Quotes from Diana Taurasi

I even love getting older, and knowing maybe I can't do one thing as well, but then trying to figure out how to do something else. That inner drive, I have it every day.

I just have this inner insecurity that I'm never good enough.

On the nights the Lakers played, I wouldn't miss a second of the game. Every timeout, every commercial, I'd run to the front yard to imitate my favorite Laker, Kobe.

The year-round nature of women's basketball takes its toll and the financial opportunity with my team in Russia would have been irresponsible to turn down. They offered to pay me to rest and I've decided to take them up on it.

The way I was playing year-round was breaking me down physically and mentally.

Every training I want to prove myself, every practice.

There's a certain reason why certain people win because they have a winning mentality and they bring it into the locker room, into the gym every single day. You can't have enough of those people.

No matter if my dad had to work, or my sister was gone until 7, or I had basketball practice until 8, we always ate together. I think that's a big part of the Hispanic family, the culture. That is key to our existence, really.

When you play a long time and you get a little older, you can get a little skeptical and become a little bit of a pessimist, and that experience plays against you.

Sometimes you invest in things that don't make money yet, but you want to make them better.

I'm a first-generation American. My mother is from Argentina. My father is from Italy. When my dad was around five or six, his family migrated to Argentina. That's where he met my mom. They got married, and moved to Los Angeles - North Hollywood, to be exact.

I know a lot of people who've gone to jail.

As long as I'm playing at a high level, and I deserve to be out there, then I'll always put that U.S.A. jersey on. There's nothing better than that, no matter how many times you've done it.

That's one thing I tell young kids is watch Chris Paul play basketball. He doesn't just play the game. He's trying to beat the game.

My favorite was Magic Johnson. Talk about a man who loved to play basketball and who enjoyed it the most. And growing up I was big Katie Smith fan.

Only thing that I'm guilty of is taking too many jump shots.

I like the Ronaldo Flyknits even though I'm a Messi fan.

I was just always kind of a free spirit with a wild side, but when you a meet a person that just makes you better and makes you better at life, your mindset changes.

You have to have people around you that motivate you that you want to play really hard for and always play at the highest level.

You hit a certain age and it's, are you still motivated to play? It's the motivation, the drive that kind of leads you, and the body goes, too.

I probably spoke Spanish growing up about 95 percent of the time.

I knew Kobe pretty well and he was a guy that was always moving forward.

As you get older, you get less people to hold you accountable, especially in pro sports. The players have all the power. Unless you play for the Spurs. Then you're a college kid for life.

I never complain when I foul, ever.