PHOENIX — The WNBA’s all-time leading scorer and future Phoenix Mercury Hall of Famer Diana Taurasi will miss the rest of the season due to injury, the team said on Monday.
Taurasi suffered a quad strain and the Mercury will have to fight for a playoff spot without the team’s three-time WNBA champion.
With a 14-19 season, the Mercury is one of six teams still vying for a playoff spot and currently holds the eighth seed.
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After reaching the WNBA Finals last year, the Mercury have suffered a mediocre season filled with ups and downs under first-year coach Vanessa Nygaard.
Taurasi, 40, has had a statistically down year but was still a key contributor. She averaged 16.7 points and 3.9 assists until her injury.
The Mercury also continues to press on without star center Brittney Griner who is being held in Russia.
Griner was handed a 9-year prison sentence last week after Russian authorities claim she had marijuana cartridges for a vape pen on her carry-on luggage back in February.
Taurasi’s injury puts her future in Phoenix into question as her contract expires at the end of the season.
She may sign with another team or retire altogether after a year the team would rather put behind them.
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