Diana Taurasi Becomes WNBA All-Time Scoring Leader

On Sunday, Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury broke the WNBA’s all-time scoring record while playing against the Los Angeles Sparks. She passed former L.A. Sparks great Tina Thompson, who held the record for the last seven years. It took Thompson 17 seasons to break the record when she did it in 2010.

It took Taurasi four seasons less to pull it off, as she is playing in her 13th season. Going into Sunday’s game, Diana needed only 14 points to break the record. She broke the record in the first half while making a layup with 45.3 seconds to go. Prior to Sunday’s game, the record stood at 7,488 points.

Diana Taurasi, so far, has played her entire WNBA career as a member of the Phoenix Mercury. During her illustrious career, she’s been able to win three WNBA Championship titles, two Finals MVP awards, and one league MVP award. She’s also made the All-WNBA First Team nine times.

Tina Thompson spoke about Taurasi’s accomplishment with high praises after she broke her record.

“She has done amazing things and I am so grateful that I’ve been able to share many of those with her. I am really excited for Diana and I think she is going to blow that record out of the water.”

Lakers’ future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant was in attendance with his two daughters on Father’s Day at the Staples Center in Los Angeles when Taurasi reached the milestone. Kobe also had high praises about Diana when speaking about her accomplishment.

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Prior to her WNBA career, Diana Taurasi was a part of the star-studded Connecticut Huskies in college alongside another WNBA great, Sue Bird. While at Connecticut, Taurasi played for legendary women’s NCAA coach Gene Auriemma.

She helped the Huskies win three consecutive NCAA Championships. By the end of her tenure, she led the team to a record of 139-8. She finished with averages of 15.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists.

Two seasons later, she was inducted into the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball “Huskies of Honor.”

Diana Taurasi has enjoyed a very successful career and will go down as one of the best to ever bless the game of women’s basketball. Throughout her entire career, her competitive spirit and ability to win on the college and pro level has solidified her a spot in the WNBA Hall of Fame.

[Featured Image by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images]