2009 WNBA Finals

File:2009 WNBA Finals logo.png
Team Coach Wins Phoenix Mercury Corey Gaines 3 Indiana Fever Lin Dunn 2
Dates:	September 29 – October 9
MVP:	Diana Taurasi (Phoenix)
Television:	ESPN2 (HD)
Referees:
Game 1: Corteau, Humphrey, Mauer
Game 2: Blauch, Gulbeyan, Price
Game 3: Brewton, Corteau, Stevens
Game 4: Brooks-Clauser, Price, Walker
Game 5: Blauch, Brewton, Price
East Finals:	Indiana defeated Detroit, 2–1
West Finals:	Phoenix defeated Los Angeles, 2–1
WNBA Finals ← 2008 2010 →

The 2009 WNBA Finals was the championship series of the 2009 WNBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Indiana Fever, top-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, faced the Phoenix Mercury, top-seeded champions of the Western Conference. The Phoenix Mercury defeated the Indiana Fever 3 games to 2 to win their second WNBA Finals title.^[1]

The Fever made their first ever appearance in the Finals. The Mercury made their third appearance in the Finals.

The Mercury's 23–11 record gave them home court advantage over Indiana (22–12).

Road to the finals[link]

Regular season series[link]

The Fever and the Mercury split the regular season series:

Game summaries[link]

All times listed below are Eastern Daylight Time.

Game 1[link]

Cappie Pondexter missed a game-winning tip-in at the fourth-quarter buzzer then scored seven of her 23 points in overtime Tuesday night to help the Mercury beat the visiting Fever 120-116 in the highest-scoring game in WNBA history.

"Well, if you didn't like women's basketball," Phoenix coach Corey Gaines said, "I think you do now."

Pondexter, frustrated and in foul trouble in the first half, scored the final five points to close out Game 1 of the best-of-five series.

Penny Taylor scored 23 points and newly crowned league MVP Diana Taurasi had 22 for Phoenix.

Katie Douglas tied it with a 3-pointer for Indiana with 7.1 seconds left in regulation, then scored eight in overtime for the Fever to reach a career playoff high 30 points. Ebony Hoffman had a career-high 27 on 12 of 14 shooting as the Fever set a franchise scoring record in just the second 100-point game in the club's history.

The Mercury and Fever each scored more points than any team previously in league history. The old mark was 115, of course by Phoenix, in an overtime victory over Sacramento on June 13.

"It was fun," Taurasi said, "kind of showing a different side of women's basketball - how high a level it is. It's fun to be in the game and I'm sure it was fun to watch."

Indiana's Tamika Catchings had just eight points before fouling out with 2:42 left in overtime but harassed Taurasi into a 5 of 17 shooting night.

Rookie DeWanna Bonner's two free throws put Phoenix ahead 105-102 with 14.2 seconds left in regulation, then after a timeout, the Fever got the ball to the open Douglas, who sank the 3 that tied it.

The lead changed hands six times in overtime. Douglas' 15-footer gave Indiana its final lead at 116-115 with 1:40 left. Pondexter scored on a drive to put the Mercury ahead 117-116 with 1:27 to go, then sank a 16-footer with 20.2 seconds to go to make it 119-116. She finally finished off the Fever by making one of two free throws with 3 seconds to play.^[2]

Ratings and viewership for Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on ESPN2 were up 39 percent (.43 rating vs. .31 rating for Game 1 of the '08 WNBA Finals) and 59 percent respectively (555,000 viewers vs. 348,000 viewers), making Game 1 the most viewed WNBA game on cable since Game 4 of the '07 WNBA Finals (Shock vs. Mercury) on ESPN2 (669,000).^[3]

Game 2[link]

Tamika Catchings fell one rebound shy of the first triple-double in WNBA finals history and the Indiana Fever beat the Phoenix Mercury 93-84 to square the best-of-five series 1-1.

After scoring just eight points and fouling out in Game 1, Catchings had 19 points, 11 assists (tying a finals record) and nine rebounds to help the Fever steal home-court advantage in the series with the next two games in Indianapolis.

"Series can swing either way really quick," Diana Taurasi said, "and it's swung in their favor pretty quick now."

The WNBA defensive player of the year for the third time, Catchings also harassed the league MVP Taurasi into a 7-for-22 shooting night. Taurasi finished with 20 points, going 2 of 10 on 3-pointers.

There hasn't been a triple-double in any WNBA game since 2005 and it's happened only once in the playoffs. When Catchings, runner-up to Taurasi in the MVP voting, needed only two rebounds in the final six-plus minutes, it looked as if she would get there. But her ninth didn't come until there was just 28 seconds to play.

The cold-shooting Mercury were without supersub Penny Taylor most of the second half. The Aussie, who scored all 14 of her points in the first half, took an elbow from Indiana rookie Briann January and left with a cut lip with 3:33 to play in the third quarter.

January, a standout at nearby Arizona State, finished with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting, 3 of 4 on 3-pointers.

The Mercury struggled on offense two nights after a 120-116 overtime victory in Game 1, the highest-scoring contest in WNBA history. Phoenix shot 39.7 percent for the game and was just 5 of 20 in the third quarter, when the Fever built a 17-point lead.

Indiana's biggest lead was 77-60 on Ebony Hoffman's 7-footer with 5.6 seconds left in the third. Temeka Johnson's 3-pointer at the buzzer made it 77-63 entering the fourth.

A late 14-5 run cut the Fever's lead to 85-80 on Taurasi's layup with 1:23 to play. But Tammy Sutton-Brown responded with a basket inside, then January and Katie Douglas put the game away with free throws.^[4]

Entering Game 3, ESPN2 was averaging a 0.36 U.S. rating (0.4 cable) and 531,000 viewers for the Fever/Mercury series, up 50% in ratings and 55% in viewers compared to the first two games of 2008's Shock/Silver Stars series (0.24 U.S., 0.3 cable, 331,000 viewers).^[5]

Game 3[link]

Ebony Hoffman hit the jumper that gave her team a one-point lead with 57 seconds left, then blocked Tangela Smith's shot with a second remaining to help Indiana defeat Phoenix 86-85 in Game 3 of the finals Sunday. The Fever took a 2-1 lead in the series and can clinch the championship with a win at home Wednesday.

Indiana forward Tamika Catchings said Hoffman has been a force since going through a slump at the end of the regular season.

"In the playoffs, she's stepped up her game and done such big things, especially in the Phoenix series, playing unbelievable, out of her mind," Catchings said. "That's awesome to see that, especially with the hard work she's put in over the years."

Hoffman, who led Indiana with 18 points, did it all with a sprained right shoulder. She left the game with 7:21 left and returned with 3:40 to play.

Catchings had 14 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, Briann January scored 17 points, and Katie Douglas had 15.

Cappie Pondexter led Phoenix with 23 points and Le'coe Willingham added 17. Diana Taurasi, the league's MVP, scored 18 points but shot 6-for-16 from the field.

Hoffman's long shot from the left corner put Indiana ahead in the final minute. Pondexter rushed downcourt and missed a layup, and Catchings rebounded. Then Indiana missed twice in close, but got the offensive rebound. January dribbled the ball out of bounds with 22 seconds left, though, to give Phoenix a final chance.

Pondexter missed a short jumper, and Catchings went for the rebound. She tried to call timeout, but Willingham tied her up and a jump ball was called.

Phoenix got the ball into Smith but her shot was blocked by Hoffman.

The final margin irked Phoenix because the Fever got a free throw when Taurasi was called for a technical foul that she didn't agree with.

Taurasi had just made a tying layup with 5:14 to play, then took the ball and put it on the baseline for Indiana to inbound. As Taurasi turned around, she ran into Douglas, who fell and briefly held her stomach.

Taurasi said the officials told her she had thrown an elbow. Taurasi disagreed, saying her head hit Douglas and the play actually messed up her bun.

Catchings made the technical free throw to take a 76-75 lead, then January was fouled on the possession Indiana gained after the technical, and she made two free throws.

"Lose by a head butt," Taurasi joked.^[6]

Through Game 3, ESPN2’s telecasts are averaging 476,000 viewers (P2+), an increase of 51 percent when compared to last year’s 316,000 viewers. In addition, the corresponding household impressions are up 50 percent (386,000 vs. 258,000) and the 0.4 rating is an increase of 33 percent over last year’s 0.3 rating.^[7]

Game 4[link]

The high-scoring Phoenix Mercury saved their season with defense.

The Indiana Fever led the WNBA finals series 2-1 and had a chance to clinch their first title in front of an active sellout crowd that included local celebrities such as Indianapolis Colts players Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne. None of that mattered as the Mercury beat the Fever 90-77 on Wednesday night to tie the series and force Game 5 Friday in Phoenix.

Indiana shot 2-for 13 in the fourth quarter, stifling any chance it had of overcoming the 72-65 deficit it faced going into the period. The Fever scored 12 points in the quarter, the third-lowest total in a fourth quarter in finals history.

Tamika Catchings, who led Indiana with 24 points and 12 rebounds, agreed that her teammates became hesitant. She said this is the wrong time for that.

Catchings shot 11-for-17 and Ebony Hoffman scored 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting. The rest of the team shot 11-for-44.

Phoenix's offense was in tune as usual. Cappie Pondexter scored 22 points, Penny Taylor added 17 points and Diana Taurasi and Tangela Smith each scored 16.

The Mercury shot 10-for-24 from 3-point range. Phoenix felt Indiana controlled the tempo and slowed it down the past two games, but the Mercury felt they regained control on Wednesday.

"Our strength all year has been in our confidence in our attack, and I felt we got that back," Taylor said. "We were playing with confidence and attacking every single time down floor, and that's hard to defend for 40 minutes."

Phoenix shot 72 percent from the field in the first quarter to jump out to a 33-22 lead. The Fever held the Mercury to 16 points in the second quarter and cut their deficit to 49-47 at the half.

Indiana tied the score at 59 on a layup by Catchings with 4:30 left in the third quarter, but Phoenix went on a quick 6-0 run to force a timeout and put the fans, who had been standing in anticipation of a Fever lead, back in their seats. The Mercury extended their lead to 72-65 at the end of the third quarter.

Indiana trimmed its deficit to 72-68 on a steal and layup by Catchings, but the Fever went cold and the Mercury pulled away with a 12-2 spurt. A 3-pointer by Taylor made it 84-70 with 2:33 to go.

Fever coach Lin Dunn was disappointed to lose at home, but focused on the fact that her team still could win the championship.^[8]

Through four games, the WNBA Finals averaged 521,000 viewers, up 65% from the 316,000 average for the Detroit Shock's three-game series sweep of the San Antonio Silver Stars, according to Nielsen data. Game 4, in which the Mercury evened matters, drew 670,231 watchers.^[9]

Game 5[link]

The core of the dynamic Phoenix Mercury is a trio as talented as any in the game.

Diana Taurasi, Cappie Pondexter and Penny Taylor - who led the team to its 2007 title - did it again in 2009, when the Mercury held off a late rally by the tenacious Indiana Fever for a 94-86 victory in the deciding Game 5.

League and finals MVP Taurasi scored 26 points, Pondexter had 24, and Taylor made two crucial free throws with 37.7 seconds left for the Mercury, who won the last two games to take the intense series 3-2.

When it was over, the three hugged in elation, and Taylor - the Australian who joined the team Aug. 1 after reconstructive ankle surgery - broke down in tears.

Tammy Sutton-Brown scored 22 points, and Jessica Davenport had a career-high 18 for Indiana in its first finals appearance. Tamika Catchings added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Fever.

Sutton-Brown pointed to the crucial home loss in Game 4.

"We had an opportunity to close it out at home, and we let that one slip away," she said, "but I think we came out and fought hard tonight. Phoenix is a great team. I think it was a great series. It was great for the WNBA."

Indiana rallied from 10 down in the second half to tie it at 80 on Sutton-Brown's layup with 4:29 to play, then Tangela Smith made two 3-pointers, her only field goals of the night, to put the Mercury ahead for good.

Pondexter's 9-footer made it 88-82 with 2:22 left, but the Fever - who had led the series 2-1 - weren't finished. Davenport's inside basket cut it to 88-84, then Catchings' rebound basket made it 88-86 with 2:07 to play.

On the Mercury's next possession, Taylor took the ball and drove the lane into a crowd of defenders. Davenport was called for the foul, and Taylor's two free throws made it 90-86. Two free throws apiece DeWanna Bonner and Taurasi provided the final margin.

Taylor added 14 points and Bonner 13 for Phoenix. Katie Douglas had her second straight rough shooting night. The Indiana star was 4 of 14 for 13 points after going 2 of 14 in Game 4. The Mercury made 10 of 17 3s.

Phoenix won it with the super-speed style that then-coach Paul Westhead used in 2007 and Corey Gaines adopted when he took over.

"When I first started coaching in the WNBA coach Westhead, who is my mentor - who we owe this championship to as much as him being here right now - he told me, `We're going to coach the players as players, not women, ball players'" Gaines said. "And it's funny how they embraced it because they enjoyed being treated that way. Instead of being treated as women basketball players, we treat them as ball players." ^[10]

The five-game WNBA Finals series averaged 548,000 viewers (P2+), up 73 percent vs. last season (316,000). The series averaged 434,000 households, up 68 percent, and delivered a 33 percent ratings increase (0.4) from last year (0.3).^[11]

Awards[link]

• 2009 WNBA Champion: Phoenix Mercury
• Finals MVP: Diana Taurasi

Rosters[link]

2009 Phoenix Mercury Finals roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Height Weight From 1.5 !G 24 USA ! Bonner, DeWanna 76 !6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 136 lb (62 kg) Auburn 1.0 !PG 2 USA ! Johnson, Temeka 63 !5 ft 3 in (1.6 m) 132 lb (60 kg) LSU 2.0 !SG 33 USA ! Mazzante, Kelly 72 !6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Penn State 5.5 !F/C 30 USA ! Ohlde, Nicole 77 !6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Kansas State 2.0 !SG 23 USA ! Pondexter, Cappie 69 !5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Rutgers 5.5 !F/C 21 USA ! Smith, Brooke 75 !6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Stanford 6.0 !C 50 USA ! Smith, Tangela 76 !6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Iowa 1.0 !PG 11 USA ! Swanier, Ketia 67 !5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) 144 lb (65 kg) Connecticut 4.0 !F 13 AUS ! Taylor, Penny 73 !6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 163 lb (74 kg) Australia 2.5 !G/F 3 USA ! Taurasi, Diana 72 !6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 172 lb (78 kg) Connecticut 4.5 !PF 43 USA ! Willingham, Le'Coe 72 !6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Auburn	Head coach Corey Gaines (Loyola Marymount) Assistant coaches Bridget Pettis (Florida) Julie Hairgrove (Arizona) Athletic trainer Tanara Oiike (California State University) Strength and conditioning coach Tanara Oiike (California State University) Legend (C) Team captain (FA) Free agent (IN) Inactive (S) Suspended Injured

2009 Indiana Fever Finals roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Height Weight From 1.0 !PG 41 AUS ! Bevilaqua, Tully 67 !5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) 145 lb (66 kg) Australia 3.0 !SF 24 USA ! Catchings, Tamika 73 !6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 167 lb (76 kg) Tennessee 6.0 !C 50 USA ! Davenport, Jessica 77 !6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Ohio State 2.0 !SG 21 USA ! Dixon, Tamecka 69 !5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 148 lb (67 kg) Kansas 2.5 !G/F 23 USA ! Douglas, Katie 72 !6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Purdue 4.5 !PF 32 USA ! Hoffman, Ebony 74 !6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Southern California 1.0 !PG 20 USA ! January, Briann 68 !5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Arizona State 5.5 !F/C 31 USA ! Moore, Jessica 75 !6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Connecticut 2.0 !SG 14 USA ! Murphy, Eshaya 71 !5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 164 lb (74 kg) Southern California 6.0 !C 8 CAN ! Sutton-Brown, Tammy 76 !6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Rutgers 3.0 !SF 34 USA ! Wirth, Christina 73 !6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Vanderbilt	Head coach Lin Dunn (Tennessee-Martin) Assistant coaches Gary Kloppenburg (UC San Diego) Jim Lewis (West Virginia) Athletic trainer Craig Stull Strength and conditioning coach Brandon Johnson (Purdue) Legend (C) Team captain (FA) Free agent (IN) Inactive (S) Suspended Injured

References[link]

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2011)

The WNBA Finals is the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the conclusion of the sport's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002.

The series is played between the winners of the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference. At the conclusion of the championship round, the winner of the WNBA Finals is presented the championship trophy. The WNBA Finals has been played at the conclusion of every WNBA season in history, the first being held in 1997.

Since 2005, the winner of the WNBA Finals has been determined through a 2–2–1 format. The first, second, and fifth games of the series are played at the arena of the team who earned home court advantage by having the better record during the regular season.

History[link]

The WNBA Finals were originally a single championship game to decide the WNBA champion. However, in 1998, after the addition of two teams, the WNBA Finals were turned into a best-of-three games series. In 2005, the WNBA Finals adopted a best-of-five format. This finale series was known as the WNBA Championship from 1997 to 2001, before changing to reflect its NBA counterpart.

Highlights[link]

• The 2003 Finals was best known for rekindling a heated rivalry between the two teams' head coaches, Los Angeles Sparks head coach Michael Cooper and former Detroit Shock head coach Bill Laimbeer. Both coaches were fierce NBA competitors who played in the NBA Finals against each other in 1988 and 1989.

• In 2001, the #4 seed Charlotte Sting was the lowest seed ever to make the WNBA Finals.

• 2006 marked the first time that a #1 seed did not participate in the WNBA Finals. Detroit and Sacramento were both 2 seeds.

• The New York Liberty have the most Finals appearances (4) without winning a championship.

• The Detroit Shock are the 3rd team to win multiple championships (following Houston and Los Angeles respectively). However, they are the first team to win non-consecutive championships.

• 2006 marked the first time that the team with the best point-differential in the regular-season didn't win the WNBA Finals or even advance to the WNBA finals. The Connecticut Sun had the best point differential in '06 but was ousted by the Shock in the Eastern Conference Finals.

• The Detroit Shock hosted the three largest crowds in Finals History (22,076 in Game 3 of 2003 WNBA Finals, 19,671 in Game 5 of 2006 WNBA Finals and 22,076 in Game 5 of the 2007 WNBA Finals)

• Only two Eastern Conference franchises have won the WNBA Finals: the 1997 Houston Comets (who moved to the Western Conference the following year) and the Detroit Shock (who are now in the Western Conference as Tulsa).

• The 2007 game-five win by the Phoenix Mercury marked the first time in WNBA history that a team won the Finals while playing on their opponent's home court.

• In 2008 the San Antonio Silver Stars became the first team in the history of the WNBA Finals to be swept in a five game series losing to the Detroit Shock.

• The 2009 Finals series saw around a 60% increase in viewership from the previous season's series.

• The 2011 WNBA Finals was the first coached by two women.

Finals appearances[link]

Statistics below refer to series wins and losses, not individual game wins and losses.

• ¹Folded following 2006 season
• ²Folded following 2008 season
• ³Relocated to Tulsa following 2009 season
• ⁴Folded following 2009 season

Active franchises with no Finals appearances[link]

• Chicago Sky - founded in 2006
• Washington Mystics - founded in 1998

Records[link]

This table shows a list of records through the history of the WNBA Finals.

See also[link]

• WNBA Playoffs
• Category:Women's National Basketball Association seasons
• WNBA Coach of the Year
• WNBA Finals MVP
• WNBA MVP
• WNBA Defensive Player of the Year
• WNBA Most Improved Player
• WNBA Rookie of the Year
• Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award

External links[link]

• WNBA.com

Diana Taurasi

WNBA's Phoenix Mercury  – No. 3
Guard
Born	(1982-06-11) June 11, 1982 (age 30) Chino, California
Nationality	American
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	163 lb (74 kg)
College	Connecticut
Draft	1st overall, 2004 Phoenix Mercury
Profile	WNBA Info Page
WNBA Teams
Phoenix Mercury (2004–present)
Non-WNBA Teams
Spartak Moscow (2006–2010) Fenerbahçe Istanbul (2010–2011) Galatasaray Medical Park (2011–2012) UMMC Ekaterinburg (2012–present)
Awards and Honors
Big East Player of the Year (2003, 2004) Wade Trophy Winner (2003) Naismith Award (2003, 2004) Nancy Lieberman Award (2003, 2004) NCAA National Championship (2002,2003,2004) NCAA Tournament MVP (2003, 2004) WNBA Rookie of the Year (2004) 5× All-WNBA First Team (2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009) All-WNBA Second Team (2005) 5× WNBA All-Star (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011) 2× WNBA Champion (2007, 2009) WNBA Most Valuable Player (2009) WNBA Finals MVP (2009)
Medal record Women's Basketball Competitor for  United States Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens National Team Gold 2008 Beijing National Team World Championship Bronze 2006 Brazil National Team Gold 2010 Czech Rep. National Team U18 and U19 Gold 2000 U18 National Team Bronze 2001 U19 National Team

Diana Lorena Taurasi (born June 11, 1982 in Chino, California) is a professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA and UMMC Ekaterinburg from Russia.^[1] In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history.

Early career[link]

Taurasi grew up in Chino, California and attended Don Antonio Lugo High School where she was the recipient of the 2000 Cheryl Miller Award, presented by the Los Angeles Times to the best player in Southern California.^[2] She was also named the 2000 Naismith and Parade Magazine National High School Player of the Year. Taurasi finished her prep career ranked third in state history with 3,047 points (behind Giuliana Mendiola's 3,069 and Cheryl Miller's 3,446). Taurasi was named a WBCA All-American.^[3] She participated in the 2000 WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored twelve points, and earned MVP honors.^[4]

Taurasi was born to her parents Mario and Liliana. Taurasi has an older sister, Jessika. Her father was born in Italy and raised in Argentina, which is also the native land of her mother Liliana. Her parents moved to the U.S. before she was born. Diana's father was a professional soccer player in Italy.^[5] He had logged several years as a goalie.

College[link]

Taurasi with President of the United States George W. Bush at a White House ceremony for, inter al., the national champion 2002–03 Connecticut Huskies.

Following a highly decorated high school career, Taurasi enrolled at the University of Connecticut (UConn) and began playing for the women's basketball team during the 2000–2001 season. Taking the court primarily at point guard and shooting guard, she led the team to three consecutive NCAA championships. Leading up to the final championship, her coach, Geno Auriemma, would declare his likelihood of winning with the claim, "We have Diana, and you don't."^[6]

Taurasi also received many personal accolades at UConn including the 2003 and 2004 Naismith College Player of the Year awards, the 2003 Wade Trophy, and the 2003 Associated Press Player of the Year award. In addition to the national recognition she received during her time at UConn, Taurasi was held in legendary status by many Connecticut fans. For example, state senator Thomas Gaffey nominated her to join Prudence Crandall as the state's heroine.^[7] She averaged 15.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in her collegiate career. During her time at UConn, her team compiled a record of 139 wins and 8 losses. Diana was a member of the inaugural class (2006) of inductees to the University of Connecticut women's basketball "Huskies of Honor" recognition program.^[8]

WNBA career[link]

Naismith Award

Following her collegiate career, Taurasi was selected first overall in the 2004 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury, a team that went 8–26 in the 2003 season. At times in her career, she had to play the 3 position or Forward (basketball) because there were shorter players in the starting five on her team. However, she mainly plays Guard (basketball).

In her WNBA debut, Taurasi netted 26 points and led the Mercury to an 84–76 victory over the Seattle Storm. For the season, the rookie averaged 17.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Although the Mercury did not qualify for the playoffs, the season was a personal success as Taurasi was named to the Western Conference All Star team and won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award.

In 2005, Taurasi averaged 16.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while battling an ankle injury. She was an All Star for the second straight year, but the Mercury faded down the stretch and again missed the playoffs.

Former NBA coach Paul Westhead became the Mercury's head coach prior to the 2006 season and brought his up-tempo style to Phoenix. Their roster was further bolstered by the addition of rookie Cappie Pondexter, the #2 overall selection in the 2006 WNBA Draft.

Taurasi at the White House

Taurasi flourished under Westhead's system, leading the league in scoring and earning a third straight trip to the All Star Game. She broke Katie Smith's league records for points in a season (741 during the 2006 season) and is tied with Lauren Jackson for most points in a game (47 vs. Houston on August 10). In 2006, Taurasi averaged a record 25.3 points, 4.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game. The Mercury finished 18–16, but after losing a tie-breaker with Houston and Seattle, it missed the playoffs.

In 2007, Taurasi finally reached the WNBA playoffs. In the first round, the Mercury eliminated the Seattle Storm two games to none. Next, they took down the San Antonio Silver Stars in a hard fought two game series. Taurasi got to her first WNBA Finals, but had to face the defending champion Detroit Shock. In a hard-fought series, Taurasi and Pondexter led the Mercury to their first WNBA title. With this victory Taurasi became just the seventh player ever to win an NCAA title, a WNBA title, and an Olympic gold medal. The others to achieve this trifecta are Ruth Riley, Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, and fellow Huskies Swin Cash, Kara Wolters, and Sue Bird.

Taurasi was a member of both the Women's 2004 and 2008 Gold medal Olympic Basketball Teams.^[9][10]

In the 2009 season, Taurasi was named the WNBA MVP and later led the Phoenix Mercury to its second WNBA championship in 3 years by beating the Indiana Fever 3 games to 2. Taurasi was named the WNBA Finals MVP as well. Taurasi is one of only two players (the other being Cynthia Cooper-Dyke), to win the season scoring title, the season MVP award, a WNBA Championship and the finals MVP in the same season.^[11] In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in the fifteen year history of the WNBA.^[12]

International career[link]

Taurasi was recruited to play for the European team Spartak Moscow. The team had finished in eleventh place in the Russian league when Shabtai von Kalmanovich decided to buy the team. Kalmanovich was a successful business man with various interests, including women's basketball. He had stopped in to see a local women's basketball team in Yekaterinburg, and "literally fell in love with the point guard, Anna Arkhipova". He ended up buying that team, but later decided to buy the Spartak Moscow Region team, and turn it into a top team. He arranged to add a number of top-notch players, who had earned seven Olympic medals between them. Many of the players were European, but the team also included Australian born Lauren Jackson and USA born Sue Bird and Taurasi.^[13]

The team would go on to win four consecutive Euroleague championships.^[14]

On December 24, 2010, Taurasi's lawyers revealed that Taurasi had tested positive for a mild stimulant while playing in Turkish Champion Fenerbahçe professional basketball team. According to her lawyer, Howard Jacobs, the positive test came from an "A" sample, and that testing had been requested on a second "B" sample. Jacobs also was quick to point out that the substance Taurasi tested positive for "was not a steroid or recreational drug." Until the "B" sample can be tested, Taurasi has been provisionally suspended from the Turkish league.^[15] In its own statement, the Turkish basketball association revealed that the WADA-list banned substance was modafinil.^[16]

On February 16, 2011, Diana Taurasi was cleared of doping allegations. ABC News indicated Taurasi was absolved from all doping allegations and can rejoin her Istanbul team following the retraction of the Turkish laboratory on its earlier finding on the former UConn star’s urine samples.^[17]

On May 16, 2012 Taurasi signed a contract with UMMC.^[18]

USA Basketball[link]

On May 12, 2004, Diana Taurasi was selected to represent the United States with the US Women's National Basketball team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.^[19] She helped the United States capture the gold medal, defeating Australia in the championship game. Taurasi represented the United States as a member of the US Women's National Basketball team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, where she started all eight games and helped lead the USA team to win the gold medal.^[20] Taurasi was the second leading scorer on the USA Women's National Basketball team at the 2006 FIBA World Championship held in São Paulo, Brazil. The USA team earned the bronze medal.^[21]

Taurasi has also earned a bronze medal as a member of the 2001 USA Junior World Championship team,^[22] and a gold medal as a member of the 2000 USA Basketball Women’s Junior World Championship Qualifying team.^[23]

Taurasi was invited to the USA Basketball Women's National Team training camp in the fall of 2009.^[24] The team selected to play for the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Olympics is usually chosen from these participants. At the conclusion of the training camp, the team will travel to Ekaterinburg, Russia, where they compete in the 2009 UMMC Ekaterinburg International Invitational.^[24]

Taurasi was named as one of the National team members to represent the USA Basketball team in the WNBA versus USA Basketball.^[25] This game replaces the normal WNBA All-Star game with WNBA All-Stars versus USA Basketball, as part of the preparation for the FIBA World Championship for Women to be held in the Czech Republic during September and October 2010.^[26]

Taurasi was one of 21 finalists for the U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball Team Roster. The 20 professional women's basketball payers, plus one collegiate player (Brittney Griner), were selected by the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee to compete for the final roster which will represent the USA at the 2012 Olympics in London.^[27]

Personal life[link]

On July 2, 2009, Phoenix police spokesman Luis Samudio says an officer stopped Taurasi at about 2:30 a.m. for allegedly speeding. A police statement says the officer smelled alcohol and gave her several field sobriety tests. Taurasi was then driven to a mobile DUI van where she gave a blood sample, then was cited and released. Authorities later said her blood alcohol level was 0.17.^[28] The Phoenix Mercury responded to this news by suspending her for two games later that month.^[29] She however was named a reserve for her fourth All-star appearance that summer.^[30] After extreme DUI and speeding charges were dropped, Taurasi pled guilty to DUI. She served one day in jail after a judge suspended nine days of the 10-day sentence.^[31] The incident had a profound effect on Taurasi.^[32]

Taurasi had a cameo role in the 2006 film Believe In Me.^[33]

Awards and honors[link]

• 2003 – Nancy Lieberman Award
• 2003 – Wade Trophy
• 2003 – Naismith College Player of the Year
• 2003 – NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player
• 2003 – Honda Sports Award, basketball^[34]

• 2004 – Nancy Lieberman Award
• 2004 – Naismith College Player of the Year
• 2004 – NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player
• 2004 – WNBA Rookie of the Year Award
• 2004 – Honda Sports Award, basketball^[34]

• 2005 – WNBA All-Star Selection

• 2006 – WNBA All-Star Selection
• 2006 – WNBA Peak Performer

• 2007 – WNBA All-Star Selection

• 2008 – WNBA Peak Performer

• 2009 – WNBA Peak Performer
• 2009 – WNBA All-Star Selection
• 2009 – WNBA Most Valuable Player Award
• 2009 – WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award

• 2010 – All-WNBA First Team^[35]

• Euroleague Winner 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
• Euroleague Women MVP 2009, 2010

Career statistics[link]

University of Connecticut[link]