[0:06] Welcome everyone.
We are starting the city's celebration
[0:11] of Diana Taurasi.
Woo!
[0:15] » I like having a drink and certain
things.
[0:18] » In the city of Phoenix, we celebrate
people in many ways and one is with
[0:23] street signs. For nearly a decade, fans
coming here have been welcomed with a
[0:29] street sign bearing Diana Taurasi's
name.
[0:32] When the sign first went up, Diana had
just surpassed the great Tina Thompson
[0:36] to become the WNBA's all-time leading
scorer.
[0:44] Fortunately for Phoenix and for her
fans, she kept going. And it is time to
[0:49] update the sign to recognize her
incredible record scores in the city of
[0:56] Phoenix and the amount of
baskets that she made.
[1:00] She's been a really important of our
city. We are so lucky that the Mercury
[1:04] drafted her, number one pick, and that
she spent 20 seasons with us and the
[1:09] Phoenix Mercury, becoming the most
decorated Olympian in women's basketball
[1:14] and remaining the WNBA's all-time
leading scorer.
[1:22] And she's not content with just
greatness on the court. She's also been
[1:26] an important contributor to our
community, stepping up for parents and
[1:30] families, fighting for equality and
more. We are so grateful to have her
[1:35] commitment to the city of Phoenix and
the city of Phoenix is so pleased that
[1:38] we can honor her with this street sign.
We're looking forward to unveiling the
[1:44] sign which will show her current total
on scoring, more than 10,000 points.
[1:51] That number will forever mark her place
in WNBA history and remind the city of
[1:54] the countless moments she gave us to
celebrate.
[1:57] Diana, your legacy is something we are
proud of in the city of Phoenix. Thank
[2:01] you.
>> Great. Thank you.
[2:03] I would like
>> And now we'll welcome Josh Bartelstein,
[2:06] the CEO of the Phoenix Suns and Mercury.
Thank you.
[2:09] » Yeah, that could be good. Yeah.
I'm trying to think of
[2:13] » Good morning.
>> Good morning.
[2:15] » It's a great day to celebrate the
greatest of all time.
[2:19] Now, people throw around that word a
lot, goat.
[2:21] The greatest There's only one greatest.
>> She averages
[2:25] » standing right behind me.
You can throw around the stats, a
[2:29] three-time champ, six gold medals, an
MVP, go on and on and on.
[2:35] But DT, she was the ultimate winner. She
cared about winning at the highest
[2:38] level, which she did for all 20 years in
the valley. Her loyalty, what she meant
[2:44] to the fans, and her teammates, and her
coaches, and what they mean to her, is
[2:48] what separates Diana Taurasi.
>> And
[2:52] Actually
>> DT, your first basket, you know what it
[2:56] was? Do you know who it was against?
>> The Mystics.
[2:58] » There you go. First basket, Sacramento
Monarchs.
[3:02] Right? Last basket
would be Minnesota Lynx. There was all
[3:08] trivia to do this. Minnesota Lynx.
Uh but all along the way, the points,
[3:13] the baskets, there were game winners,
there were step-backs, there were
[3:16] and-ones looking at the ref.
But those don't capture who DT is. It's
[3:21] the moments and memories. And you're
going to see that on Sunday when you
[3:25] have people crying because they know
what she means to them and their family.
[3:30] All 10,000 6,646
baskets. So it's a privilege, it's an
[3:36] honor to be with the greatest, a winner,
a true champion, someone who means so
[3:41] much to Phoenix, the one and only Diana
Taurasi. I want to thank Mayor Gallego
[3:45] and the city for all they've done for
this as well. DT, floor is yours.
[3:50] » Wow,
[3:54] Good morning everyone.
Um, first off, I like to thank Bear
[3:59] Gallego and and the city of Phoenix. Uh,
this wouldn't be possible without her
[4:03] vision. Um,
you know, without her thinking this is
[4:06] really important for the for the city,
for the Phoenix Mercury, um, and and all
[4:11] the Phoenix, um, community. Josh and
Matt, thank you guys so much. Um, since
[4:16] you guys have
really
[4:19] taken over the Phoenix organization,
there's been this
[4:22] push to really make sure that the legacy
of of this city is portrayed in and not
[4:27] only the the players that have played in
this building, but what the city is all
[4:30] about and, um,
you know, when I think of the 20 years
[4:33] that I I spent here, um,
[4:38] I get really emotional cuz I came here
as a little kid. I was 21. I guess
[4:41] that's not little, but it was in my
head.
[4:44] And I'd never been to Phoenix before. I
had no clue what this city was about.
[4:48] And 20 years later, it mirrors all the
things that I thought were important in
[4:52] life as a teammate,
in a team, as a daughter, and now as a
[4:56] mother.
Um,
[4:58] hard-working city,
a community that brings everyone
[5:03] together,
and mirrors all the things that it takes
[5:06] to be a champion in life
and on the court. Um, and I just hope
[5:10] when
people see that last name, it symbolizes
[5:14] all the things that it takes,
um,
[5:18] to really make it. And that's hard work,
discipline, consistency,
[5:22] um, and not only that, a great
community. This wouldn't have been
[5:26] possible without everyone that
played at the Phoenix Mercury, worked at
[5:30] the Phoenix Mercury, coached at the
Phoenix Mercury, everyone who's been,
[5:33] you know, part of the fabric of what
this championship
[5:36] community means. And, uh,
you know, it's it's a an amazing thing
[5:41] for not only myself, my family,
everyone who loves this team and this
[5:46] city, but for the future generation that
can look up there
[5:49] um, um and with hard work anything is
possible. So, I want to thank everyone
[5:52] who's here today. Um what an amazing
weekend. Um I'm super thankful and
[5:58] grateful for everyone.
Uh I feel like every time I come to one
[6:01] of these I see some faces I haven't seen
in a long time and that feels really
[6:04] good. More than any basket, more than
any championship, it's really the faces
[6:08] that that have made this 20 years so
important to me and my family.
[6:13] Um
and I I'm really thankful and uh let's
[6:16] get this sign unveiled. Here you guys
go.
[6:20] » All right, we need Scorch.
Yeah. It's countdown [music] time,
[6:24] everyone. If you could help me.
Five, four, three, two, [music]
[6:31] one.
>> Yeah.
[6:49] Yeah.
>> [music]
[6:54] [applause]
[6:57] [music]
[7:00] » We all good?
Five.
[7:04] » [music]
[7:10] [music]