"Dee got me out": WNBA legend Maya Moore looks back at special Diana Taurasi memory, bids farewell with heartfelt note

A little over a week ago, WNBA legend Diana Taurasi announced her retirement from basketball. Taurasi spent 20 seasons playing for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA.

She now leaves as the all-time leading scorer and a three-time champion. Maya Moore, who was one of Taurasi’s rivals in the WNBA, took to Instagram to bid farewell to Taurasi with a heartfelt note:

“A rare moment where Dee got me out of my game face 🤣 Grateful to have shared the journey with you, Dee!🫶🏽 May you have even more life in this next chapter 🙏🏽” wrote Moore.

Many may not be aware that both Taurasi and Moore are UConn women’s basketball team alums. Furthermore, Moore and Taurasi also share the same birthday as both were born on June 11.

Their rivalry was surely one to remember and fans of both players often engaged in heated GOAT debates when they were at the top of their powers. With Moore and Taurasi both retired, it seems like an important era in the league’s history has come to an end.

It’ll be interesting to see who rises as the torch-bearer for the new generation of WNBA stars, with many names, including Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese being the candidates.

Diana Taurasi has a strong claim to the women’s basketball GOAT title

Diana Taurasi played a total of 565 WNBA games over a 20-year career. She finished her career averaging 18.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.

The 42-year-old is also the WNBA’s all-time leader in points and is fourth on the all-time assists list. Furthermore, she also has 10 All-WNBA first teams to her name, has won an MVP, 2x Finals MVPs and made 11 All-Star teams.

Taurasi also joins Cynthia Cooper, Lisa Leslie, Sylvia Fowles and Breanna Stewart as the only players to win multiple Finals MVPs. It shouldn’t be long before she finds herself in the WNBA Hall of Fame.

Taurasi’s resume remains unmatched and her records will likely stand for a long time to come. However, the new generation of stars breaking through in the WNBA have got a lot of fans excited.

Players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Cameron Brink made their debut last season and set viewership records for the WNBA. Now, just a season later, Taurasi has announced her retirement and it seems like the torch has been passed to the next generation of WNBA stars.