Diana Taurasi still mulling over decision to retire or play another year

Diana Taurasi is still mulling over her decision whether to play another season in the WNBA or retire.

The 20-year veteran and future Hall of Famer told The Associated Press on Tuesday that she’s going to take her time on deciding what she wants to do.

“I don’t take retirement lightly. I know the minute I say it or announce it, whether it’s, you know, in a month or two months, I’m going to mean it,” Taurasi said. “I talk to (wife) Penny (Taylor) and the Mercury, so I’m still in the thought process.”

Taurasi’s season ended when the Mercury were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Lynx. She hasn’t spoken since the loss.

“I have not taken it lightly. I think about it every day. You know, I’m still in deep thought about it. I want to make the right decision., you know, and I’m just taking my time a little bit,” the 42-year-old Taurasi said. “And, you know, sometimes when the season ends, the last thing you want to think about is the next season.”

Taurasi likes the moves the team made last offseason adding Natasha Cloud and Kahleah Copper which she said made the team into a potential championship contender.

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Add to that the opening of the $100 million training center that the Mercury use now which has Taurasi’s name and logo on the courts.

“I do think with the additions (on court) we made and in the front office we’ll be there for a long time,” she said. “You know those are my sisters. I’ve gone through a lot with them. So, you know, I’ll chat with them. It’s a lot to process the season as a whole.”

Taurasi has been speaking out lately about her battle with the skin condition eczema that she’s been affected by. She’s been dealing with it since her days at UConn, where she helped the school win three NCAA championships. Taurasi began having outbreaks of red, itchy, scaly skin, which made her feel uncomfortable on and off the court.

“I’ve had to deal with for, you know, most of my life. And, you know, I’ve shared my story and you know how enduring it is,” the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer said.

“Especially when you play sports. And, you know, obviously in basketball, you’re always in a jersey and you’re exposed. And not only that, the physical part of it. And you know how itchy and red, the discomfort you feel. These are all things that I internally battled with for, for a long time.”

Taurasi has been taking Dupixent after working with her dermatologist. An estimated 2.7 million people in the US ages 6 months and older have uncontrolled moderate-to-severe eczema.

When she does decide to retire, whether it’s this year or sometime soon, Taurasi is intrigued with the idea of getting involved with ownership of a team.

“I definitely love the idea of being able to have a position where obviously you influence a team,” she said. “But more than that, just being around (owner) Mat (Ishbia) for a little bit, just seeing how he’s influenced this whole city and change the energy of what an owner can do to really the outlook of a city, the feeling of a city. The things to which he’s done with the team, it’s really the next step, I think, for female athletes.”

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball