Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi, the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, is out for the remainder of the regular season due to a quad strain.
Taurasi sustained the injury back on Aug. 2 during Phoenix’s 87-63 loss to the Connecticut Sun. Since then, she missed the Mercury’s past two games, and it was announced Monday that she would not be making her return prior to a potential playoff run.
“She is out for the remainder of the regular season and will provide more info if/when we do make the playoffs,” a Mercury spokesperson said.
Yvonne Turner was signed to a hardship contract to take Taurasi’s place on the roster.
Taurasi, 40, averaged 16.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists across 31 games (all starts) this season. She is a 10-time All-Star, three-time WNBA champion and was named MVP in 2009.
In her 18-year career, all with Phoenix, Taurasi has scored the most points in league history (9,693) while averaging 19.3 per game. She has played 503 games, starting every single one of them.
Taurasi said last week, “When the season ends, I’ll be a free agent and I’ll see what’s best for me. I don’t know what that is right now.”
Turner, 34, has spent time with the Minnesota Lynx and Atlanta Dream this season, averaging 4.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in six games (two starts). She played for Phoenix from 2017-19.
–Field Level Media