‘If this is it’: Diana Taurasi celebrated during Phoenix’s regular season finale

Game day arrived and began much like any other game — with shoot around. The mid-morning light flooded into the Mercury’s brand new practice facility as sneakers squeaked on the courts, both named after Taurasi. Players joked around and got shots up as coaches and trainers attended to their duties. To end the shoot around, everyone on the court, including team staff and practice players, took turns taking halfcourt shots until guard Sophie Cunningham finally ended it with a swish.

As practice concluded and players filed out of the facility in their street clothes, Taurasi’s long-time teammate Brittney Griner spoke briefly with the media. Predictably, the first question she got was about the inevitable end of Taurasi’s legendary basketball career. Notably, Griner was quick to deflect any speculation that Thursday night’s game would be farewell. Instead, she quickly pivoted to the upcoming playoffs.

“Man, I don’t know when that day is gonna come, but it would mean everything for this organization to get another championship … For Dee, I mean, it would mean everything to get her one as well,” Griner told reporters.

Several hours later, as gametime approached, a sizable crowd gathered outside of Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix. It was a sea of Taurasi jerseys that spanned her many eras in Phoenix, and more than a couple goat-themed accessories.

Fans anxiously waited for the doors to open, hoping to be one of the first 2,500 fans in the door, guaranteeing receipt of a limited edition DT bobblehead. Seated on the dais of the press room, nestled in the basement of the Footprint Center, head coach Nate Tibbetts addressed the media.

“It’s going to be an awesome night. I know the [fans are] going to show their love. And I mean, 20 years with one team, and all the accomplishment she’s had is just — you know, it’s probably never going to be done again. And so we’re seeing greatness in a way that will never maybe be repeated,” Tibbetts said.

When the doors opened about 90 minutes before tipoff, fans flooded into the arena and took their seats, each one lined with a custom Taurasi t-shirt. There was an air of nostalgia in the air as music blared and players warmed up on the court. Scorch, the Mercury’s mascot, descended from the ceiling as the pregame clock ticked to zero. When it was time for starting lineups, four Mercury starters ran out on the court wearing throwback, commemorative Taurasi jerseys over their warmups. When it was finally time for Taurasi’s arrival, the PA announcer took his time.

As her name was called, Taurasi hopped up from the bench, signature bun firmly in tact, and was embraced by a warm embrace of applause.

Fittingly, Phoenix’s first basket of the game was a Diana Taurasi 3-pointer. The action on the court was not, however, the story of Thursday evening’s game. Both Seattle and Phoenix had secured their playoff seeds — No. 5 and No. 7 respectively — and the coaching staffs on both benches seemed content to largely rest their starters for Sunday’s playoffs. The game, ugly at times, was broken up by commemorative videos of key moments in Taurasi’s career: her three WNBA championships, her 2009 MVP award, the six times she stepped on the podium as an Olympic gold medalist and even some highlights from her UConn days.

The crowd, affectionately known as the X-Factor, held its collective breath with each shot Taurasi took, and showered their star with gratitude each time she entered or exited the game. On the night, DT scored 9 points while contributing two assists, one rebound and one steal in 18 minutes of play. She didn’t start the fourth quarter and was seated on the bench in her warmups, seemingly done for the day. Then, with 3:11 minutes remaining in the game, she reluctantly checked back into the game for one last appearance on the court.

“I did not really tell her the plan,” Tibbetts told reporters afterwards. “We started to tell her with about seven minutes to go, and she did not want to go in, but she gave into peer pressure from her teammates and coaching staff. And, yeah, I mean, in a moment like that, obviously it’s for her, but it’s for these people that have supported her for 20 years. And I’m glad she decided to do it, because that’s something that she deserved, for sure.”

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After remaining on the court for just six seconds, Taurasi checked out of the game for what could be the last time ever on Phoenix’s home court. She went down the line on the bench and, starting with her parents seated courtside, greeted each and every person with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Before the game ended, the PA announcer told fans to remain in their seats for a special postgame ceremony. As the final buzzer sounded, the arena lights went dim and a “Dear Dee” dedication video played for several minutes on the jumbotron. Starting with Taurasi’s wife and former teammate Penny Taylor, the video featured family and friends reading something of a love letter to DT for all she’s done for the franchise, the WNBA and women’s basketball as a whole.

When the video was finished, Taurasi took the microphone and addressed the X-Factor. Fans hung on every word as their franchise mainstay thanked them for two decades of love and support. Taurasi’s children, Leo and Isla, stood next to her as she spoke. Leo was enjoying his moment on the jumbotron, jumping on DT’s back until she finally looked at him with a parental glare and said, “Dang, Leo,” prompting laughter from the crowd.

As she made her remarks through watery, teary eyes, a close circle of family, friends, former teammates and coaches — including UConn coaches Geno Auriemma and Chris Dailey — gathered nearby on the court. The feeling in the arena was one of familial closeness, as family and fans alike showed their appreciation for Taurasi.

“I want to thank every single coach, every single player, every single person that’s put on a WNBA jersey because it takes a village — and our league is about uplifting each other at every turn,” Taurasi said to the crowd.

Through it all, Taurasi spoke with the joy and lightness of a kid who just loves to play basketball. Even after a 20-year career of riding the waves of the WNBA’s at times tumultuous growing pains and the grind of spending months at a time competing across the globe, DT’s innocent love of the game shone through.

Before placing the microphone at center court and greeting her many loved ones in attendance, the future Hall of Famer had one final statement for the adoring crowd.

“If it is the last time,” Taurasi said through her classic wry smile, “It felt like the first time.”

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