Taurasi Says She’d Love To Be A Mercury Owner As Her No. 3 Is Retired
Phoenix celebrated a "golden day" as the Mercury retired Diana Taurasi's No. 3 jersey, inducting her into the Ring of Honor. The ceremony honored her 20-year career, which included three WNBA championships and a profound impact on the league's growth. Owner Mat Ishbia praised her contributions, while Taurasi herself acknowledged the definitive end of her playing era. She also expressed a strong desire to join Mercury ownership, reflecting her deep connection to the city. The event highlighted the financial disparities of her playing career, as her earnings were modest compared to current WNBA salaries and team valuations, having retired before the recent CBA salary cap increase. Despite this, her legacy as a "platinum variety" athlete and a true Phoenician was unequivocally celebrated.
PHOENIX – There are days and then there are extra special golden days. Sunday at Mortgage Matchup Center was one of those very special ones.
The Mercury retired Diana Taurasi’s magic No. 3 and unveiled it in the Ring of Honor high above the basketball court during an inconsequential loss to the Portland Fire.
“The WNBA is taking off, and it wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for DT and the work she put in and the great things she did,” Mercury and Suns owner Mat Ishbia said just as the halftime Ring of Honor ceremony was tipping off. “And by the way, she’s brought [us] three championship banners.”
That happened in 2007, 2009 and 2014 during Taurasi’s 20-year tour with the Mercury. Taurasi retired nearly two years ago, but she made it clear Sunday was a defining point for her
“Today feels different,” she told the media before the event. “When your number goes up there you can’t use it anymore. It’s done. So, if there was any little bit of competitiveness left in me, it goes up in the rafter with the number, and it feels really good to know that.”
The event was replete with testimonials for one of the most consequential athletes in Valley professional sports history. Plus, Taurasi was glib and funny thanking everyone from her mother, father, Ishbia and her significant other, fellow Ring of Honor member Penny Taylor, in a 30-minute postgame speech.
“It would be huge [to be part of ownership someday]. Obviously when you spend 20 years anywhere, especially in a place like this, where you feel like it’s family, it’s home. I put in all my hard work here. My family is here. I feel like a true Phoenician. It would mean the world to me. If that happens down the road it would be a dream come true.”
The real question is where the money for that kind of investment would come from? According to figures provided by Spotrac, Taurasi earned a total of $1.4 million for her playing career, 45th on the all-time list. That doesn’t quite equate with the fact that she’s the top all-time WNBA scorer and is generally ranked, if not as the league’s best, but certainly among the top three.
Cobble together her endorsements and playing overseas and her total earnings come to about $10 million.
The Mercury were recently valued by Forbes at $445 million, just above the league average of $414 million. But the Mercury are not a separate entity from the Suns, who Forbes valued last season at $5.4 billion.
Unfortunately for Taurasi, she retired before the WNBA players and owners recently negotiated a new CBA, which raised the salary cap from $1.5 million to its current $7 million a year per team. Taurasi’s Mercury salary for her final 2024 season was $235,000, at the same time star guard Devin Booker earned $50 million playing for the Suns.
“Yeah, I mean, in the last five years you see where the CBA has come,” she said. “We now have million dollar salaries. And to finally get that respect where you don’t have to go overseas and play means a lot. And when you see that type of value that means there’s a lot of different avenues created for other people to be involved in the WNBA.
“We’ve seen that growth in the last four or five years times 10. It’s really important to understand that everything is fragile. You have to make sure you stay with integrity regarding what this league’s about. This generation is outspoken and so strong, and it’s in good hands.”
Those big money times, though, passed her by.
But let’s be frank, there haven’t been many athletes who have played their entire career with one of the Phoenix sports team. Larry Fitzgerald, who was just inducted into the Pro Football of Fame, is one of them, having played 17 years with the Cardinals.
Alvan Adams, a Suns center, has his No. 33 hung up there in the Ring of Honor and played his entire 13-season NBA career in Phoenix. None of the other 12 players honored by the Suns did.
Shane Doan played 21 seasons for the Coyotes, 20 of them after the NHL team moved west from Winnipeg in 1996. He holds the franchise record for goals (402), assists (570), points (972), game-winning goals (69) and games played (1,540).
There was a now ancient night in 2019 when Doan’s No. 19 jersey was lifted to the rafters of what was then called Glendale’s Gila River Arena, but it was then boxed up and left in a dusty crate when the Coyotes fled for two seasons to Mullett Arena. On April 17, 2024, the night the Coyotes left for good to Salt Lake City, the banner was returned to Doan by Mathew Jacobson, a former employee in the Glendale Arena.
Taurasi’s honor is not bitter sweet. She’s the sixth Mercury player to have her number retired, and is the real deal, the platinum variety.
“I knew it was going to be a great day just the way our ownership and organization does things,” said Nate Tibbetts, who was fortunate enough to have Taurasi on the floor in 2024, her last season at 42, and his first as Mercury head coach. “It was awesome to have the opportunity to coach her and see [the fans] support her and what she meant to the Valley. That season was special, but I can’t imagine how good she would have been at 30.”
Those were the days, of course, and ultimately what Sunday’s golden Ring of Honor ceremony was all about.