Here’s to give you a whole different vibe to soak in. Soccer players come together to honor the legacy of a basketball legend. Greatness attracts greatness, you see, making the sporting world immensely powerful—whether it’s on the pitch or on the court! After all, it’s all about respect, admiration, and inspiration that draws these athletes together while they leave their impact beyond just their own game!
And it happened recently when the WNBA icon Diana Taurasi said a final goodbye to her career after completing 20 years in the league. It left a stunning mark on the basketball community! As much as for the fans and everyone related to the sport, her legacy has been inspiring for those beyond basketball. Well, it’s Taurasi, who nearly spent a significant part of her life playing overseas and acknowledging women’s basketball. It is definitely something to be cherished and admired by like-minded ones, right? And this built the connection of her sporting legacy with the ones in soccer!
Women in soccer extended a warm hug to the woman of basketball. Yes, former USWNT stars Alex Morgan and Ali Krieger came together to celebrate Taurasi’s retirement. They made it to their Instagram stories by sharing their gratitude and expressing emotions over her retirement. While Morgan congratulated Taurasi after re-sharing a video posted by Nike in their official accounts, Krieger wrote, “Incredible career! Congrats, @dianataurasi and thank you for inspiring us all to strive for more.”
Taurasi’s retirement is a moment for fellow legends to pay tribute. She is one of the most celebrated athletes in women’s basketball. And while she exits, it indeed marks an end to a great era of an all-time leading scorer, 3x NCAA champion, 2004 WNBA No. 1 Draft pick, 7x WPBL Champ, 4x USAB Female AOY, WNBA MVP, 6x Gold Medalist, WNBA all-time leading scorer—that’s what the Nike video had in its caption, and to say that this doesn’t even count for half the glory Taurasi achieved all these years!
She has built a lot for herself. Perhaps their sharing of emotions over Instagram stories just proves how greatness transcends sports. To say that, Taurasi has left an impact beyond the court and not just within her community; this time it has crossed the boundaries and reached the pitch! Where Morgan and Krieger caught the ball of legacy to hit the goal of celebration and honor! However, speaking of creating impacts beyond the game, here’s how the former USWNT star is shaping the future for women in sports.
Alex Morgan is a boss woman!
Post-retirement, Morgan talked about her plans in a conversation with the Boardroom Talks. She talked about her Boss Era, describing how women and girls who play sports become better leaders. She said, “Sports in general just build up your resilience, your like drive for something, your competitiveness. There’s a reason that so many successful business women come from a background of sport at some level.” Did someone just say business women? Yes! That is when Morgan invested in Unrivaled, the newly launched 3-on-3 basketball league, which is co-founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.
And the reason why she chose basketball specifically? Morgan said from the experience of an athlete that Unrivaled could provide players, especially women, equal chances to compete at a professional platform. Further, she talked about the experience that fans and spectators would capture while watching the players’ skills and expertise.
And while mostly we find legends like her to be in the coaching profession, Morgan had other plans for herself. She chose to be the command center, one who works and looks after the family. She said, “I will not be coaching at all…I and I totally respect coaches and what they do. I feel like I had so much stress as a player and an athlete that going into coaching would probably be that and some.” The Californian star clearly revealed her intentions to keep serving the sporting world despite her retirement, and even if not through coaching, but through the power of entrepreneurship.
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