Much has been said these days about the call ‘Dream Team’ that was shown USA in the men’s basketball tournament of this Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with several NBA stars of the caliber of Lebron James, Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant.
Or the extraordinary longevity of the Spanish Rudy Fernandez (39 years old) who, after playing against Australia on Saturday, became first basketball player to play in six Olympic Games.
Well, on the American women’s team, for many, the true ‘Dream Team’ (chained seven consecutive Olympic gold medals since Atlanta’96), We found a player who matched our bets… and made them even better.
Diana Taurasi (42 years and 1.83 meters), for many the best player in historyis a real collector of records… and gold medals at the Olympic Games.
At the club level, the Californian, who is No. 1 in the 2004 draft, won it all, both in WNBA (20 seasons, all of them in Phoenix Mercurythree rings reflect him, in 2007, 2009 and 2014, in addition to the 2009 MVP and up to 11 appearances in the All Star Game), as in Europe, where he was conquered six Euroleagues.
Furthermore, in 2015 he was the star of a strange story: his team, Russian Yekaterinburg paid him to ‘rest’ in the summer and will not play in the American league.
But where Taurasi was forged many of his legends It comes with the United States shirt.
When he takes the field tonight (9:00 pm) against Japan (his participation against the Japanese is uncertain, as he is dealing with an injury to his left leg), The Glendale native will join Rudy in an elite club of basketball players with six Olympic Games. In addition, it was his 39th appearance at the Games, more than any other American.
As if that weren’t enough, Taurasi, the leading scorer in WNBA history, could be Paris the leading scorer in United States Games history: She has 414 points in her five summer games and is only 74 points away from the record held by another legend like Lisa Leslie (488).
But the brilliant base wants to go further and if the United States wins gold in Paris, it will be the only player with six gold medals in Olympic tournaments.
And since his debut at the Olympic Games, in 2004 in Athens, Taurasi doesn’t know how to finish an Olympic tournament without climbing to the top of the podium with a gold medal hanging around his neck.
For now, add five (Kevin Durant is seeking his fourth gold in Paris), a record he shares with his former teammate Sue Birdwhich also has a unique mark that the Taurasi will surpass if the United States wins the Games: being the oldest champion (42) in a basketball tournament. Bird was ‘only 40’ when he won gold in Tokyo in 2021.
Some figures that would impress anyone, but Taurasi holds with complete normality and humility: “I try not to think about it. I’m very focused on what’s next and that’s what keeps me playing for a long time. You can get obsessed with the wins, the losses, the medals, the trophies, the MVPs and all the that thing, But at the end of the day what doesn’t matter is the work you do every day, and if you continue like this, you will have a chance to win your second, third or sixth medal. Success is the result of hard work.”he said before starting the Games.
Some Games that, if there are no big surprises, will serve as an addition to the legend of an entire myth: Dina Taurasi
Source: La Verdad
I’m Jason Root, a professional writer working with Today Times Live, the premier news website. I specialize in sports writing, covering the biggest stories in the world of athletics. With an eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, I provide engaging and informative articles that capture the key elements of any event or issue. My work has been featured on numerous respected websites and publications around the world.
