Diana Taurasi seeks to be more present in retirement

Diana Taurasi was almost always on the go physically if not mentally during her legendary career. If she wasn’t playing basketball, she was usually thinking about playing, practicing or mentally focused on the next game, trip or task.

The strict dedication paid off for Taurasi, the most accomplished women’s basketball player in history. Whether in the WNBA or at the Olympics, Diana Lorena Taurasi’s body of work stands above all the great ones. 

She capped her Olympic career last summer with her record sixth gold medal, the most by a U.S. basketball player, male or female. She returned from the Paris Games to finish her 20th and final season in the WNBA.

Now, the daughter of immigrants from Argentina is focused on being present, especially at home.

“You know my goals are really small,” she said on Our Esquina’s Latino Excellence podcast. “They’re very, benign, just to be present. You know, for a long time, I would be home with my family or with friends, and my mind was always on the game: ‘Training tomorrow. Who do we play tomorrow? I can’t do this because I have to rest for a game.’”

Coach Diana Taurasi

The three-time WNBA champion and three-time NCAA national champ at UConn began playing basketball at 5 years old. She ended her career at 42. Just as the WNBA tipped off a season without Taurasi for the first time since 2004, Taurasi was capping off her first season coaching a team of first-graders this past weekend.

“Now I’m just trying to really be here with my family,” she said. “I’ve really enjoyed the little moments, taking my kids to school, bringing them back. I coached my son’s first-grade basketball team this year. Our last game was on Sunday. You know, all those little things that I didn’t have the time to do.

“Nor did I have the patience, to be honest, because I was always just ready to go and pursue what I had to do with my career. So it’s been nice to be able to be present and just be here with my family and then try to golf a little bit more, which is not working out that well.”

Taurasi was one of the most popular players in the WNBA during her 20-year career with the Phoenix Mercury. Brands rushed to associate with the fiery, charismatic star.

Taurasi, who has dealt with eczema her entire life, is still endorsing products. She recently partnered with Sanofi and Regeneron to amplify her experience fighting eczema. Taurasi has struggled to control her eczema, atopic dermatitis, “which causes more inflammation under the skin than normal. This inflammation can lead to itching and rashes on the skin’s surface.”

Dupixent use

At her dermatologist’s recommendation, Taurasi began using Dupixent, known as dupilumab.

“Eczema is something that affects millions of Americans every single day,” she says. “And it was something that, to me, was one of these inner battles that people don’t get to see when you’re on the court or you’re playing in these high-stakes games on national TV.

“Meanwhile, I’m having these little battles every single day with eczema. And you know something? I just couldn’t get it under control.”

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The battle with eczema is a daily one for Taurasi and an estimated 2.7 million people in the U.S. Stardom doesn’t shield athletes from everyday realities. 

With her basketball career over, Taurasi is now focused on being a parent with her wife Penny Taylor and their two children. Taurasi credits her parents Mario and Liliana Taurasi with nurturing her appreciation and love of Latino culture, especially Argentina culture.

Taurasi is so in tune with her Argentine roots, she can perfectly straddle a line when asked if she prefers Diego Maradona or Lionel Messi. She can explain how each of those soccer legends represent a part of Argentina’s psyche.

Gabriel Batistuta fan

Then with a wicked smirk similar to the expression she showed often on the court, she declares that she prefers a legendary No. 9 than a No. 10 like Maradona and Messi. She smiles while describing herself as more similar to Gabriel Batistuta, the legendary striker who helped Argentina win the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

Whatever the case, Diana Taurasi appreciates the sacrifices her parents made as immigrants while raising her in a home that was as Argentine as any in Buenos Aires. 

“My parents, they came here in ‘79 with nothing and didn’t know the language,” she said. “So our family was everything we knew and all our friends that migrated up from Argentina too. And it’s been an amazing journey to be able to be here in the U.S. and represent the Latinos everywhere, not only here in the U.S., but in Argentina and South America and Mexico.

“I feel like we’re underrepresented in so many ways. And I always wanted to make sure that I led with the basketball, but I always had my heritage right behind me.”

_{You can find the latest episode of the Latino Excellence Podcast at Apple, Spotify and YouTube.}