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WNBA Phoenix Mercury

Taurasi Becomes Fastest Player in WNBA History to Score 7,000 Career Points

June 24, 2016 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Phoenix Mercury News Release


PHOENIX - And then there were three. Tonight, three-time WNBA Champion, three-time Olympic gold medalist, seven-time WNBA All-Star and five-time WNBA scoring champion, Diana Taurasi, added another achievement to her already storied career, becoming just the third player in WNBA history to reach the 7,000-point mar?k, joining Tina Thompson (retired) and Tamika Catchings (active). The Mercury will celebrate Taurasi's accomplishment with the X-Factor, the WNBA's best fans, at the team's next home game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on Wednesday, June 29 at 7 p.m.

Even more impressive, by doing so tonight in Washington in only her 348th career game, Taurasi became by far the fastest player in league history to the 7,000-career point barrier (Thompson-460 games, Catchings-428 games).

Taurasi's 7,000th-career point came on a 30-foot three-pointer with 1:09 remaining in the third quarter of tonight's win in Washington. She finished with 27 points on the night.

Regarded as perhaps the greatest women's basketball player of all time, Taurasi, in her 12th season, is not inching her way into the record books. She entered tonight's game averaging 19.8 points, second-most in the WNBA. A five-time league scoring champion, who owns the top two single-season scoring totals in league history, Taurasi is also fifth on the WNBA's all-time assist list.

In a league full of phenomenal up-and-coming talent, even standouts and prolific scorers like former WNBA Most Valuable Players Maya Moore and Elena Delle Donne are not on pace to reach 7,000 faster than Taurasi just did. Based off current career scoring averages, the fourth-year Delle Donne is on pace to reach 7,000 career points in 351 career games, while the sixth-year Moore is on pace to do so in 379 games.

Now at 7,006 career points, Taurasi sits just 482 points shy of surpassing Tina Thompson (7,488) to become the all-time leading scorer in WNBA history. At her current 2016 scoring rate, she could potentially pass Thompson early in 2017.

The starting lineup that won it all in 2014 is back! Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor return to join 2015 All-Star trio Brittney Griner, Candice Dupree and DeWanna Bonner as the Phoenix Mercury pursue a league-record tying fourth WNBA title in 2016.

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