Diana Taurasi

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Basketball player
United StatesUnited States/ Diana Taurasi ItalyItaly
Diana Taurasi
Information about the player
Full name Diana Lurena Taurasi
birthday June 11, 1982 (38 years 79 days)
place of birth Chino , California , United States
size 183 cm
position Guard
college University of Connecticut
WNBA Draft 2004 , 1st pick, Phoenix Mercury
Jersey number 3
Clubs as active
2005-2006 RussiaRussia ŽBK Dynamo Moscow
2006-2010 RussiaRussia Spartak Moscow Oblast
2010-2011 TurkeyTurkey Fenerbahçe İstanbul
2011–2012 TurkeyTurkey Galatasaray Istanbul
2012– RussiaRussia UGMK Yekaterinburg
WNBA clubs as active
2004–2014
2016– 		United StatesUnited States Phoenix Mercury
1 As of February 9, 2018

Diana Lurena Taurasi (born June 11, 1982 in Chino , California ) is an American professional basketball player . In 2017, she played for the Phoenix Mercury in the Women's National Basketball Association and for UGMK Yekaterinburg in the Euroleague Women and the Russian Basketball Superleague .

Player career

High school

Diana Taurasi had a very good high school career. She earned 3,047 career points during her time at Don Lugo High School. She received the Cheryl Miller Award 2000, a Los Angeles Times award for the best female player in Southern California.

College (2000 to 2004)

She came to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for the 2000–01 season . There she led the team to three consecutive NCAA Division I Basketball Championships (2002-2004). It was with the 2003 and 2004 Naismith College Player of the Year Award and the Wade Trophy Award of 2003. She was also named NCAA Player of the Year by the Associated Press in 2003 . During her college days, Diana averaged 15.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game.

Diana Taurasi graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in Sociology .

Professional basketball (since 2004)

WNBA (since 2004)

In the 2004 WNBA Draft , Taurasi was selected first by the Phoenix Mercury . She was awarded the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award after averaging 17.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists in her first season .

Although she was able to record a remarkable average of 16.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the 2005 season , the team success with the Mercury failed again.

In the 2006 season Paul Westhead was appointed the new head coach, under whom Taurasi developed into one of the star players in the league. She achieved with an average of 25.3 points per game the highest in the entire league and also set a new record on August 10 with 47 points against the Houston Comets (on July 25, 2007 Lauren Jackson was also able to reach this mark). Nonetheless, the Mercury failed to make the playoffs for the sixth time in a row. Because of her outstanding performance in the WNBA, Taurasi was honored as an Honorable Mention in 2006 when she was elected to the WNBA All-Decade Team .

In the 2007 season she reached the playoffs for the first time with the Mercury, where she was able to win the championship straight away. In the finals, the Mercury defeated the Detroit Shock 3-2 in games. Although Taurasi averaged 19.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game in these five games, she was not named the best player in the final series. After winning the championship, Westhead resigned as head coach. Corey Gaines took over his position .

In the following season 2008 Taurasi, which again ended the regular season with the best points average in the league (24.1 points per game), surprisingly missed the playoffs.

The 2009 season was the most successful for Taurasi up to this point. She was named the most valuable player of the regular season for the first time in 2009 and was also able to win the championship for the second time with the Mercury. In the finals, the Mercury prevailed 3-2 in games against the Indiana Fever , unlike in 2007, Taurasi was named Finals MVP this time .

The 2010 season ended Taurasi again with the best points average in the league, making them the third time in a row with the Peak Performer Award. Because of their outstanding performance, they made it to the playoffs again with the Mercury, where they clearly failed because of the Seattle Storm .

In the 2011 season she was the best basket hunter in the WNBA for the fourth time in a row. The team's season ended again in the Conference Finals. She was voted one of the WNBA's Top 15 Players of All Time for her achievements in the WNBA for the league's 15th anniversary in 2011 .

In 2012 Taurasi could play only a few games due to injury, and the Mercury did not reach the playoffs so weakened. In 2013 she was able to play regularly again and reached the playoffs with the team, but failed at the eventual champions from Minnesota.

In 2014 she won the WNBA championship again with the team. After the team from Phoenix had played the most successful regular season in franchise history and because they only lost once in the playoffs, the title went to the Mercury for the third time. In this successful season she was the player with the highest assist average in the league for the first time, and after the successful finals she was honored for the second time as the WNBA Finals MVP .

In 2015 she interrupted her WNBA career to focus on her assignments in Europe. This generated special attention, as she was the first American top player who renounced an appearance in the domestic league. In 2016 , she returned to Phoenix and helped bring the team back to the WNBA semi-finals. There it failed again on the Minnesota Lynx team . In the 2017 season she became the WNBA record holder for points scored. With her team, she failed again in the WNBA semifinals in 2017 and 2018 .

International (since 2005)

Taurasi has been playing for various clubs in Europe during the WNBA season breaks since 2005. Between 2006 and 2010 she played for Spartak Moscow Region, with whom she won the Euroleague Women four times . In the WNBA season break 2010/2011 she was under contract with the Turkish club Fenerbahçe İstanbul .

On December 24, 2010, the Turkish Basketball Federation announced that Diana Taurasi had tested positive for the stimulant Modafinil in a doping test in the Turkish League . Modafinil is used to improve cognitive performance due to its wakefulness and concentration-promoting effect. Your club Fenerbahçe then suspended Taurasi until the B sample was available. On January 6, 2011, the Turkish Basketball Federation announced that the B sample also tested positive for the banned substance Modafinil. Shortly afterwards, Fenerbahçe published on their website that the contract with Taurasi had been terminated. On February 16, 2011, Taurasi was acquitted of all allegations and the two-year ban on doping was lifted. The Turkish laboratory - which had already been suspended in 2009 due to irregularities - had withdrawn its findings.

For the 2011/12 season she moves to Istanbul's local rivals Galatasaray .

In 2012 Taurasi moved to the Russian top club UGMK Yekaterinburg and has since played successfully in both the Euroleague Women and the Russian Basketball Superleague .

National team (since 2000)

Taurasi was very successful in the national jersey. She won the gold medal four times with the US national basketball team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens , the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing , the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro . In addition, Taurasi won the basketball world championship with the US team in 2010 and 2014 and a bronze medal in 2006 . In 2007 she won the American Championship with the national team. She also won a bronze medal at the 2001 Women's World Junior Championships .

Achievements and Awards

Diana Taurasi in the Phoenix Mercury jersey
  • college
    • 2003 Nancy Lieberman Award
    • 2003 Wade Trophy
    • 2003 Naismith College Player of the Year
    • 2003 NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player
    • 2004 Nancy Lieberman Award
    • 2004 Naismith College Player of the Year
    • 2004 NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player
  • Europe
    • 2009 Euroleague Women MVP
    • 2010 Euroleague Women MVP

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
season team league GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG PPG GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG PPG
2004 Phoenix Mercury WNBA 34 34 33.2 41.6 33.0 76.0 4.4 3.9 17.0 - - - - - - - - -
2005 Phoenix Mercury WNBA 33 33 33.0 41.0 31.3 80.1 4.2 4.5 16.0 - - - - - - - - -
2006 Phoenix Mercury WNBA 34 34 33.9 45.2 39.7 78.1 3.6 4.1 25.3 - - - - - - - - -
2007 Phoenix Mercury WNBA 32 32 32.0 44.0 36.7 83.5 4.2 4.3 19.2 9 9 33.2 50.4 39.0 73.1 4.3 3.0 19.9
2008 Phoenix Mercury WNBA 34 34 31.9 44.6 36.0 87.0 5.1 3.6 24.1 - - - - - - - - -
2009 Phoenix Mercury WNBA 31 31 31.5 46.1 40.7 89.4 5.7 3.5 20.4 11 11 32.9 45.1 36.5 89.3 5.9 3.8 22.3
2010 Phoenix Mercury WNBA 31 31 32.2 42.7 37.4 91.2 4.3 4.7 22.6 4th 4th 31.3 47.3 54.2 81.8 5.3 3.8 18.5
2011 Phoenix Mercury WNBA 32 32 30.2 44.9 39.5 90.3 3.2 3.6 21.6 5 5 31.2 39.8 28.6 92.9 3.2 2.4 20.0
2012 Phoenix Mercury WNBA 8th 8th 20.8 43.6 39.5 90.0 1.6 2.3 14.0 - - - - - - - - -
2013 Phoenix Mercury WNBA 32 32 32.3 45.6 34.7 85.4 4.2 6.2 20.3 5 5 37.2 33.3 17.6 95.0 5.2 6.0 20.8
2014 Phoenix Mercury WNBA 33 33 30.8 45.4 36.5 87.4 3.8 5.6 16.2 8th 8th 32.4 49.2 38.6 85.3 4.3 5.8 21.9
2016 Phoenix Mercury WNBA 33 33 29.8 39.6 35.0 90.9 3.0 3.9 17.8 5 5 30.7 51.5 43.2 97.0 2.6 2.8 23.6
2017 Phoenix Mercury WNBA 31 31 28.5 40.0 38.4 91.2 3.0 2.7 17.9 5 5 31.8 40.9 35.3 76.9 2.8 3.8 17.2
2018 Phoenix Mercury WNBA 33 33 30.0 44.6 38.3 92.5 3.5 5.7 20.7 7th 7th 35.8 47.7 41.9 86.4 4.4 6.0 21.0
WNBA total 431 431 31.3 43.5 36.9 86.8 4.0 4.3 19.8 59 59 33.0 45.4 37.5 87.7 4.4 4.2 20.8

Legend for player statistics:

(GP = total games; GS = games in the starting formation; MPG = minutes played per game; FG% = throwing rate from the field; 3P% = throwing rate from the 3-point range; FT% = free throwing rate; OFF = offensive rebounds per game; DEF = defensive rebounds per game; RPG = rebounds per game; APG = assists scored per game; BPG = blocks scored per game; PPG = points scored per game)


Private

In May 2017, she married her former teammate Penny Taylor .

Web links

Commons : Diana Taurasi  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e player profile (bio) on WNBA.com. WNBA, accessed December 29, 2010 .
  2. ↑ 2004 WNBA Draft Board. WNBA, accessed December 29, 2010 .
  3. ↑ Postseason Awards: 2004. WNBA, accessed December 29, 2010 .
  4. ↑ a b c d Player Profile (Career Stats and Totals) on WNBA.com. WNBA, accessed December 29, 2010 .
  5. ↑ Sports Briefing. New York Times, August 11, 2007, accessed December 29, 2010 .
  6. ^ WNBA Announces All-Decade Team. WNBA, June 13, 2006, accessed January 5, 2011 .
  7. ^ MVP Pondexter Leads Mercury to First Title. WNBA, September 16, 2007, accessed December 29, 2010 .
  8. ^ Mercury Issue Statement Regarding Westhead. Phoenix Mercury, accessed December 29, 2010 .
  9. ↑ Diana Taurasi Named 2009 WNBA Most Valuable Player presented by Kia Motors. WNBA, September 29, 2009, accessed December 29, 2010 .
  10. ↑ Mark Bodenrader: Taurasi Embraces the Grand Stage Once Again. WNBA, October 9, 2009, accessed December 29, 2010 .
  11. ^ Diana Taurasi, Tina Charles and Ticha Penicheiro Capture 2010 WNBA Peak Performer Honors. WNBA, August 25, 2010, accessed December 29, 2010 .
  12. ↑ Seattle Storm beats Phoenix to advance to WNBA Finals. USA Today, September 6, 2010; accessed January 3, 2011 .
  13. ↑ The "white mamba" breaks the point record. In: Der Spiegel . June 19, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017 .
  14. ^ Taurasi signs for Fenerbahçe. FIBA Europe, accessed on July 23, 2010 .
  15. ↑ Jeré Longman: Taurasi May Face Olympic Ban for Positive Drug Test. New York Times, December 24, 2010, accessed December 25, 2010 .
  16. ^ Fenerbahce Terminates Taurasi Contract. FIBA Europe, January 7, 2011, accessed January 8, 2011 .
  17. ^ The Associated Press: Taurasi Cleared of Drug Accusation. The New York Times, February 16, 2011, accessed February 24, 2011 .
  18. ↑ http://www.galatasaray.org/basketbol/bayan/haber/10034.php
  19. ↑ FIFTH FIBA ​​WOMEN'S U19 / JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP - 2001. USA basketball, archived from the original on June 8, 2011 ; accessed on December 25, 2010 (English).
  20. ↑ Lauren Wood: Former Australian Opals captain Penny Taylor slams Australia's lack of progression after marriage to Diana Taurasi. In: Herald Sun . May 19, 2017, accessed September 7, 2017 .
personal data
SURNAME Taurasi, Diana
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Taurasi, Diana Lurena (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American basketball player
DATE OF BIRTH June 11, 1982
PLACE OF BIRTH Chino , California