At 39 years old, LeBron James is not the only “dinosaur” at these Olympic Games on Team USA's side. On the women's side, Diana Taurasi will officially become, tonight at 9:00 p.m. against Japan, the oldest basketball player to wear the American jersey.
Quite an achievement for the Phoenix Mercury legend (42 years old) who is almost ten years older than the second oldest player on the current team, Brittney Griner (33 years old)!
Only the Australian Lauren Jackson does better than her at 43 years old. The latter comes from become the oldest player in the history of the women's Olympic tournamentHowever, the question of her longevity sometimes has the gift of annoying Diana Taurasi.
” When you dedicate your whole life and your whole career to something and someone asks you, 'Why don't you retire?' It's easy to raise that question, no matter how disrespectful it is, but if you're the person being asked, it's a little disrespectful. “, judges the three-time WNBA champion.
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This one reminds us that she is there for the competition, ” to play at a high level, to give oneself for [s]your teammates and to win a gold medal ” Which would be the 6th of its kind in his career.
The American considers that ” only a woman can have twenty years of experience, and it's considered a flaw, instead of something that's valued and used as a way to move forward for our sport and for women. I hope we can change that narrative. »
What the 2009 MVP is already doing very well in the women's championship. This season, she is still averaging 16 points, with roughly the same statistical production as in recent years. She adds: ” That's all. I don't care about the last twenty years. What I worry about is the next twenty years. »
And her next years will be without Team USA concerning her. Still vague on the question before the competition, she confirms to ESPN that this is his last Olympiad. It's such an honor to wear this jersey every time “, says the woman who is therefore giving up on the Los Angeles Games in four years.
