Diana Taurasi signs multi-year contract with Phoenix Mercury

PHOENIX — Phoenix Mercury star and three-time WNBA champion Diana Taurasi has signed a multi-year contract with the Phoenix Mercury, the team announced Monday.

As Taurasi recommitted to the Mercury, General Manager Jim Pitman acknowledged the impact she has had on the WNBA during her career.

"WNBA players are more empowered and in control of their careers than ever before, and it is an incredibly important statement that Diana Taurasi has chosen to re-sign with the Mercury once again," said Mercury General Manager Jim Pitman. "Diana has given her entire career to our organization and community, and we don't take for granted her unrivaled impact on basketball in the Valley. Her commitment to getting back on the court last year, and the level of play we saw from her in the Wubble, make us confident she has more All-WNBA days ahead of her."

Taurasi, a three-time WNBA Champion, nine-time WNBA All-Star, two-time WNBA Finals MVP and 2009 WNBA MVP, has split her professional basketball career with the Mercury and several other overseas clubs.

The 38-year-old started her career in Phoenix after being selected by the Mercury with the first overall pick in the 2004 WNBA Draft and leads the organization as the all-time leading scorer.

VIDEO: Phoenix Mercury's Diana Taurasi becomes WNBA's all-time scoring leader

“As I’ve said before, as long as Diana wants to play in the WNBA, we want her in a Mercury uniform. She is the heart of our franchise, the first face on our Mount Rushmore, the best winner and competitor in the women’s game," Pitman said. "The trajectory of our organization changed the day we drafted her 17 years ago, and we are excited she will be here into the future.”

During a 2019 ESPN interview, the Phoenix Mercury star spoke about the pay disparity that exists in the WNBA.

Although Taurasi had to undergo back surgery that kept her from playing in six games during the 2019-2020 season, she returned to lead the Mercury to the league's fifth-best record while being part of the injury-depleted roster.

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