Paris 2024 Olympics: Basketball star Diana Taurasi announces her final Olympic Games

Diana Taurasi, the five-time Olympic gold medalist in women’s basketball, says the Olympic Games Paris 2024 will be her last. She confirmed her plans with ESPN.

“I’m 42, six Olympics. It’s just been such an honor to put that jersey on every single time,” she said to ESPN.

Taurasi’s first Olympics were at Athens 2004, when she was fresh out of college and in her first season in the WNBA. She won gold with that team, and then added golds with the U.S. teams in Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. Taurasi played for Team USA long enough that Dawn Staley was her teammate in 2004 and her coach for the 2020 Games.

“USA Basketball is such an amazing culture of history and partnership, and teammates and all these relationships that you build throughout your whole career,” Taurasi said to Olympics.com in November. “You put the jersey on for the next person, and people have done that for me and hopefully I'm doing it for the next generation.”

Before she moves on, though, she has a tough job with her team at Paris 2024. Taurasi is aiming for her sixth Olympic gold, which will make her the most decorated team athlete in Olympic history. A gold would also make the U.S. women’s basketball team the first to win eight consecutive gold medals.

She did not say that she is retiring from all basketball. Taurasi is a three-time WNBA champion with the Phoenix Mercury, and her team is ranked in playoff position as the WNBA took its Olympic break. They recently unveiled a new training center, and named the court in Taurasi's honor. She said she will trust her instinct when it comes to retiring.

“I think you know. I’ve had plenty of friends who have retired, and I pick their brain. They say, ‘You’ll know. Your gut’s never wrong’,” Taurasi said.

Taurasi and the rest of Team USA start their Olympics on 29 July against Japan.