Diana Taurasi’s gold medal celebration at the 2024 Paris Olympics was an emotional family affair.
Moments after Taurasi and the Team USA women’s basketball team defeated France 67-66 in the gold medal game on Sunday, August 11, Taurarsi, 42, embraced her parents Mario and Liliana courtside inside Bercy Arena.
In a video captured by ESPN’s Holly Rowe, dad Mario was overcome with emotion and was seen wiping away tears from his eyes. A smiling Taurasi kissed her father’s forehead as the group posed for photos in the euphoric aftermath.
Mario is a former athlete himself, having played professional soccer in Italy before immigrating to the United States.
Not only did the victory earn Team USA their 8th straight Olympic gold medal, it was an especially historic moment for Taurasi. The win gave Taurasi her sixth Olympic gold medal, the most of any basketball player in Olympic history.
The game also marked Taurasi’s final Olympic appearance.
“I’m here to compete. I’m here to play at a high level. I’m here to give to my teammates and I’m here to win a gold medal — that’s it,” Taurasi told reporters when she arrived in Paris. “I don’t care about the last 20 years. I’m worried about the next 20 years.”
Taurasi’s passion for mentorship came in clutch during the team’s run in Paris, especially after she was taken out of the team’s starting lineup before Team USA’s quarterfinal game against Nigeria on Wednesday, August 7.
“The biggest thing that I love about DT is that she does not change,” Taurasi’s Team USA teammate A’Ja Wilson told The Athletic. “She is always so consistent in what she does — that is a sign of greatness.”
In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly prior to the Olympics, Taurasi touted many of those same values when she urged patience with WNBA rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, who were both left off the 2024 Olympic squad.
“Transition periods don’t escape anyone,” Taurasi said in June. “That is something we all have to go through. Sometimes you find a way to get through that your first year, sometimes it takes you two years, sometimes it takes you three years. Sometimes it takes you two years to go overseas and really hone your craft and be very confident in what you can do.”
Taurasi added, “Everyone has a different journey and different path. Sometimes you gotta give these kids some grace. Their careers are so long. They’re a month into their WNBA careers. They’re only gonna get better. They’re only gonna get more comfortable with everything around them.”
Once back from Paris, Taurasi will rejoin the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury where she is in the midst of playing her 20th season in the league. She has not announced whether or not this season will be her last.
