In 1995, when ESPN introduced This Is SportsCenter, few commercials became fan favorites like this one did. Presented in a deadpan, mockumentary style, the ads featured some surprising names, including Steve Irwin, Shaquille O’Neal, and LeBron James. You know where we are headed! It would reach the WNBA in 2015 and let’s just say the one featuring Diani Taurasi carried a flood of memories for the fans as the legend bid goodbye to the hardwood today.
On a usual February, Diana Taurasi would be heading towards a practice session, preparing for a season that’s to come in 3 months’ time. But 2025 has snapped the routine she has had on for 20 years. “Mentally and physically, I’m just full,” the Phoenix Mercury icon conveyed via TIME to announce her retirement. And just like that, her sessions in the gym were replaced with messages honoring her legacy, posts resounding her greatness, and fans digging the depths of the internet to revive memories forgotten– one in the form of a commercial from a decade ago.
This one, a little special with the presence of another legend, Sue Bird.
In a now-deleted post, an X user shared the commercial from 9 years ago, 2016, welcoming some trips down the memory lane. In the ad, DT and the Seattle Storm guard can be seen sitting at a table, putting together an “office list.” Not just any other, it was one naming “Cutest boys in the office.” The hilarity factors in when Scott Van Pelt, expecting to find himself on the list, slyly inquires no.1 and 2. Yep, he wasn’t on it and the two W icons did not catch the hints.
Adding salt to the wound, Bid would say, “say hi to Steve [ Levy, no.1],” as he exited the frame disappointed.
Such were the 30-second clips This Is SportsCenter ran for 30 years. One of them had Stuart Scott remarking, “The chosen one, huh?” to LeBron James as he struggled with a paper jam in a copier. It was, thus, a refreshing memory for the long-time fans. Even more so when Bird recognized the legend DT was, saying “You walk around airports, you’re in different cities, you’re over here, there, people knew Dee everywhere you go.”
Fans just couldn’t help but get nostalgic for the old times.
Emotional fans buzz reflecting Diana Taurasi’s legacy in advertising.
For two decades, Diana Taurasi has graced the basketball courts, with fierceness rookies know well about. Six Olympic gold medals, three WNBA titles, and three NCAA championships– she seemed to have been a routine presence of fans’ screens. So with her retirement came every memory of the past-two decades, seemingly shrinking the time.
“Time really flies when greatness retires,” added a spectator.
Taurasi’s career has been comprised of numerous ads, including the with Pfizer just two month ago to raise awareness about migraine. She would also team up with Bank of America for their promotional segment, offering fans a glimpse into her personal preferences and interests. But nothing hits home like this one did.
“Oh man… end of an era. Where did time go, fam?” penned another. “SUE AND DIANA,” another marvelled with star eyes.
However, not everyone would point out to good. Some believe the commercial wouldn’t sit well in the current times. “Super uncomfortable commercial in modern times, but so well played by all three,” added another user. But the SportsCenter commercials, inclusive of hilarious moments such as Shaq dressed as a cop, rescuing Mike the Tiger from a tree or Van Pelt nicknaming Boston Celtics Big-Three as ‘Boston Three-Party’ have deserved a different fan base.
So one wrote, “Bring back old SC commercials!”
With Taurasi stepping away from the game, this resurfaced commercial serves as a bittersweet tribute—not just to her career, but to an era of women’s basketball that she and Bird helped define. After all, Taurasi is leaving after setting the bar quite higher as an all-time leading scorer and the basketball player with most Olympic-gold medals.
The post Fans Meltdown as Diana Taurasi’s “Uncomfortable” Commercial With 4x WNBA Champion Resurfaces 9 Years Later Upon Retirement appeared first on EssentiallySports.
