 11x WNBA All-Star. The @PhoenixMercury will retire @DianaTaurasi's #3 jersey following tonight's 7pm/et game on ESPN!
The resume speaks for itself: 3 WNBA titles, 2 Finals MVPs, a league MVP season, 14 All-WNBA selections and 11 All-Star nods across two decades of never leaving the Valley. She's the WNBA's all-time leading scorer, and per the Mercury's own Ring of Honor, her No. 3 now sits alongside franchise legends like Cheryl Miller and her wife, Penny Taylor.
“One of the best to ever play the game.” DIANA TAURASI’S JERSEY HEADS TO THE RAFTERS IN PHOENIX TONIGHT🔥
Taurasi built her reputation as much on her mouth as her jumper, and the people who played with her longest know that better than anyone. Alyssa Thomas, her Mercury teammate, made that abundantly clear in the buildup to the ceremony, explaining exactly why nobody in their right mind tries to get under Taurasi's skin.
Alyssa Thomas explains why trash-talking Diana Taurasi is a terrible idea — it just fires her up.
That competitive streak is the whole story. Taurasi spent 20 years being the player other teams game-planned around and still couldn't stop, and her willingness to talk trash right back was as much a part of her legend as the championships. The ceremony fit into a busy Sunday slate across the league, with the Mercury-Portland game part of a 3-game WNBA night that also featured the Sky-Storm matchup in Seattle and the Fever chasing their fourth straight win in Atlanta.
3-GAME SLATE IN THE WNBA TONIGHT! ▪️ Sky and Storm battle in Seattle ▪️ Fever go for fourth straight win in Atlanta ▪️ Phoenix hosts Portland as Diana Taurasi’s #3 is raised to the rafters Action begins at 5:00pm/et on WNBA League Pass 🍿
Taurasi has hinted she wants to stay close to the organization going forward, reportedly eyeing a role with Mercury ownership down the line. For a franchise that just watched its most decorated player walk into the rafters, keeping her around the building only makes sense — Phoenix basketball has been synonymous with No. 3 for two decades, and that's not something you let walk away completely.