France's Olympic star Gabby Williams pens heartfelt farewell message for Diana Taurasi: "Honor to have shared the court with you"

Gabby Williams joined the many who reacted to Diana Taurasi’s retirement announcement on Tuesday. After much speculation, the basketball legend said in an interview with Time that she was “mentally and physically” done. The former WNBA superstar added that she was “full and happy” after building a career worthy of the greatest-of-all-time conversation.

Williams, who nearly led France to an upset win over Taurasi’s Team USA in the 2024 Olympics, wrote on Instagram:

“Honor to have shared the court with you for so many years.”

Gabby Williams reacts to Diana Taurasi's retirement with an Instagram story on Sunday. [photo: @gabbywilliams/IG]

The caption accompanied a photo of an emotional Williams hugging Taurasi after France lost to the Americans 67-66 in the gold medal game. Williams had her best game of the tournament in the loss to Team USA, leading France with 19 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists in the defeat.

Williams scored 11 of France’s 13 points in the championship showdown. After the game, she could not hold back tears as Taurasi consoled her. The two former UConn Huskies shared an emotional moment at midcourt after Team USA captured its eighth straight gold medal.

Williams and Taurasi had their share of battles in the WNBA. The French Olympic star played for the Chicago Sky in her first three seasons before joining the Seattle Storm in 2022. Taurasi had been the Phoenix Mercury franchise cornerstone since 2004 before retiring in 2025.

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Gabby Williams' Storm beat Diana Taurasi's Mercury in legend’s final regular-season WNBA game

The Phoenix Mercury’s final regular-season game in 2024 was against the Seattle Storm on Sept. 20. It was Diana Taurasi's last non-playoff game in the WNBA. Before the showdown, the Storm honored the three-time champion by wearing her Mercury jersey with a goat (greatest of all time) image printed across her iconic No. 3.

The Storm, behind Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Gabby Williams, blew out the Mercury 89-70. Williams finished with 10 points, six assists, five rebounds and one steal. Taurasi, who coasted through the game, ended with nine points, two assists and one rebound.

Seattle spoiled Taurasi’s final regular-season game, but players resumed honoring her after the contest. Williams and Taurasi, who share UConn ties, embraced briefly at midcourt.