The G.O.A.T is growing the game.
For the first time in two decades, Diana Taurasi did not suit up for a WNBA season. After going first overall by the Phoenix Mercury in 2004, Taurasi hung up the sneakers after playing every single season with the team that drafted her.
During her 20-year career, Taurasi, now 43, won three WNBA titles (two Finals MVPs) alongside earning WNBA Rookie of the Year, one WNBA MVP, 11 WNBA All-Star nods, 10 All-WNBA First-Team selections, five WNBA scoring champions and more.
And that’s before getting into her winning three NCAA championships with the UConn Huskies and claiming a Team USA-record six Olympic gold medals, among several additional awards domestically and overseas.
So, what’s next for one of basketball’s icons? She’s not leaving the game behind just yet.
Taurasi is launching her Snow Valley Basketball Camp with US Sports Camps this July at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif. From July 24 to 27, girls ages 11 through 18 can register for a spot to learn from Taurasi and more highly skilled and certified USA Basketball coaches.
It’s an experience Taurasi is amped for as the spring-to-fall WNBA calendar didn’t align with children being off for summer vacation.
“Doing a camp is something I’ve always wanted to do, and I just, obviously being in the summer during the WNBA season, it’s not something I have a lot of time for,” Taurasi told NBCUniversal Local. “I just have these great memories of growing up and going to camps and learning so much about the game of basketball, about being around other people. Just to be able to be a part of one and to actually host one and run one, it’s pretty exciting.”
Taurasi has personal ties to camps from when she was still working on her game at a young age. Camps can provide kids many key skills on and off the court that can benefit them in the long run.
“I can think back on when I was young and I had mentors and leaders that I would look up to and it’s all about time and those moments when you’re in the gym and it’s little tips and tidbits that you can really pass on and, really, put the foundation of what the next generation is going to think about the game.
“For the kids, it’s skill development, it’s confidence, it’s friendship and discipline,” she said. “It’s so many things when you think about a camp and what it can do for someone at an early age.”
What advice does Taurasi have for participants?
“You’re going to come and give your best effort,” Taurasi said. “That is the one thing that’s one of the pillars that I feel like I’ve always leaned on in my career, and that’s the work ethic. You show up and you do the work. With that also comes a lot of fun. The game of absolutes, it’s at its best when you’re being creative and you’re enjoying it and you can build synergy with teammates, be around a lot of people that you don’t know and it’s going to be a great week of bonding on and off the court.”
This will mark the first camp Taurasi has hosted since retiring from the game, and hopes to expand with more in the future across the U.S. In many ways, it’s a full circle moment for the Glendale, Calif., native who used to attend Michael Jordan’s camps in Santa Barbara as both a camper and counselor.
“It’s a great way to to give back,” Taurasi said. “The game has done so much for me and my family and personally. It’s just another way to really give back to the next generation. Also, it’s the next chapter of my life. Being able to mentor these kids in a way that’s real, in a way that isn’t sugar-coated and that hopefully can help them, whether it’s basketball or anything in life.”
The WNBA is starting to reach even greater heights with the influx of young talent making immediate impacts. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese were among the standouts in 2024, while Paige Bueckers and the Washington Mystics pair of Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen are all All-Stars in 2025.
Who could be next that basketball fans should keep eyes on? Taurasi is a big fan of Sarah Strong, the UConn forward who showed plenty of potential in her freshman season.
Taurasi said Strong plays the game “the right way,” and it’s not hard to see why. The North Carolina native averaged 16.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.7 blocks on a 59/39/74 shooting split in her first campaign.
As for who will win the WNBA championship this season? Taurasi didn’t go for the reigning champs New York Liberty or the Indiana Fever, the newest Commissioner’s Cup winner.
“The Phoenix Mercury is just shocking the world right now, I’m going with the hometown team,” she said.
Here’s a look at key dates for the 2025 WNBA campaign, which will include Paige Bueckers and the new Golden State Valkyries.