Diana Taurasi's status as the WNBA's greatest scorer of all time was already cemented, but on Thursday night, she created a piece of history.
Taurasi entered the Phoenix Mercury's contest against the Atlanta Dream needing just 18 points to become the first player in WNBA history to reach 10,000 career points, bringing up the milestone in the third quarter with a 3-pointer.
Extending her lead at the top of the WNBA's all-time scoring list, Taurasi is now more than 2,500 points ahead of Hall of Famer Tina Thompson, who is second on the list with 7,488.
THE SHOT 👑@DianaTaurasi forever etches her name in #WNBA History as the first player to 10K career points!#MoreThanGame pic.twitter.com/AVByekTwaV
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 4, 2023
Only two other players in WNBA history have reached 7,000 career points — Tamika Catchings and Tina Charles.
"On behalf of the WNBA and basketball fans worldwide, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Diana on reaching the incredible milestone of 10,000 points as she continues to author new chapters is an illustrious WNBA career," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement.
"Diana's achievement stands as a testament to her skill, determination, and unwavering dedication to the game, which along with her competitive nature, has captivated fans with her incredible scoring ability, clutch performances, and unparalleled basketball IQ. We are honored to witness this milestone."
As Taurasi rewrote the record books, a host of WNBA players, past and present, took to Twitter to congratulate the 41-year-old on her historic achievement.
MORE: Diana Taurasi becomes first WNBA player to reach 10,000 career points
WNBA Twitter reacts to Diana Taurasi's historic 10,000 career points
Diana Taurasi what a LEGEND. Women’s basketball wouldn’t be what it is without her. Proud to have shared the court and be apart of this historic night. Reached 10k and had a 42 point night! It’s giving AMAZING!! 🍾🏆
— Brianna Turner (@_Breezy_Briii) August 4, 2023
https://t.co/dgCteRoFmX pic.twitter.com/37nOEERQDL
— Brianna Turner (@_Breezy_Briii) August 4, 2023
Yeahhhhhh DT! OG man, keep shining 🙌🏽
— Courtney Williams (@CourtMWilliams) August 4, 2023
For DT to score 10k at 8:24 feels like Kobe to me
— Sydney Wiese (@swiesebaby24) August 4, 2023
10k…that’s a lot of buckets.
— Lexie Brown (@Lexiebrown) August 4, 2023
she’s also like 2500 ahead of 2nd place. that’s insane.