“Big part of my growth”- $220,441,984 NBA Star gets candid on Diana Taurasi’s impact on his career

Basketball legend Diana Taurasi announced her retirement this week and among the many luminaries of the sport giving the all-time great her flowers was current Phoenix Suns Star Devin Booker.

On Tuesday, Booker was asked about Taurasi’s retirement and the enduring support she has shown him throughout his career, and the four-time All-Star had this to say:

“She’s been a big part of my growth in the Valley, welcoming me with open arms from Day 1. “

Booker was a fan of Taurasi’s exploits on the court, adding:

“It was truly a pleasure to be able to watch greatness right in my backyard. It kept me in Phoenix year-round to go to Mercury games."

The way Taurasi went about getting prepared has had a lasting effect on the Suns star, with Booker saying:

“Bumping into her in the weight room and seeing the preparation of an all-time great [is] something that stuck with me.”

Devin Booker says Diana Taurasi set a standard that will be unattainable for the current generation of WNBA players

Since Devin Booker arrived in Phoenix in 2015, he and Diana Taurasi clicked, a bond forged in their respective pursuits of greatness.

Speaking during NBA Media Day, Booker referred to Taurasi as a constant in his career that he hoped wasn't calling it a career yet :

“Since day one, Diana has the energy and the spirit like she's ready to play tomorrow. They say /she's retiring, I don't know, I hope not because she has always been a staple for me throughout my whole career, just even in the short conversations in passing in the locker room or passing in the weight room”

NBA: Milwaukee Bucks at Phoenix Suns - Source: Imagn

The Suns’ star’s respect for the basketball legend came shining through, as he laid down the gauntlet to the current players, asserting that the Taurasi standard is one they would fall short of.

“She [Diana] has been a historian of the game, understanding that she has paved the way for this coming generation. She set the bar so high that, you know, they probably won’t be able to reach.”

Taurasi retires as the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer with 10,646 points. In addition, she is a three-time WNBA champion, two-time Finals MVP, 14-time All-WNBA, 11-time All-Star and a five-time scoring champ. She is also a six-time Olympic gold medalist, winning in 2004 (Athens), 2008 ( Beijing), 2012 (London), 2016 (Rio de Janeiro), 2020 (Tokyo) and 2024 (Paris).