Diana Taurasi

Position: Guard/Forward
Height: 6'0" / 183 cms.
Weight: 165 lbs. / 75 kgs.
WNBA Team: Phoenix Mercury
School: University of Connecticut ‘04
Hometown: Chino, California

USA Basketball Notes:

• Gold Medals: 2012 Olympics, 2010 FIBA World Championship, 2008 Olympic Games, 2008 FIBA Diamond Ball Tournament, 2007 FIBA Americas Championship, 2007 FIBA Americas Championship, 2004 Olympic Games, 2000 Junior World Championship Qualifying Tournament.
• Silver Medal: 2007 FIBA World League Tournament.
• Bronze Medals: 2006 FIBA World Championship, 2001 Junior World Championship.
• Honors: 2006 & 2010 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year, named to the five-member 2010 All-FIBA World Championship Team, awarded the 3-point trophy at the 2006 World Championship, named to the five-member 2001 FIBA All-Junior World Championship Team, was the July 2001 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Month.
  
• Member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Women's Basketball Team that posted an 8-0 record and earned the gold medal in London; started all eight games and averaged a team-leading 12.4 ppg., while adding 3.0 rpg. and a tam second-best 2.9 apg.
• Ranked second among the 12-team field in London for free throw percentage (.960) after hitting 24-of-25 from the line.
• In the USA's closest contest, an 86-73 semifinal victory over rival Australia, scored a team-high (tie) 14 points.
• Owns the U.S. Olympic record for most 3-point field goals made with eight, a feat she has accomplished three times, once in each of her Olympic appearances.
• Currently ranks fifth all-time among U.S. Olympic career record holders for points (254) and assists (50), eighth for rebounds (79), third for free throw percentage (.936) and seventh for 3-point field goal percentage (.396) through three Olympiads.
• Aided the 2012 USA National Team to a 5-0 pre-Olympic exhibition slate; started all five games and averaged 10.6 ppg. and 3.0 apg.
• Member of the 2010 USA Basketball World Championship Team that posted a 9-0 slate, captured the gold medal and qualified the U.S. for the 2012 Olympic Games; started all nine games, played fewer than 21 minutes a contest and averaged a team-high 12.0 ppg., dished out a team second-best 2.6 apg., shot a sizzling 50 percent (14-28 3pt FGs) from 3-point range and was named to the all-tournament team.
• Aided the USA to a 3-1 pre-World Championship exhibition slate, arrived in Hartford, Conn., after being eliminated in the playoffs just in time to suit up for the USA’s first game.
• Scored nine points for the USA National Team that defeated the WNBA Stars 99-72 in the “WNBA vs. USA Basketball: Stars at the Sun” game on July 10, 2010.
• Named to the 2009-12 USA National Team on Aug. 17, 2009.
• Member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team that captured the USA’s fourth consecutive gold medal with a perfect 8-0 record and qualified the U.S. for the 2010 FIBA World Championship; averaged a team second-best 2.4 apg.
• Twice was the team’s high scorer, including 21 points in the USA’s semifinal win over Russia.
• Aided the USA to the 2008 FIBA Diamond Ball gold medal and a 3-0 slate prior to the Olympics against Latvia and eventual Olympic bronze and silver medalists Russia and Australia, respectively; was named to the All-Tournament Team.

• Is one of only eight players to have earned a World Championship gold medal, Olympic gold medal, an NCAA title and WNBA championship (Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Tamika Catchings, Cynthia Cooper, Maya Moore, Sheryl Swoopes and Kara Wolters).
• Started all eight games of the USA's 2007 College Tour, averaged team bests of 14.8 ppg. and 4.3 apg.
• Aided the 2007 USA Select Team to a 3-2 record and the silver medal at the 2007 FIBA World League Tournament in Ekaterinburg, Russia, averaged a team-high 14.6 ppg.
• Member of the 2007 USA FIBA Americas Championship Team that playued in Valdivia, Chile, posted a perfect 5-0 slate, captured the gold medal and qualified the U.S. for the 2008 Olympics.
• Attended part of the USA's 2007 Tour of Italy training camp, but was unable to compete due to her team's EuroLeague schedule.
• Member of the 2006 USA World Championship Team that posted an 8-1 record in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and took home the bronze medal; started all nine contests and was the team’s high scorer in three games, including 21 points in the semifinals versus Russia and 28 points in the bronze medal game versus host Brazil.
• Earned the ‘08 World Championship tournament's 3-point trophy after nailing 50 percent of her 50 attempts from afar.
• Her 6-of-7 shooting from 3-point in the bronze medal game set the new USA World Championship single-game record for made 3-pointers and tied the record for attempts.
• Aided the U.S. to a 56-49 exhibition victory over eventual World Championship gold medalist Australia.
• Member of the 2006 USA National Team for its March 2-9 European Tour as the USA posted a 3-0 mark.
• The youngest player on the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team that went 8-0, claimed gold in Athens and qualified the U.S. for the 2006 FIBA World Championship.
• Helped the USA to a 3-0 pre-Olympic exhibition record.
• Joined the 2004 USA National Team less than 48 hours after
  winning her third NCAA title and averaged 9.0 ppg., 2.3 rpg. and 4.0 apg. in the USA's three spring exhibition games.
• Member of the 2001 USA Junior World Championship (U19) Team that posted a 6-1 record and earned the bronze medal in Brno, Czech Republic; was named to the five-member All-FIBA Junior World Championship Team.
• Prior to the Junior Worlds, helped the U.S. women capture the USA Basketball International Invitational with a 4-0 record against Brazil, China and Japan.
• Member of the 2000 USA Basketball Women's Junior World Championship Qualifying (U18) Team that recorded a 5-0 record in Mar del Plata, Argentina, earned the gold medal and received a berth in the 2001 Junior Worlds.

Professional Notes:

• Drafted: No. 1 overall in 2004 by the Phoenix Mercury.
• WNBA titles: 2007, 2009
• WNBA MVP: 2009
• WNBA Finals MVP: 2009
• All-WNBA first team: 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
• All-WNBA second team: 2005
• WNBA All-Star Games: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011
• WNBA Rookie of the Year: 2004
• WNBA All-Decade Team honorable mention: 1997-2006
  
• Top 15 Players in WNBA History (15th Anniv. Team): 2011
• WNBA Scoring Champion: 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
• EuroLeague All-Star Games: 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010
• EuroLeague titles: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
• EuroLeague Finals MVP: 2009, 2010
• EuroLeague Scoring Champion: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
• Currently competing in 2012-13 EuroLeague action alongside Candace Parker for UMMC Ekaterinburg (Russia).
• Sat out most of the 2012 WNBA season due to injury.
• Played alongisde Tina Charles for Galatasaray (Turkey) and led the EuroLeague for scoring for the fourth-straight season, averaged 20.9 ppg., while helping lead Gala to the EuroLeague Final Eight.
  
• Played seven EuroLeague contests for Fenerbache (Turkey) in 2010-11, during which time Fener went undefeated.
• Aided the Mercury to the 2011 Western Conference Finals.
• Averaged a EuroLeague best 24.9 ppg. in leading Spartak Moscow Region to a perfect 16-0 record and the 2009-10 EuroLeague championship.
• Led the 2009-10 EuroLeague in scoring from start to finish.
• Named 2009 WNBA Finals MVP after averaging 20.4 ppg., 6.8 rpg., 2.8 spg. and 1.6 bpg. during the ‘09 Finals.
• Led the league for scoring in 2009 after averaging 20.4 ppg. in leading the Mercury to a league-best 23-11 mark, and was the leading vote-getter for 2009 All-WNBA honors.
• Spent a total of four seasons playing for Spartak Moscow Region with USA teammate Sue Bird, also played alongside Tina Thompson (2006-07 and 2007-08) and Sylvia Fowles (2008-09, 2009-10) and helped Spartak capture four consecutive EuroLeague championships.
• Scored at a clip of 24.1 ppg. in 2008 to lead the league.
• Helped the Mercury to a league second-best 23-11 record in 2007; averaged 19.9 ppg., 4.3 rpg. and 3.0 apg. during the WNBA Playoffs in leading the Mercury to the ‘07 WNBA title.
• Led the league in scoring in 2006, averaged 25.3 ppg.
• Became the first WNBA player to reach the 800-point mark in a single season, finishing the 2006 campaign with 860 points;
  bettered the previous marks (23.1 ppg., 739 points) established in 2001 by Katie Smith.
• Competed during the 2005-06 season for Moscow Dynamo and helped the club reach the 2006 EuroLeague quarterfinals.

College Notes:

• All-told, in her collegiate career, helped the University of Connecticut Huskies to a 139-8 (.946) overall record, including an equally impressive 22-1 (.957) mark in NCAA tournaments, winning three in her career, along with four Big East Conference regular season and two Big East Tournament crowns.
• Became the fifth two-time winner of the Naismith Player of the Year award after earning honors in 2003 and 2004, also collected the Honda award in 2003 and 2004.
• Awarded the 2003 Wade Trophy, and was named the 2003 Player of the Year by the Associated Press and U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
• Collected 2003 and 2004 Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors after capturing her second and third straight titles, was named the 2001, 2003 and 2004 NCAA Tournament Region MOP and in 2002 was an NCAA All-Regional selection.
• A three-time All-Big East Tournament pick, was the league's first rookie to collect All-Big East Tournament MVP accolades.
• Named 2003 and 2004 Big East Player of the Year and three times (2002-04) to the All-Big East first team.
• Named to the Big East Silver Anniversary Team, the only then-current student-athlete selected to the squad.

Personal Notes:

• Born on June 11, 1982, in Glendale, California, hails from Chino, California, and majored in sociology at UConn.
• Daughter of Mario, who was born in Italy and raised in Argentina, and Liliana, a native Argentinian; has one sister, Jessika, who played basketball at UC Riverside.
• Her father played professional soccer as a goalie.
• Her family moved to Southern California before Dee was born, but she can speak Spanish thanks to her parents.
• Attended Don Lugo High School (Calif.), where she was named the 2000 Naismith and Parade Magazine National High School Player of the Year.
• Makes some killer stuffed bell peppers and is a true jokester when she's not playing some serious basketball.
• First overseas was in 1996 when the USA Junior World Championship Team went to Mar del Plata, Argentina.