Diana Taurasi joins Michael Jordan as the oldest player to score 40 in a game after making history with 10,000 career points
Diana Taurasi, 41, continues breaking records in her 19th WNBA season, this time matching a US pro-basketball record set by the great Michael Jordan.
During Pheonix Mercury's 91-71 win over Atlanta Dream on Thursday, Taurasi became the oldest WNBA player to drop 40 points. She passed Cynthia Cooper's record, who tallied a 36-point game in 1999 aged 36 years and 124 days.
Meanwhile, Michael Jordan is the only NBA player to score 40 points in a game while aged 40. He did it with the Washington Wizards in 2003. Meanwhile, Taurasi tallied 42 points, four rebounds and three assists in her record-breaking performance.
She shot 57.1%, including 6-13 from deep. The three-time WNBA champion also made all 12 of her free throws.
With Britney Griner sidelined, citing mental health reasons, Taurasi brilliantly led her team's charge en route to a dominant win against a better opponent. The Mercury hasn't had much going their way this season, so this was one of their highlights of the year.
Notably, that wasn't the only achievement Taurasi had on the night. She also became the first player in WNBA history to enter the 10,000-point club. Taurasi hit a 3-pointer early in the third quarter to seal the record.
She was 14 points away from the record entering the game. It was the first 40-point night for any WNBA player since 2010 and it was her fourth 40-point career game, the most for any player in WNBA history.
DT IS SPECIAL 🌟
Most 40-PT games in #WNBA History!
#MoreThanGame pic.twitter.com/JdIbOXQbEY
Revisiting Michael Jordan's 40-point game as a 40-year-old
Michael Jordan dropped a season-high 43 points against the New Jersey Nets in his final NBA season on February 21st, 2003. He was aged 40 years and four days when he achieved that feat.
It was a stunning performance, considering the Nets were title contenders. That team made the finals two consecutive years, in 2002 and 2003.
Jordan shot 18-30, including all his two-pointers, while knocking down 7-8 free throw attempts. The six-time champion also had 10 rebounds, three assists and four steals as he led Washington to a surprise 89-86 win.
Jordan scored the go-ahead bucket with 34 seconds left to give the Wizards a 87-86 lead.
That performance was the last 40-point game of Jordan's career and one of the most memorable nights as a Wizards player. Jordan remains the only 40-year-old NBA player to drop 40 points.
LeBron James is in line to be the other player to achieve the feat. The LA Lakers star, who turns 40 in December 2024, is in tremendous shape entering his 21st NBA season.
LeBron James has slowed down a bit but can still average 30 a game. Barring any retirement plans or an unfortunate injury setback, James looks likely to join Michael Jordan as the only NBA player to score 40 while aged 40.