Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi yells from the bench during action against the Dallas Wings in the second half at Footprint Center in Phoenix on July 10, 2024.

Tom Brady played in the NFL for 23 seasons. At age 43, he led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to an 11-5 record, winning Super Bowl LV, and becoming the oldest player to ever win a Super Bowl MVP. At 39, LeBron James is the oldest player to ever represent the United States States Men’s Basketball National Team and he’s still playing at a high level in the NBA. Cal Ripken Jr. holds the record for most consecutive games played (2,632), retiring from the game at 41 as one of the most revered baseball players of all time.

Most professional athletes have short career spans. Longevity in major league sports is an amazing feat. That’s why, in addition to talent, players like Brady, James, Ripken and others are so celebrated. Their ability to beat the odds and keep Father Time at bay, while still excelling at the game the love to play, is uncanny.

So why isn’t Diana Taurasi being afforded the same respect? 

Taurasi is in her 20th season in the WNBA. She’s averaging 30 minutes, 16 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting 40 percent from the field and 36 percent from 3. Her career average is 30 minutes, 19 points and 3.9 rebounds, and her shooting percentages are relatively the same. At age 42, Taurasi is still effective on the court and is as competitive as she has always been. Her consistency over the past two decades of her career is remarkable, and the fact that she is still putting up similar numbers defies the laws of nature.

Taurasi is currently in Paris, looking to lead the United States States Women’s Basketball National Team to yet another gold medal. She isn’t new to this. She’s done it five times before, winning gold in 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 (not to mention three additional goal medals at the World Championships in 2010, 2014 and 2018). 

Longevity is rare in men’s sports, and even more so in women’s sports where opportunities to have long and fulfilling careers haven’t been as readily available to the extent they are today. The WNBA itself is still shy of 30 years of existence, which makes Taurasi’s run of 20 years even more impressive. 

We marveled at Brady. We cheered Ripken. We’re currently posting memes and clips of LeBron. We hold male athletes who have accomplished lofty goals and garnered numerous accolades with such high regard, tales of their amazing athletic feats have become folklore. But when it comes to Taurasi, it’s different. Her legacy isn’t being viewed through the same lens. Instead, the narrative has centered on selfishness, as if she has overstayed her welcome, taking up a valuable roster spot on the national team, is too old to be in the WNBA, and should retire and hang up her kicks, effective immediately. 

Ahead of the national team’s 2024 Olympic debut in Paris, Taurasi had this to say about ageism and longevity in women’s sports:

“Only a woman would have 20 years of experience and it’s an Achilles heel instead of something that is treasured and used as a way forward for our sport and for women. So hopefully we can change that narrative.”

She’s right.

What Taurasi has done for women’s basketball cannot be overstated. She will go down as one of the greatest WNBA players of all time. She is the first and only WNBA player to score more than 10,000 points in her career (a record that may very well stand until Caitlin Clark is a longtime veteran), is tied for first in most 40+ point games (four), and has the most 3-point field goals made all-time (1,418).  Taurasi is also a three-time WNBA champion and a two-time Finals MVP. I’d list her overseas accomplishments as well, but I’d run out of space.

The fact that Taursi is still playing is just another chapter to her storied, legendary career. Telling her to step aside and drift off into obscurity flies in the face of everything she’s done for women’s basketball. She largely played during a time when women athletes weren’t given the same attention as their male counterparts, were paid the bare minimum, weren’t allotted endorsement deals, didn’t have their games showcased on national television, weren’t marketed in a productive way, etc.

Imagine going 20 years without even enjoying the amenities and conveniences of having a dedicated practice facility? 

That was Taurasi’s reality until the Phoenix Mercury recently unveiled a state-of-the-art facility this past month, dedicating the practice court to her. She deserves to share in some of the fruits of her (and so many other former WNBA players’) labor. Enjoying one last Olympic run hardly feels like too much to ask.

The top athletes in the world have one major thing in common. Well, two. They are extremely competitive and hate to lose. It drives them in an almost obsessive way to do whatever they can to continue playing at high level, for as long as they possible can. Taurasi knows she can’t play basketball forever. But, as she as said many times, as long as she is able to compete, she’ll continue to play. The day she steps away from the court for good is coming sooner rather than later. That’s why we should enjoy every second of her on it as we can. 

Taurasi is most likely going to leave Paris with a sixth gold medal. Think about that. Think about what it takes to accomplish something like that, to dedicate your life to something so fervently, and to do with such an absolute and unconditional love. 

Isn’t that worth celebrating?

About Lyndsey D'Arcangelo

Lyndsey D’Arcangelo is a seasoned sports writer, author and women’s sports advocate. She previously wrote about women’s basketball for The Athletic and is the co-author of Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League.