Viral Diana Taurasi Photo Resurfaces After Brittney Griner's Savage Move At Paris Olympics

Diana Taurasi and the Team USA women's basketball team took down Japan, 102-76, in the 2024 Paris Olympics on Monday. During the game, Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner snagged a one-handed rebound from Japan, which brought flashbacks from a previous Taurasi play in the Olympics.

In the 2020 Olympics, Taurasi was attempting to keep the ball away from her defender, Nako Motohashi, and decided to spread her wingspan and put the ball above her head where Motohashi would have trouble reaching.

Motohashi stands at 5-foot-5, while Taurasi is listed at 6-feet tall.

A similar play happened on Monday when Griner palmed the ball in the air with one hand, towering over Japan's lineup.

Griner stands at 6-foot-9 and is listed as the fourth-tallest player in WNBA history. She towered over the Team Japan roster in the match, with their nation's tallest player, Maki Takada, listed at 6-foot-1.

The photo of Taurasi from 2020 went viral after the Phoenix Mercury's social media team posted the picture. WNBA fans were making jokes about the Mercury veteran, calling Taurasi a "menace."

"DT is a character for sure," said one fan.

"DT just be out there having the time of her life," said another fan.

"DT is a menace and I am thankful for it every day.. this wasn’t even NECESSARY!," commented another fan with laughing emojis.

Taurasi finished the game with two points and three rebounds on nearly 15 minutes of game action.

The 42-year-old is playing in her sixth Olympic Games, having already notched five gold medals in her career as an Olympian .

She's currently competing in her 20th season in the WNBA, averaging 16.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for the Mercury.

Griner also had a successful showing for Team USA, posting 11 points and nine rebounds.

The Mercury stars have been the United States' anchors throughout their Olympic preparation . Both players will look to help the team advance to 2-0 when the U.S. takes on Belgium on Aug. 1 at 3 p.m. ET against Belgium.

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