Diana Taurasi

Diana Taurasi Fails Drug Test In Turkey

Perhaps the biggest star in the history of the UConn women's basketball and a perennial WNBA All-Star, has tested positive for a mild stimulant while playing in Turkey.

The positive test, 1st reported by The Associated Press, has resulted in her suspension by the league. She has not played in the last three games for Fenerbahce. Her lawyer, Howard Jacobs, told the wire service Taurasi's A sample came back positive resulting in her being provisionally suspended.

Taurasi has requested her B sample be tested. Jacobs said the substance "was not a steroid or recreational drug" but he refused to say identify it.

Taurasi is in her first season playing in Turkey after a long and successful career with Moscow Spartak, where she had played with Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson and many other WNBA players. She was in the best shape of her career this summer after losing nearly 30 pounds working with a personal trainer. In fact, ESPN The Magazine put her nude on the cover of its annual body issue this year.

Perhaps prophetically this summer, Taurasi told The Courant the grind of playing basketball continuously for seven straight years was beginning to wear on her.

She hinted the fatigue it was causing could eventually force her to skip either the European or WNBA portion of her seasons. "Physically, it's getting to be a problem," said Taurasi, who has won two Olympic gold medals. "You're seeing it around the league. You see it a lot where [players] are injured and getting hurt and making it difficult to play year-round. If you think about it, no other professional sport does it.

"I have done a lot in my career and at one point you have to make selfish decisions that help you. You're talking about a WNBA season, another World Championship and another overseas season. This is just a personal decision I'm going to have to make."

In the summer of 2009, Taurasi was charged with DUI after being stopped by police in downtown Phoenix. Taurasi called that incident "an embarrassing and unfortunate" situation. Her car was pulled over near Seventh Avenue and Camelback Road in Phoenix for speeding and lane violations. She refused a breath test after a police officer conducted several field-sobriety tests. The officer drew Taurasi's blood in a Phoenix Police Mobile DUI van.

Taurasi was subsequently suspended by the Mercury for two games without pay for conduct detrimental to the team.

"I am deeply sorry and embarrassed for causing this distraction for my teammates, the Phoenix Mercury, the WNBA, family and fans," Taurasi said at the time. "While I cannot say more with regards to the specifics of the case, I do want to make sure that everyone knows how much I appreciate their support and that I've learned a valuable lesson. I am committed to making sure a lot of good comes from this experience."

A Phoenix police report showed her blood-alcohol level was 0.17 percent, more than twice the Arizona legal limit at the time of her arrest.

UConn coach Geno Auriemma, who coached also coached Taurasi on this summer's FIBA World Championship team, made reference to his former All-American Tuesday night during his press conference following the Huskies' record-setting 89th straight win at the XL Center.

"I've been asked a million times, 'Who is better? Who is better? Who is better?'" said Auriemma of comparisons made between Taurasi and Maya Moore. "How are you going to compare them? But Maya Moore has done something that no one else has ever done in the history of college basketball [other than Tiffany Hayes]. She has been on a team that has won 89 straight games.

"Diana is in Turkey now probably. … I don't know what she does when she is not playing. I can only imagine. So I don't care if she hears this or not. She has never won 89 games in a row. So when people start asking me now who is the best player in Connecticut history, I'm going to say, 'Maya Moore.' And she is a lot nicer kid than that wise guy over in Turkey."