LILLE, France — Five-time gold medalist Diana Taurasi is eager to take to the court at the Paris Games and insists her love of basketball is more important than winning medals.
The 42-year-old American knows every Olympics is different, and her experience in her sixth appearance has taught her to trust the process and enjoy each moment.
“I still love the game. I love competing. I know we always talk about winning and losing, but I love the process, the preparation, the struggle. I think sometimes you get distracted by the winning, but it’s the things that happen before the winning that I really enjoy,” Taurasi said Thursday.
“We have to enjoy the moment while we are here. Tomorrow is the opening ceremony. Some of us are doing it for the first time, some have done it many times, but we have to enjoy it. And then when it’s time to compete, that’s the most serious thing,” she added.
Taurasi, who has the potential to become the most decorated team athlete in Olympic history if the U.S. women bring home a medal, expects it to be tough at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille.
“It’s always difficult. France are tough, Spain have dynamic players, Australia are always strong and organised, China have young talent who play differently, Japan too and of course Belgium will definitely be in this position,” she said.
Taurasi said depth and teamwork will be key to success when the U.S. plays Japan in its opening game on Monday.
“I have to play the most unselfish game of my career. It’s going to take effort from everybody. We have to build that coalition pretty quickly,” Taurasi said.
The Phoenix Mercury guard and WNBA’s all-time leading scorer added that she’s not thinking about retirement just yet, and joked about attending the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles: “I’ll be there. On the beach, having a beer.”
–Special to Field Level Media, Reuters
