Phoenix Mercury defenseman Diana Taurasi jumped to fourth place on the WNBA’s all-time assists list after a dime in the second quarter of Monday night’s loss to the New York Liberty.
Despite the Mercury’s loss to the Liberty, Taurasi finished the game with six assists, putting her fourth on the list with 2,354 total assists, overtaking former Connecticut Sun and Minnesota Lynx point guard Lindsay Whalen on the list.
The WNBA veterans’ success list doesn’t stop There. On August 3, 2023, she became the first player in WNBA history to score 10,000 career points following the Mercury’s 91-71 victory over the Atlanta Dream.
Taurasi and her teammates, center Brittney Griner and guard/forward Kahleah Copper, recently returned from the Paris Olympics There they played for the US women’s basketball team and won gold. Taurasi is the only basketball player with six Olympic gold medals.
The 10 best assist players in the WNBA of all time
- Sue Bird (3,234)
- Courtney Vandersloot (2,807)
- Ticha Penicheiro (2,599)
- Diana Taurasi (2,354)
- Lindsay Whalen (2,348)
- Becky Hammon (1,708)
- Candace Parker (1,634)
- Chelsea Gray (1,581)
- Cappie Pondexter (1,578)
- Tamika Catchings (1,488)
Over the course of her 20-year WNBA career, Taurasi has cemented her reputation as one of the league’s greatest players.
Just last week, the 42-year-old defender scored 23 points to lead the Mercury to an 86-68 win over the Chicago Sky. This makes her the oldest player in NBA and WNBA history to score at least 20 points and five assists without a turnover. The record was held by former NBA legend John Stockton.
Phoenix ranks sixth in the WNBA playoffs And According to ESPN, the Mercury have a 98 percent chance of making the postseason.
The Mercury will face the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday night at the Footprint Center as they continue their fight for a place in the playoffs.
