Sue Bird Addresses Diana Taurasi’s Retirement by Sharing Her Own Experience: “Need to Let the Dust Settle”

Rumors were rife for months that veteran guard Diana Taurasi would call it a day on his glorious career at the end of the 2024 WNBA season. The 42-year-old bid adieu to the US Women’s National Team after leading the roster to their sixth straight gold medal win at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Many presumed that an announcement about her retirement from the WNBA would follow after the Minnesota Lynx eliminated the Phoenix Mercury in the first round of the playoffs.

However, Taurasi is yet to announce it and women’s basketball icon Sue Bird believes she should take her time before doing it. On the In Case You Missed It podcast, host Khristina Williams asked the four-time WNBA champion whether the 11-time WNBA All-Star had told her she would announce her retirement.

She responded that she was unaware of what her long-time friend and former teammate would decide, but provided insight by sharing her experience when she hung up her boots. She said,

“I got nothing [on Taurasi’s retirement]. I got nothing. I’m not even being coy. I can only speak from my experience, I ended up announcing during the season. Totally different experience. You really need to let the dust settle because there’s just so many different highs and lows in the emotions. It would be impossible to make a decision now.”

Bird, who won two NCAA National Championships at UConn and five Olympic gold medals alongside Taurasi, isn’t clued in about the Phoenix Mercury superstar’s decision about her future. However, the 42-year-old has been teasing retirement for quite some time.

Taurasi braced fans for her retirement

Before their final two home games of the season, the Mercury launched a campaign with the tagline ‘If This Is It,’ alluding to the possibility those would be Taurasi’s swansong in Phoenix.

Following the Mercury’s final home game of the season, the three-time WNBA champion addressed the crowd and suggested that she was mulling retirement, but wasn’t sure if she wanted to go through with it. She said,

“If it is the last time, it felt like the first time. I love you guys.“

Nike followed suit with a similar ad campaign commemorating Taurasi’s career with a post that read,

“D, if this is the last time, it was once in a lifetime.”

It’s unclear when the 42-year-old will announce that she’s retiring or returning in 2025. Perhaps she’s waiting for the WNBA playoffs to conclude to avoid stealing the spotlight from the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty. Regardless, an announcement should be forthcoming sooner rather than later.