The Olympic stage bids “au revoir” to Team USA’s 20-year veteran Diana Taurasi. An illustrious international career that saw her surpass former Team USA teammate Sue Bird to get her hands on a 6th consecutive gold medal in her final fixture against France at the Bercy Arena. However, there have been questions raised regarding the role of this decorated Olympian within the team throughout the event. While her dismal numbers have enraged the fans, WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes decided to step in and provide some clarity regarding her presence on the roster.

The 4× WNBA champion was one of the panelists in the latest episode of the Gil’s Arena podcast. Swoopes spared a thought or two on Diana Taurasi receiving heavy criticism for her poor show at the event. “I think a lot of it is about leadership, “ Swoopes said. “I know a lot of people are like ‘Diana Taurasi should not be on the team’, I know a lot of people are saying that. But, for me, what I see from Diana on this team, it’s not how much scoring she’s gonna do, it’s not that. But it’s more of her leadership.”

Diana Taurasi didn’t have much to show for in the French capital. She was a starter till Team USA reached the knockouts, but only spent an average of 11:30 minutes in the remainder of the tournament. On top of that, the 42-year-old didn’t take the court in the gold medal game. To sum up her performance, Taurasi could only garner a total of 5 points throughout the Olympics.

Regardless, her aptitude and game IQ, which she acquired over the years courtesy of her previous participation at the Olympics, did prove essential for Team USA at times. Centering around that, Swoopes further added on the podcast, “You have a player on this team who is now in her 6th Olympics. Like her, love her, hate her that’s crazy. Just her leadership because she’s been here so much.”

Consequently, the efforts were enough to script a historic moment. Speaking of moments, there was a captivating one that Diana Taurasi shared soon after Team USA’s triumph.

Diana Taurasi’s father sheds some ‘tears of joy’

Indeed, Sunday served as a proud occasion for the entire Taurasi family. So much so that Diana’s father Mario couldn’t hold on to his emotions. ESPN’s eminent journalist Holly Rowe made sure she captured it and shared it to the delight of Taurasi’s fans.

Captioned, “This moment in the final Olympic game for ⁦@DianaTaurasi The tears from Mom and Dad,” the video shows Mario Taurasi crying while her Olympian daughter kisses his forehead. This was quickly followed by an adorable family picture.

Certainly, many would believe that the aura of Diana Taurasi will be missed at the Olympics. The kind of impact and legacy that she has left will be extremely challenging for anyone to catch up. Now, her supporters are eager for her to make a return to the WNBA court.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show”. Our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.