Diana Taurasi (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Phoenix Mercury star and U.S. women’s Olympic basketball member Diana Taurasi sent social media into laughter after savagely trolling her opponent in the team’s Group C showdown against Japan.
Diana Taurasi and the United States cruised to a 102-76 victory over Japan in their round robin game on Monday. A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart led the way with 24 and 22 points for the Americans, respectively.
Taurasi played 15 minutes and recorded two points, three rebounds, and one assist in the victory. But one thing Taurasi did that won’t appear on the stat sheet? The epic troll job of Japan’s star point guard, Nako Motohashi, during the game.
The 5-foot-5 Motohashi attempted to defend against the 6-foot-tall Diana Taurasi, who couldn’t help but crack a smile while raising the basketball in the air with her right hand:
Taurasi’s savage left fans in stitches:
Incredibly, the United States women’s national basketball team hasn’t lost a game in the Olympics since 1992, when they fell to the Unified Team in the semifinals. The U.S. went on to snag the bronze medal by defeating Cuba 88-74.
Diana Taurasi Looks To Add One More Gold Medal To Her Trophy Room
Taurasi’s legacy as one of the all-time greats was cemented a long time ago. The three-time WNBA Champion (all won with the Mercury, in 2007, 2009 and 2014) helped the Americans to gold in the 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics.
The 11-time All-Star and 10-time All-WNBA First Team selection will head to the Basketball Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility. But with her illustrious career winding down, Taurasi would love nothing more than to help the U.S. keep their historic streak intact by claiming one more gold medal.
Taurasi and USA will return to the court on Thursday when they take on Belgium in their second round robin game. The preliminary round will conclude on Sunday with a contest against Germany.
