November 12, 2024
Locked On Women’s Basketball: Diana Taurasi talks best UConn teams ever, Geno Auriemma’s greatness and her future
By The Next
Taurasi: 'I'm not going to make a decision [based] on trying to have the perfect fairy tale ending, because that's not life'
On today’s episode of Locked On Women’s Basketball, host Howard Megdal is joined by basketball legend and Mercury guard Diana Taurasi. They discussed Taurasi’s impressive career, especially as she once again decides whether or not to continue playing, and what she values in her legacy.
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They discussed the ever growing platform that women’s basketball players now have, and how their influence has changed over the course of Taurasi’s career.
“I think every year, every decade, there’s advancement, and then there’s things that make being an athlete challenging,” Taurasi said. “But I think right now, we’re in such a great place in women’s sports. To be a female athlete, to really push forward whatever message that you want. But at the core of it, I think there’s always that internal fight. When does it take me away from the main thing, and that’s playing basketball, and that’s the conversations that I usually have when I’m deciding to do something: is it taking away from my basketball? And I would never let that get in the way. So now that I’m just a little bit less busy, I’m letting more calls come in.”
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They also talked about Taurasi’s decision making process, and how her recent time on the court is impacting her thought process.
“I think if you try to make a decision [based] on what’s happened in the past, you’re probably going to be a little bit clouded in your judgment, and I think that’s why I’ve been taking my time,” Taurasi said. “I really want to make sure I’m making the right decision, because I know once you start saying retirement, I’m not someone who’s going to come back from retirement. I’m 42 and if I am going to play again, you know, there’s a certain amount of time and work that needs to be allotted for that. So it’s a conversation I’m having with my family, with different people, with myself, you know. So I’m just letting it kind of all settle.”
“I’m not going to make a decision [based] on trying to have the perfect fairy tale ending, because that’s not life. People always get on me because I always recommend these movies and they never have an ending. And they’re just like, ‘there’s no ending to the movie Dee’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s like, life.’ There’s no ending. It kind of just keeps happening. It keeps going with or without you, alive or dead. … So I’m just enjoying my time right now with my family, just the little things that usually I’m really stressed about because I have to get to the next thing. I’m just kind of taking my time with everything.”
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Tune in to hear more from Taurasi about her experience at UConn and her relationship with head coach Geno Auriemma, as well as some of her plans for the off-season. Make sure to subscribe to the Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast to keep learning about the WNBA, women’s college basketball, basketball history and much more!
