Workforce USA guard Diana Taurasi (12) lays the ball up towards Workforce WNBA in the course of the WNBA All-Star Recreation at Footprint Middle in Phoenix on July 20, 2024. LILLE, France — 5-time gold medalist Diana Taurasi is raring to take the court docket on the Paris Video games, and insists her love of basketball is extra vital than profitable medals.
The 42-year-old American is aware of that each Olympics is completely different and her expertise at her sixth look has taught her to belief the method and benefit from the second.
“I nonetheless love the sport. I really like competing. I do know we at all times discuss profitable and dropping, however I just like the journey of it, the preparation, the wrestle. I feel typically you get distracted by the wins, however it’s the issues that occur earlier than the wins that I’ve actually loved,” Taurasi mentioned on Thursday.
“You must benefit from the second whilst you’re right here. Tomorrow we now have the opening ceremony, for a few of us it is the primary time and a few of us have completed it quite a bit, however it’s important to take pleasure in it. After which, when it is time to play, that would be the most critical factor,” she added.
Taurasi may turn out to be probably the most embellished staff athlete within the historical past of the Video games if the U.S. ladies convey dwelling a medal. She expects the competitors to be powerful on the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille.
“It is at all times tough: France is hard, Spain has gamers who’re dynamic, Australia is at all times sturdy and arranged, China has younger expertise who play completely different, as does Japan, to not point out Belgium, who will definitely fill this place,” she mentioned.
Depth and teamwork would be the key to success when the U.S. tackle Japan of their opening recreation on Monday, Taurasi mentioned.
“You must go on the market and be probably the most unselfish you’ve got ever been in your profession and that takes effort from everybody, we now have to construct that chemistry fairly rapidly,” Taurasi mentioned.
The Phoenix Mercury guard and WNBA’s all-time main scorer added she remains to be not excited about retirement, as she joked about taking part within the 2028 Video games in Los Angeles: “I will be there — having a beer on the seashore.”
–Reuters, Particular to Discipline Stage Media
