Diana Lorena Taurasi (born June 11, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. She played 20 seasons in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), spending her entire WNBA career with the Phoenix Mercury. A global basketball icon, Taurasi helped grow the visibility of the women's game and is credited with elevating the standard of play in the WNBA. She is often considered the greatest player in women's basketball history and holds the all-time WNBA scoring record. She is the most decorated Olympic athlete in any team sport, winning six Olympic gold medals with the United States women's national basketball team.

Taurasi was the top recruit in her class and earned national player of the year honors at Don Antonio Lugo High School in her hometown of Chino, California. She played college basketball for UConn, whom she led to three consecutive national titles. She was twice named national college player of the year and is regarded as one of the greatest collegiate players of all time. Selected first overall by the Mercury in the 2004 WNBA draft, Taurasi quickly emerged as the league's best scorer and gained a reputation for her clutch scoring ability and competitiveness, which earned her the nickname "White Mamba". Her accolades in the WNBA include three league championships, two Finals Most Valuable Player awards, one MVP award, five scoring titles, 10 All-WNBA First Team selections, and 11 All-Star selections. Taurasi is the WNBA all-time leader in points, three-pointers, field goals, and free throws. She was also a decorated player overseas, playing in Russia and Turkey and winning six EuroLeague Women titles.

Internationally, Taurasi was a central figure on the United States women's national team, and with former college teammate Sue Bird established it as one of the greatest sports dynasties. She won six Olympic gold medals and three FIBA World Cup championships, and is a four-time recipient of the USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year award. Taurasi holds the team record for games played in the Olympics (44) and scored the second-most points in team history.

Taurasi was born in Glendale, California and grew up in Chino, California. Taurasi's father, Mario, was raised in Argentina. He was a professional soccer player in Italy and played for several years as a goalkeeper. Taurasi's mother, Liliana, is Argentine. Mario and Liliana Taurasi emigrated from Argentina to the United States before Diana was born. She has an older sister named Jessika.

Taurasi attended Don Antonio Lugo High School, where she graduated in 2000. In high school, Taurasi was the recipient of the 2000 Cheryl Miller Award, presented by the Los Angeles Times to the best player in Southern California. She was also recognized as the 1999 and 2000 Ms. Basketball State Player of the Year, the 2000 Naismith and "Parade Magazine" National High School Player of the Year. With 3,047 points, Taurasi concluded her prep career ranked fourth in state history. The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) designated Taurasi a distinct American. She participated in the 2000 WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored twelve points and earned MVP honors.

Following a highly decorated high school career, Taurasi enrolled at the University of Connecticut (UConn) and began playing for the women's basketball team during the 2000–2001 season primarily as a point guard and shooting guard. After a poor shooting performance in UConn's 2001 Final Four loss to Notre Dame, Taurasi vowed, "We will not lose another tournament game while I'm wearing this uniform." They proceeded to win three straight national titles. Leading up to the final championship win, her coach, Geno Auriemma, would declare his likelihood of winning with the claim, "We have Diana, and you don't."

Taurasi also received many personal accolades at UConn, including the 2003 and 2004 Naismith College Player of the Year awards, the 2003 Wade Trophy, the 2003 and 2004 Honda Sports Award and the 2003 Associated Press Player of the Year award. Additionally, Taurasi received honors and praise within the state of Connecticut. For example, state senator Thomas Gaffey nominated her to join Prudence Crandall as the state's heroine.

She averaged 15.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in her collegiate career. During her time at UConn, her team compiled a record of 139 wins and eight losses. In 2005, after taking a break from school to enter the WNBA draft, play in the Olympics, and then return to finish her first season in the WNBA, Taurasi went back to UConn and earned her bachelor's degree. As a first-generation college student, the first in her family to graduate from college, Taurasi said that earning her college degree "meant just as much as any championship ring, banner or gold medal."