Taurasi not ready to retire: 'I plan on playing for a while'

As she approaches her 40th birthday in June, Phoenix Mercury wing Diana Taurasi says she has no plans to hang up her sneakers any time soon.

"I'll let you guys know when I'm done, 'cause you're not going to see me anymore," Taurasi said Wednesday, per veteran sportswriter Jeff Metcalfe. "When I'm done playing, I'm just going to stop playing. I'm not going to ease my way out. So I plan on playing for a while."

Injuries limited Taurasi to just 16 regular-season appearances last season. However, she remained productive in Year 17, averaging 15.2 points on 36.6% shooting with 4.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds in 28.4 minutes per game.

In the wake of being named to the WNBA's 25th Anniversary Team, Taurasi led the Mercury to a Finals appearance and won her fifth straight Olympic gold medal with the U.S. national team in Tokyo last summer.

"I want to play. And when I suck, I won't play, trust me," Taurasi said. "I'll be in those workouts and in the weight room like, 'Hmm, that's it.'"