CRONKITE SPORTS

Curtain falling on career of ‘one of the best players in the world’

Sep 21, 2016, 6:26 PM

Mercury veteran Penny Taylor’s eyes welled up with tears during postgame tribute honoring her 13-...

Mercury veteran Penny Taylor’s eyes welled up with tears during postgame tribute honoring her 13-year career with the team. (Photo by Lindsey Wisniewski /Cronkite News)

(Photo by Lindsey Wisniewski /Cronkite News)

PHOENIX – Penny Taylor rose from the bench and drew a deep breath.

Teammates Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi stood by her side, each cradling her with an arm around her shoulders. A deafening chant grew within Talking Stick Resort Arena.

“Penny, Penny, Penny,” roared the Mercury’s “X-Factor” crowd.

All eyes were on Taylor, the Phoenix Mercury’s veteran forward, as she prepared to play against the Seattle Storm in her final regular season home game Sept. 15 and possibly her last career appearance in front of the home fans. Taylor announced her retirement during over the Olympic break this summer.

“Every night there were people here cheering for us and a lot of those people have been out here throughout my entire time in Phoenix,” Taylor said. “I guess that’s the really special part — that I’ve seen kids grow up from babies into teenagers and true loyal fans that we’ve had through thick and thin.”

Phoenix has seen Taylor grow up as well.

The Australian native began her stint in the WNBA in 2001 with the Cleveland Rockers. When that franchise ceased operations, Taylor found a new home in Phoenix in 2004, alongside Taurasi, the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year that season.

“We were a really young team,” Taylor said. “We were figuring things out. It was a great team. We had a lot of fun — maybe too much fun off the court. But we came ready to play.”

Determined to win

During her 13 seasons with the Mercury, Taylor has racked up three WNBA championships. But in recent years, Taylor shifted her attention to recovery, both on and off the court.

In 2012, Taylor took a year off from the Mercury after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury to her knee and losing her mother, Denna Noble, to ovarian cancer.

She returned to the team in 2014 and helped the Mercury win the WNBA title over the Chicago Sky, but was once again stricken with bad family news. Her father, Michael Taylor, was battling lung cancer. He died later that year. Taylor chose to forgo the 2015 WNBA season to cope with the loss of her father and nurse her recurring knee injuries.

“She’s battled through so much,” Taurasi said. “And when you watch her on the court, she’s just an inspiration.”

Recharged and focused, Taylor rejoined the team this season, determined to add one more WNBA championship to her long list of accomplishments.

“Those three championships up there, that’s what I play for,” Taylor said, pointing to the banners hanging in the arena. “I’ve always played for that reason, and I’ve been lucky enough to have those three championships, a couple of silver medals and some wins over in Europe. I’m proud of every win that I’ve had.”

Leaving a mark

Growing up in Melbourne, Taylor looked up to legendary players like former Mercury point guard Michelle Timms and current Mercury coach Sandy Brondello. She said both athletes, who transitioned from Australia’s Women’s National Basketball League to the WNBA, helped pave the way for Australian players.

“They left a trail that left coaches and clubs wanting more Australians, and that helped us a huge amount,” Taylor said. “And now the goal for younger Australian players is to get over here and continue that culture. I feel like I owe them a lot.”

But Brondello said Taylor’s achievements are part of a legacy that will reach far beyond the WNBL and WNBA. Taylor also competed internationally in countries such as Turkey, China and Russia.

“To me, she’s one of the best players in the world,” Brondello said. “She’s going to pass it forward. She’s going to help someone else just like I helped her in her younger years.”

Taylor said she takes a lot of pride in representing the land down under. She’s led her country to a number of medals in international events, including a gold in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in 2006 and two Olympic silvers in 2004 and 2008.

“I hope that I’ve always represented my country well and that in some way I’ve encouraged someone to keep playing and to be a basketballer,” Taylor said. “That would make me very proud if that’s the case.”

There’s no denying that after the 35-year-old steps off the court for the final time, a big part of the Mercury franchise will be missing. For Taurasi, it’s her longtime friend.

“I don’t know any other way, but Penny next to me in the locker room and going into that court and knowing what we’re going to get out of each other,” Taurasi said. “You’re talking about one of the best players to ever touch a basketball and it’s nice that she’s getting appreciated like she should be.”

Taking on a new role

As her basketball playing career comes to a close, Taylor said she looks forward to taking on a new role, but she’s not sure what it will be yet.

“I look forward to learning more and hopefully in the future being able to apply that as a coach,” Taylor said. “I’m super excited to be a spectator and enjoy the quality of the league.”

For now, Taylor is hoping to extend her Mercury career in the playoffs. But if the victory over the Storm does turn out to be her final win, she said she’ll have no regrets in what she’s accomplished.

“I don’t look at it as the end. I look at what I’ve done so far and what I’ve been able to achieve here,” Taylor said. “And I feel happy in the sense in that I can’t say I didn’t try anything — that I’ve left anything undone.”

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Curtain falling on career of ‘one of the best players in the world’