The champagne was flowing after Phoenix Mercury superstar Diana Taurasi became the first player in WNBA history to reach 10,000 points during the team’s 91-71 win over the Atlanta Dream on Thursday.
After Taurasi helped Phoenix snap a four-game losing streak — scoring a career-high 42 points — the three-time champion guard and her teammates partied in their locker room, where she was seen spraying and chugging bottles of La Marca.
Mercury center Brittney Griner, who has been away from the team since July 29 to address her mental health, was captured spraying a bottle of bubbly in videos posted by the team.
Griner — who returned to the Mercury this season after she was detained in Russia for nearly 10 months — was also present on the bench, wearing a black Taurasi jersey.
The team wore matching white T-shirts with the message, “The Drive To 10k,” to celebrate in the locker room, which was covered in plastic.
Mercury interim head coach, Nikki Blue — who stepped in after Vanessa Nygaard was fired in June — gave the team her blessing to party the night away after Taurasi’s historic performance.
“Tonight, we party,” Blue said.
“CHAMPAGNE SHOWERS!!” the Mercury wrote on social media.
Taurasi scored her 10,000th point when she came off a screen near the right wing, outside the 3-point line early in the third quarter.
The 7,564 people in attendance at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix went wild when she hit the three-pointer — the 1,344th in her WNBA career.
The game was paused so general manager Jim Pitman could present Taurasi with the game ball.
She now has 10,024 career points and counting — and Phoenix still has 14 games left in the regular season.
At age 41, Taurasi is the oldest player with a 40-point game in WNBA history, according to ESPN Stats.
“I usually don’t let myself enjoy these moments,” Taurasi said.
“You don’t go far in life without really good people in your corner, and I’ve just been so lucky and grateful to have my family for one and friends that are family now that have been in my corner since Day 1, and that was really special tonight.”
Taurasi said she will celebrate the stand-alone accolade privately with a “grown-up dinner at a nice restaurant” with some close friends who have supported her throughout her career.
In her 18 WNBA seasons, all with the Mercury, Taurasi has won three WNBA championships and five scoring titles.
The 10-time All-Star was named the 2004 Rookie of the Year and 2009 league MVP.
Taurasi, who has earned 14-time All-WNBA nods, has five Olympics gold medals.
Late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant coined her with the nickname the “White Mamba.”
Taurasi won three straight national championships with the UConn Huskies before she was selected No. 1 overall by the Mercury in 2004.
