WNBA Legend Lisa Leslie Drops Five-Word Response On Diana Taurasi Disrespect

WNBA veteran Diana Taurasi recently spoke out about what she believes is "disrespect" from women's basketball fans. The Phoenix Mercury star shared her take on retirement, and WNBA legend Lisa Leslie gave her thoughts on the situation on social media.

Taurasi started the conversation with the media at the 2024 Paris Olympics, describing how fans reacted to her participating for the sixth time.

"I'm around a lot of young people all the time and I tell them, if there's one thing you can't escape in this country or in this world, [it's] ageism," Taurasi said. "When you dedicate your whole life, your whole career to something, and you get the question of 'Why don't you just retire?'... It's something I've been doing since I was five. It's something that I've dedicated my whole life to."

Taurasi then talked about feeling disrespected by fans who have biased opinions about veteran male and female athletes remaining active in the sport.

"Only a woman would have 20 years of experience, and it's an Achilles heel instead of something that is treasured and used as a way forward for our sport and for women. Hopefully, we can change that narrative. I see a lot of grizzled veterans out here [Olympics reporters], and if I told you to put down your microphone after all your experience, you probably would feel disrespected too," Taurasi continued.

Leslie quote-tweeted Taurasi's message, calling out the WNBA star's haters. "Where’s the lie? I”ll wait!" she said.

Taurasi is playing in her 20th season in the WNBA, and it's clear that she can still compete with the best players in the league. She's averaging 16.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for the Mercury.

She's currently competing in her sixth Olympic Games, having already won five gold medals in her career as an Olympian.

However, despite being widely considered the greatest women's basketball player of all time, Taurasi thinks fans are forcing her hand on a retirement decision.

Leslie, who played in the WNBA from 1997 to 2009 with the Los Angeles Sparks, supported Taurasi's statement, sending a clear message to fans on social media.

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