Diana Taurasi has inspired a generation of women to hoop. However, even the greatest players have their sporting idols while growing up.
As the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer leaves no stone unturned in her recently released docuseries “Taurasi,” she reveals the legends who made her fall in love with the magic of the game. Pun intended.
Which Legends Did Diana Taurasi Grow Up Watching?
The first episode of “Taurasi,” titled “A Star in Storrs,” featured Diana and the Taurasi family discussing the legend’s childhood and how she fell in love with basketball. Born in 1982, Taurasi grew up watching the sport during an era that marked the end of the “Showtime Lakers” and the beginning of another dynasty in Chicago. So it was natural that the young DT fell in love with Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson’s skills.
“My mom [would call me], ‘Dee the game is about to start.’ I would go in my room, put the TV on and just watch. And that’s when I kind of fell in love with ’90s basketball with Magic and Jordan,” she said. “Kids read a book, I watched a basketball game. That was my book.”
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While many kids in the ’90s grew up watching the lasting legacies of Magic and Jordan, Taurasi took her fandom to another level. She didn’t just watch but actually tried to imitate the greats on her own court.
“At halftime, she’d run out to the front porch and try to copy whatever shot they just took,” said her sister, Jessika. “A lot of it came from watching, but then a lot of it came just from her natural ability.”
How Did Basketball Become Diana Taurasi’s Obsession?
While Taurasi’s father had instilled a love for soccer in his daughters, Diana and Jessika, when there wasn’t enough time for both sports, Diana chose basketball. That decision surely changed the course of women’s basketball history.
“Basketball consumed my life, and I just always wanted to do it. I just remember running home after school, eat a bowl of cereal, shoot a little bit,” said Diana. When Mario, Diana’s father, returned from work in the evenings, he had another shift lined up at home as his daughter’s basketball partner.
Diana didn’t spare her mother either. Lilliana Taurasi would often be responsible for counting free throws while her daughter refused to go back inside without making 300. Something she always managed to do.
Growing up admiring the likes of Magic and Jordan, it’s no wonder Taurasi developed the same relentless mentality that elevated these players to the status of all-time greats. And while the debate over the “GOAT” in the NBA continues to rage on, Taurasi has essentially settled that discussion in the WNBA. At least for now.
