COLORADO SPRINGS (USA) - The most decorated player in Olympic basketball history, Diana Taurasi has hung up her international game shoes after two decades of balling on the FIBA stage with USA.
Her 20 years at the elite level have included six editions of the Games, as well as four FIBA Basketball World Cup tournaments.
We hit the rewind button and pay tribute by covering her most pivotal contributions.
10. A big stage arrival in Athens
It didn't take Taurasi long to announce her arrival on the global level after she showed out against China on her major tournament debut.
Making her Olympic debut at Athens 2004 she racked up an eye-catching 19 points against China. It was arguably the first time she put the world on notice of what would follow in the years to come.
9. The farewell that wasn't a farewell at all
The way Taurasi handed out 8 assists in the Olympic Final at Tokyo 2020 to go with her all-action 7 points and 6 boards said everything about the veteran's class, having captained the team and started every game.
It helped USA beat hosts Japan and provided a fabulous fifth gold medal for Taurasi in what everyone thought would be her swansong. But it wasn't her last FIBA dance at all - that would come three years later at Paris 2024.
8. Smarts in Istanbul helps USA get it done
For all the noise and star dust that blows around Taurasi, she had often made an emphatic point of demonstrating just how much Team USA comes first. No more so than in the Final of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2014 in Türkiye.
Not having her best shooting night with 6 points, the guard passed the rock 8 times against Spain and that meant another gold, as well as finishing with a team-best 27 assists in the competition for the champions.
7. Party time in Rio
It was Olympic gold number four for Taurasi at Rio 2016 and it was not exactly a surprise that she was at the heart of that success. Not least, because she was hugely influential in the title game against rookie Finalists, Spain. Finishing with 17 points, it came from a brilliant 5 of 7 performance from behind the three-point line.
6. Loving life in London with near perfection
Buoyed by the arrival of her mentor Geno Auriemma as USA's head coach, the London Olympics had Taurasi operating in a high gear and happy to be the centerpiece of the team.
She was unstoppable against China in the Group phase and recorded a near flawless display in netting 22 points - missing just one shot in the entire game. She also grabbed 4 steals for good measure.
5. No deja vu in Czechia
On Taurasi's first ever international competition in a USA vest at the 2001 World Championship for Junior Women, she was left gutted when her team were beaten in the Semi-Finals by host nation Czechia. Played out in front of 4,500 fans, it was an incredible game and one that always stuck in the mind of the guard.
Fast forward almost a decade later and against some of the same players, USA were on Czech soil again. In front of another noisy home crowd at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2010. Taurasi was not going to be denied this time. She produced a super smart 16 points, 2 assists and 2 steals in the Final for the first of three World titles.
4. An Olympic high tide mark in Rio
Her highest ever total during her six Olympic trips came at Rio 2016, when she was part of a team that Taurasi has descibed as the best USA team ever. She racked up 25 points in a Group game against Serbia, firing six scores from downtown and also handing out 6 assists.
This was part of the reason why she led USA at the tournament in scoring with 15.6 points per game and also in three-pointers, converting a staggering 57.9 percent (33 of 57).
3. The bitter-sweet feeling of a rare bronze in 2006
It will be of zero comfort to Taurasi that you could argue her best ever display in terms of numbers came straight after the only major loss of her USA career. Shocked by Russia in the Semi-Finals of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2006, Taurasi was on a mission in the Third Place Game against Brazil.
She torched the hosts with a mind-blowing 28 points in just 16 minutes, making six triples from seven attempts to secure USA bronze. This was the USA FIBA World Championship single-game record for made 3-pointers.
2. Tormenting the Belgian Cats
New kids on the block Belgium were sensational on their FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup debut in 2018. With people wondering if they really could upset the USA in the Semi-Finals, Taurasi turned up the noise in Tenerife with a big-time effort and one of her best in a USA jersey.
She dropped a massive 26 points to propel USA past the Cats and to the Final where they ultimately claimed another title. Taurasi also landed All-Star Five honors at the event.
1. Revenge against Russia after a two-year wait
Taurasi has spoken extensively about how sore she was losing to arch rivals Russia in the Semi-Finals of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2006. She had to wait two whole years to dispense payback, perhaps made sweeter by the fact that she was playing club basketball in Russia at the famous Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje club.
USA would again face Russia in a Semi-Finals clash - this time at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. With Taurasi having counted down every day for the opportunity to extract revenge, she was predictably on fire with a performance out of the top drawer against an excellent opponent - dropping 21 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. She also finished her time in Beijing with a perfect 15 of 15 from the free-throw line.
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