Diana Taurasi wins her record 6th Olympic gold medal as US women’s basketball beats France

PARIS (AP) — Diana Taurasi held up six fingers on the medal stand.

No one else measures up: She stands alone in Olympic basketball lore with six gold medals.

The 42-year-old American was part of the U.S. women’s team that beat France 67-66 on Sunday, Taurasi’s sixth gold medal, breaking a tie with longtime American teammate Sue Bird for most in Olympic basketball history.

“Twenty years of putting this jersey on is truly a dream come true,” she said. “It’s an honor to share the court with the best in the world for 20 years.”

Taurasi stood with a hand over her heart during the national anthem as part of the medal ceremony one final time. Then it was time for more photos, including one last one with her family that was in attendance and the latest addition to her golden collection.

Taurasi has been a part of 44 of the record 61 consecutive Olympic victories dating to the 1992 Barcelona Games. The win Sunday was the closest of the run.

“That was a great French team, you know, a great crowd. We found a way to win, you know, and that’s what these games come down to, is finding a way to win,” she said. “You know, you think it’s going to be pretty and every shot is going to go in. But, you know, the will to win is, is sometimes the only thing you need.”

Unlike the previous five Olympics she has been a part of, Taurasi wasn’t a major factor on the court in this one as the U.S. won its eighth consecutive gold medal. She didn’t play in this title game.

Taurasi still provided valuable experience off the court for the Americans, who now have won 61 straight Olympic contests dating back to the 1992 Barcelona Games.

Brittney Griner, who played the last three Olympics with Taurasi, said that her Phoenix Mercury teammate will be missed.

“Dee is everything to USA Basketball. She’s everything to each and every single one of us,” Griner said. ‘You know, there’s going to be a void, you know, with her not being here anymore. And, I’m just glad I was able to be here with her and enjoy this this time.”

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U.S. coach Cheryl Reeve said she had conversations with Taurasi about her role on the team and has been impressed with how the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer has handled a reduced role after defining USA Basketball for so very long.

“She’s ran the gamut. And, you know, in her final Olympics, the mark that she’s making in terms of leadership and just sharing the knowledge that she has,” Reeve said.

“I don’t know that there’s a greater competitor for USA basketball. I mean, there’s been some tremendous ones. There’s sort of a Mount Rushmore.”

Once the latest U.S. Olympic title was secured, Taurasi got in lots of hugs during the celebration, including with Bird, who watched this game from the opposite sideline in street clothes.

Taurasi said that she is retired now from USA Basketball even with the next Olympics in her hometown of Los Angeles in 2028.

She joked that you might see her there “on the beach with a beer in my hand sitting next to Sue.”