Considered one of the greatest women to play basketball, Diana Taurasi’s penchant for scoring in crucial situations has earned her the nickname “White Mamba”, first coined by Kobe Bryant. With four Olympic gold medals and the title of WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, Diana is surely the most decorated basketball player of all times.
Women Fitness had the wonderful opportunity to speak with her about welcoming a new member into her family and how that has changed her, and lots more. Read the whole piece below!
Namita Nayyar:
Your journey as America’s most decorated basketball player has been nothing short of spectacular. You’ve won all of these awards. Looking back at all the medals, college, all that stuff – how does it feel?
Diana Taurasi:
When you take a step back and you really look at all the things that you have been able to do – the incredible places I have been, the incredible teams I have been on, you consider yourself lucky. I have been really lucky to have great teammates, great coaches, and just to play basketball which is something that I did when I was six years old and I am still doing it.
Full Interview Continued On Next Page
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Namita Nayyar:
What attracted you to the world of basketball?
Diana Taurasi:
There was something about it that I always really enjoyed. When I was a little kid, I always enjoyed watching the game. Whenever it was on TV, I would always watch. It was something that, whether I was in the house, outside, at school, I was always bouncing a basketball. It just came very innately.
Namita Nayyar:
When did you realize you wanted to take basketball to the professional level?
Diana Taurasi:
When the WNBA started in 1997, I was in Los Angeles. I would go watch the Sparks at the Forum all the time. From watching, you got an idea that ‘maybe you can make it to the WNBA.’ As my high school season ended and I got to UConn, I think I really started taking it a bit more seriously and maybe thinking about playing basketball as a career.
Namita Nayyar:
With the extensive energy required for the sport, you have to keep your fitness levels up quite a bit. What exercises compromise your fitness regimen or workout routine?
Diana Taurasi:
That is probably one thing that I have really focused on the most in the last couple years. As you get a little bit older, and the wear and tear of playing a lot of years, you have to find a way to be on the court and feel good. There has definitely been a change in the flexibility, stability, strength, and different ways of moving the body that strengthens all those little muscles that really help you in the long run.
Namita Nayyar:
Is there any special diet that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?
Diana Taurasi:
I have been vegan for about three years now and I think it is something I have really benefitted from. Just staying away from foods that cause a lot of inflammation, fats and sugars that everyone knows are obviously a little counterproductive if you eat large amounts of them. So, I have stayed more on a plant-based diet and it has really benefitted me, but everyone has a different take on food and what they need.
Namita Nayyar:
This year, you welcomed Leo to the family. How has life changed after that and how do you manage family and sports?
Diana Taurasi:
It has kind of been a trial by fire and Penny [Taylor] and I have tried to do a good job of making sure that Leo has everything he needs. Still being in season and trying to perform at a high level, it just makes me really maximize my time when I am at the gym. Whether it’s weights, whether it’s rehab, whether it’s extra shooting, when I am at the gym, I have to maximize that and then I have to go home and put my time and energy there.
Namita Nayyar:
In a recent interview, you said that you are in the best shape of your life. How have you been able to achieve that and are there any tips for women who fear that their fitness levels will go down as they age above 35?
Diana Taurasi:
I think sometimes you get caught in the trap that once you hit a certain level, you should feel inferior athletically, but I think mentally, if you stay refreshed and you stay on top of things that makes you feel good – and it is not one specific exercise or one specific number on a scale – it is how you feel physically and mentally. I think those are the things that I have really focused on.
Namita Nayyar:
Who has been your greatest inspiration and motivator in your success in the field of your career?
Diana Taurasi:
I have had a lot of great people around me, from my early coaches in youth basketball, to obviously Coach [Geno] Auriemma at UConn. I have had some great national team coaches and my coaches here in Phoenix. The beauty of having so many great people around you is you take so much of their wisdom and so many of the things that they have learned in basketball over the years. I have had so many. The support of my family has always been key. No matter what I have gone through, they have always been there and they have never changed.
Namita Nayyar:
While playing professional sports, athletes often face injuries and other difficulties. Any tips on how to cope and make a comeback after an injury?
Diana Taurasi:
Injuries are just a part of sports and a part of life. The one thing I have learned is to make sure you are fully healthy before you return. I have had some incidents with pulled muscles and I have come back a little early. All it does is make you miss a little bit more time if you come back too early, so just make sure you get the proper treatment and get back on the court when you feel 100 percent.
Namita Nayyar:
Women Fitness works relentlessly with reach out to women all over the world, providing them with the best in health, fitness, nutrition, beauty, and fashion. What do you wish to say about the website, womenfitness.net, in a message to our readers?
Diana Taurasi:
I think this is really important – sometimes the littlest tip can really help you go a long way. As I have gotten older and as I have gotten more into the information part of food, diet, exercise, different methods of therapy, and working out, the more things you try, you are bound to find something that works for you.
Follow Diana’s journey on:
All content on this site is copyright of Women Fitness and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http:// www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2018 Women Fitness