Diana Taurasi, the undisputed GOAT of Olympic basketball: six golds!

The eternal Diana Taurasi He is now alone in history, standing alone at the top like a picture of the Eiffel Tower in the background in Paris after reaching unprecedented heights in successive metals: yesterday he was crowned the best of all Olympic basketball , men and women six gold

Taurasi, 42 yearsis equivalent to another legend such as Sue Bird with five gold medals and, because greatness is forged through suffering, Team USA’s dramatic victory over France to avoid tragedy (67-66) he awarded him the sixth. Athens, the cradle of civilization, saw the base that began to build its Olympic reign in 2004 only to expand it further in Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020 to Paris 2024.

“Wearing this shirt all the time 20 years It is truly a dream come true. It’s an honor to share the court with the best in the world for 20 years,” Taurasi said in remarks reported by the Associated Press. Kevin Durant He is the most successful in men’s basketball with four golds.

Unlike the five previous titles, the saga of Phoenix Mercury He did not have a very important role on the court in the French capital and did not play a single minute in the final. Taurasi played 11 minutes on average without leaving any impact numbers. But his influence off the court to keep a Team USA reign intact that won an eighth straight gold was even more important.

“He showed everything,” highlighted the United States coach. Cheryl Reeve. “And in his last Games the mark he leaves in terms of leadership and just sharing the knowledge that he has,” added Reeve.

A knowledge that played a part in its impact on Team USA’s survival exercise, barely saved by a few centimeters from going into extra time, since the final shot of Gabby Williams It only counted a throw of two when he stepped on the line. Diana Taurasi offered her perspective on that final where the women’s Team USA was closer to losing their world throne than the men against the host.

“It’s a good team from France with a lot of people. We found a way to win and in the end, that’s what it comes down to in these types of games, finding a way to win. You think it’s going to be good and every shot will go in, but the desire to win is sometimes what you need to win,” reflects the best basketball player in Olympic history, The ancestors of Argentina.

Diana Taurasi ended with this unprecedented finish in a career in which she also won three World Cups, three rings of the WNBA with the Phoenix Mercury where she hasn’t moved since 2004 and six Euroleagues, four with Spartak Moscow and two with Ekaterinburg.

To put the successful longevity of the 2004 No. 1 draft pick in a better context, Taurasi has been part of Team USA’s massive 61-game winning streak since the 1996 Atlanta Games. Barcelonain 1992, was the last to see the United States lose a match, in the semifinals against Unified Team at that time.

Taurasi’s figure is truly astounding for a WNBA star like Breanna Stewart in her prime.

“How many wins has he had in 60? “I don’t know, it’s not in my mind,” said the player of the New York Liberty.

“But she continues to come and appear and be the GOAT that she is, and whether in different roles like when she was starting or now, she is one of the best she has ever played. And I think that for us, we are just happy to share the court with her and make sure that we go out and do this for her,” emphasized Stewart, one of the leaders of this Team USA along with Napheesa Collier, A’ja. Wilson or the former from Perfumerías Avenida Kahleah Copper along with his paper from the bank.

With a fierce long-term competition and a non-negotiable commitment to society with its support for the community LGBTIQ+ As one of the clearest examples of this, Taurasi has yet to specify a date for his retirement, but he sees himself enjoying the Games in his native Los Angeles as a spectator rather than on the court:

“You might see me on the beach with a beer sitting next to Sue (Bird).”

But in the story no one sits next to him.