Team USA guard Diana Taurasi has been open about how "sick in the head" she must be to still compete in the WNBA and go to the 2024 Olympics at 42. With several youngsters left off Cheryl Reeve's roster, and others set to play part-time roles in Paris, Taurasi c laimed that snubbed WNBA stars will have the time to shine on the international stage soon as she puts the finishing touches on her own legacy.
"You always have to wait your turn," Taurasi told the Associated Press . "In '04 I was getting Lisa [Leslie] and Dawn [Staley] doughnuts, learning the ropes. ... I tried to soak up all the knowledge I could. Then as I progressed in my career, I got more responsibility. I became one of the leaders. I think that's what USA B does so great. It's not forced. It just happens, which makes it even better."
Taurasi could win the sixth gold medal of her legendary women's basketball career this summer. Even in the twilight years of her career, the Phoenix Mercury veteran can still shoot at a high level, averaging 16.1 points per game in the WNBA this season.
EXCLUSIVE: Nika Muhl makes UConn prediction for Paige Bueckers' last college basketball season
READ MORE: Chicago Sky complete blockbuster Marina Mabrey trade that dramatically changes WNBA roster
Basketball has defined the three-time WNBA champion's life, and she's yet to find a reason to step away from the game she loves. "I keep getting text messages, 'You're sick in the head and you need to just retire,'" Taurasi told CT Insider earlier this year. "They go, 'You're a psycho' And I am."
The Olympics provide a unique thrill, Taurasi said, as playing alongside fellow Americans forges a togetherness replicated in few other places. This summer's event will also cast another spotlight on women's basketball amid a period of massive viewership growth.
"I'm just as addicted to basketball right now as I was when I was 15 playing in my driveway," Taurasi said to the AP. "I have the same ambitions, the same passion, the same love for. I show up every single day in Phoenix at the practice facility at 7:30 a.m. ready to go. That's how I treat it."
EXCLUSIVE: Nika Muhl's verdict on UConn coach Geno Auriemma's contract says it all
Team USA remains a significant favorite to win gold for full-squad women's basketball, even as the sport keeps expanding its footprint abroad.
Taurasi will have WNBA teammate Brittney Griner with her on Team USA - and it'll be an emotional few weeks for the iconic low post player, who endured imprisonment in Russia for about 10 months before returning to the United States in a prisoner swap . Earlier this year, Griner described the hellish conditions in Russian confinement to ABC.
"When we walk into the cell, there's a bathroom," the Mercury and Team USA center said. "There's a little rickety sink that leaks and then just add a layer of dust, dirt, grime, blood stains. Just filth."
READ MORE: Why NBA negotiated WNBA's TV rights deals and what new agreements are worth
READ MORE: Chicago Sky's biggest move of season was forced by WNBA star's request
Griner added: "I had a couple of shirts, a couple of pairs of sweats, the shoes on my feet. One of my shirts, I ripped it up and I used one to clean myself. I used one as my toilet paper. With my dirty, dirty hole in the ground with feces all over it. That was the moment where I just felt the dirtiest and, like, less than a human."
As Griner tries to navigate the emotions of representing the U.S. - and players throughout the squad field questions about it - Taurasi will try to provide veteran leadership.
"She's seen it all," said Breanna Stewart . "She knows exactly what to say before the coaches even come into the locker room."
Most Popular
Comments / 0