Diana Taurasi makes WNBA history as she becomes the first player to hit 10,000 career points during Mercury’s game against the Atlanta Dream

Diana Taurasi made WNBA history with her 10,000th point Thursday night against the Atlanta Dream. 

Taurasi became the first WNBA player to score 10,000 points, hitting the mark with 8:23 remaining in the third quarter against the Atlanta Dream on Thursday night. 

The 41-year-old received a pass and in an instant, the shot was off her fingertips. It was a 3-pointer that splashed through the net, just like it so many other times during her career.

After the shot, the crowd in Phoenix erupted in cheers and Taurasi’s teammates surrounded her in a circle, jumping up and down and celebrating.

The guard started the night needing 18 points to make it to 10,000.

Mercury star Diana Taurasi made WNBA history with her 10,000th point Thursday night

The guard hit the mark with 8:23 remaining in the third quarter against the Atlanta Dream

The 41-year-old’s teammates surrounded her in a circle, jumping up and down and celebrating

Taurasi got her scoring started Thursday with a corner 3-pointer about two minutes into the game and then drove through the Atlanta defense for a layup a few minutes later. She had 10 points by halftime.

She was right back at it in the third quarter, hitting a layup on the Mercury’s first possession. Then she hit back-to-back 3-pointers – the last a 25-footer that got her to 10,000 points.

Taurasi has been the cornerstone of the Phoenix franchise since she was drafted first in 2004 out of UConn. She not only is the career regular-season scoring leader, but also holds that mark in the playoffs. 

She’s won three WNBA championships for the Mercury and was twice the MVP of the Finals.

Taurasi has averaged more than 19 points in her career, including a career-high 25.3 points in 2006. 

She is more than 2,500 points ahead of Tina Thompson, who is second on the scoring list with 7,488 points.