Diana Taurasi was one of twelve names selected to the Team USA roster ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Taurasi, the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, is getting set for her sixth appearance in the Olympics. This marks the most appearances among men’s and women’s basketball history.

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Taurasi has done and seen it all, and is now in pursuit of her sixth Olympic gold medal. Although it’s uncertain how much longer Taurasi’s illustrious career will go on for, one thing is certain. Not many players in the history of women’s basketball, if any, have as much basketball experience as Taurasi. With a combination of Olympic play, the WNBA, and an extensive overseas career, Taurasi’s résumé scales farther than most American athletes.

If she were to go back in time and give her younger self some advice, she’d tell her to follow the same path. No changes necessary.

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“I would say do it exactly the same,” Taurasi said when asked about what she would tell her younger self. “Life is about ups and downs. It’s never an easy road to where you want to get to. Life is about mistakes, it’s about getting better, it’s about acknowledging things that maybe didn’t go your way. And that’s how you become a better person, that’s how you become more confident in what you’re doing. It’s not the easy times… I wouldn’t tell myself to do anything differently. Everything happens for a reason.”

Based off her current résumé, what other advice would a young Taurasi need? She’s done it all, and frankly, not many other paths would have carved out the same career Taurasi has.

Taurasi makes basketball history with her sixth Olympic selection, and has more experience repping the red, white and blue than any other player.

To this day, Taurasi still feels honored and humbled to be in the same space as many other world-class athletes.

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“That’s what the Olympics does, it brings out the best in the world in every sport,” Taurasi said. “Like I said before, that’s probably the coolest and most humbling thing. Being around these world-class athletes that work their whole lives for one race. For ten seconds, for a minute. It’s a humbling experience, and I think that’s why when you’re a part of it, you never take it for granted.”

Taurasi mentioned that “there’s nothing like your first Olympics” when discussing her teammate Kahleah Copper making Team USA for the first time. Taurasi reflected back to her first Olympic run, and how it shaped her into the player that she has become.

“At the airport, they made me go get muffins. That really shaped me,” Taurasi joked. “I got to sit in a locker room with Lisa Leslie, Tina Thompson, Sheryl Swoopes, Dawn Staley, and Katie Smith. Yeah, that’s a lesson in it’s own. You can’t buy lessons like that.”