Today Phoenix Mercury G/F Diana Taurasi become the first former UConn player to be named WNBA Most Valuable Player. She garnered 27 1st-place votes and 323 points overall en route to being named the 2009 WNBA MVP. She led the league in scoring at 20.4ppg on her way to winning her third Peak Performer Award for Scoring and being the leading vote-getter for the All-WNBA teams (named to the 2009 All-WNBA First Team).

On Sept. 5, Taurasi became the fastest player to 4,000 career points doing so in 197 games to break Lauren Jackson’s record (209). She led the league in three pointers made with 79 and ranked seventh in the league in three-point shooting percentage (40.7). Taurasi ranks 13th in league history for points scored (4,029) and third in all-time points per game (20.3). This season, Taurasi ranked among the WNBA’s top ten leaders in nearly every category, including points per game (first), three point field goals made (first), three-point field goals attempted (fourth), three-point field goal percentage (seventh), free throws made (third), free throws attempted (fifth), free throw percentage (sixth), field goals made (fifth), field goals attempted (10th), blocks per game (eighth) and defensive rebounds per game (sixth).

She was also named to 2009 First Team All-WNBA, her fourth consecutive honor and fifth overall in her six WNBA seasons (2005 season was named to the Second Team), a WNBA All-Star, her fourth such appearance, and earned the 10th-career Player of the Week Award for the week of Aug. 17th. Her efforts helped propel the Mercury to the best record in the WNBA at 23-11, which also tied a franchise record, and the top overall seed in the 2009 WNBA Playoffs.

Currently, Taurasi has led (23.8ppg, 5.2rpg, 4.7apg) the Mercury to the 2009 WNBA Finals to face the Indiana Fever. Game 1 of the Finals begins tonight on ESPN2 live from Phoenix at 9:00pm. Check out the rest of the Finals schedule here.

2009 All-WNBA Teams
First Team:
G Becky Hammon, San Antonio (169) [3 MVP votes, 77]
G Cappie Pondexter, Phoenix (151) [1 MVP vote, 99]
F Tamika Catchings Indiana (167) [3 MVP votes, 163]
F Diana Taurasi Phoenix (201) [27 MVP votes, 323]
C Lauren Jackson, Seattle (179)
Second Team:
G Katie Douglas, Indiana (138) [5 MVP votes, 128]
G Deanna Nolan, Detroit (75)
F Candace Parker, Los Angeles (100)
F Sophia Young, San Antonio (72)
C Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles (69)