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Diana Taurasi, guard for the Phoenix Mercury. Photo: Getty Images. 
Diana Taurasi, guard for the Phoenix Mercury. Photo: Getty Images. 

Diana Taurasi voted by fans as WNBA’s greatest player

A recent campaign to celebrate the WNBA’s 25th anniversary allowed fans to vote on the league’s greatest player.

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Diana Taurasi, of the Phoenix Mercury, has been voted by fans as the greatest player in WNBA history, the league announced.

To celebrate the Women’s National Basketball Association’s landmark 25th anniversary, the WNBA unveiled a “Vote for the GOAT” campaign, allowing fans to have their voices heard on the league’s greatest player in history.

Beginning on Sept. 5, fans were given the opportunity to vote on the honor and fan voting concluded two weeks later on Sept. 19. 

The voting results were tallied, the announcement was made and Taurasi received the recognition just prior to Game 1 of the 2021 WNBA Finals on Sunday, Oct. 10. Her distinction being named the GOAT will have her receive a commemorative trophy of a basketball made of resin and marble. 

“Congratulations to Diana Taurasi on being voted as the Greatest WNBA player of all time by the fans who have followed her illustrious career and saw her rise above the rest,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, during the ceremony. 

“This well-deserved recognition reflects her sustained excellence on the court and her leading role in advancing the WNBA and women’s basketball and being a role model for young athletes everywhere,” she added. 

Since she was drafted by the Mercury in 2004, Taurasi — born to an Italian father who was raised in Argentina and an Argentinian mother — has built a long résumé of accolades and records throughout her 17-year career. 

She is a three-time WNBA champion, and two-time WNBA Finals MVP. She won the WNBA MVP in 2009, is a 10-time WNBA All-Star, made 14 total All-WNBA Teams, has led the league in scoring five times — including four seasons straight from 2008 to 2011. In 2006 — her first season leading the league in scoring — Taurasi averaged 25.3 points per game, which remains the highest point per game average in a season in the league’s history. 

On June 18, 2017, Taurasi became the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing Tina Thompson’s 7,488 points. She has since become the first player in league history to surpass both 8,000 and 9,000 points throughout the course of her career. 

Taurasi is also the WNBA’s leader in three-pointers made, and on May 19, 2018, became the first WNBA player to make at least 1,000 three-pointers. 

Her career averages are 19.4 points, 4.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game in 472 games. 

Taurasi was voted by fans as the WNBA’s GOAT, with active players Sue Bird, Maya Moore and Candace Parker, and retired player Tina Thompson rounding out the top five. 

In addition to the “Vote for the GOAT” campaign, the WNBA also launched “The W25,” a collection of the 25 greatest and most influential players in WNBA history, which included 10 active players and 15 retired players. 

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