‘Taurasi’ Prime Video Series Review - Princess Diana of California

Diana Taurasi is a remarkable woman, an outstanding sportswoman. She has won three FIBA World Cups and six Olympic gold medals. In 2011, she was voted by fans as one of the WNBA's Top 15 Players of All Time, and in 2017, she became the WNBA's all-time leading scorer. Diana has received so many accolades, so many awards, that listing them here would fill, if not the entire review, then an entire paragraph. I recommend going to Diana's Wikipedia page for this information — be prepared to have your mind blown. Thanks to her penchant for scoring in crucial situations, Kobe Bryant gave her the name White Mamba. Diana also appeared in Space Jam: A New Legacy, and I would have liked to know her experience of working on this project in the new Prime Video docuseries, aptly titled Taurasi (at the very least, it would have been nice if Taurasi had asked Diana if she likes movies or has a favorite movie. What about books or music?). "I am trying to be an open book," Diana casually comments at the beginning. The series, though, gives her only a cursory read—flipping past the more complex pages in favor of a glowing, celebratory narrative (or a narrative that eagerly wants to present itself as glowing and celebratory). 

That deferential approach reveals itself within no time in Episode 1 when Diana's sister, Jessika, mentions that she used to feel a little resentful of her sister due to all the attention she got through her basketball skills. How did she overcome such feelings? Did she ever talk to her parents or friends about it? Taurasi distances itself from such prickly topics. It ignores this confession as soon as it's mentioned on the screen. Similarly, when Jessika says that the family made sacrifices for Diana's dream, you wish the docuseries would just get into these sacrifices for a bit. It takes a village to raise a star, and I would have liked to know what the family did and what they went through to support Diana's dream—rather than hearing the usual, expected comments along the lines of, "We went to her games; we were proud of her gifts." In the second episode, we learn that Diana once went to jail, and in the third, we hear about the doping accusation. These are discomforting topics, and a keen documentary would have sat in the discomfort zone for a while to bring attention to its subject's vulnerabilities, thus rendering them human and not, say, a deity who can easily and casually brush pain and other complex feelings aside. Taurasi, frustratingly, treats the controversial matters lightly and is more eager to drop them immediately instead of examining them deeply. 

By following a conventional pattern, Taurasi fails to do full justice to a woman who played her game unconventionally. The docuseries ultimately comes across as an honorary, jubilant reel that wants to drive home a point we can all see: Diana is exceptional, eminent, terrific. Taurasi, though, cannot be bestowed with the same honor, the same plaudit. It moves with speed, like a basketball player running and jumping and dribbling, which means the three 40-50 minute episodes go by breezily, but they also undermine crucial moments from Diana's memories of Shabtai von Kalmanovich. Here is a complicated man who, when he was alive, was often linked to the Russian mafia and, eventually, after his death, was revealed to be a KGB spy. However, he also recognized the talents of women like Diana and helped sportswomen flourish financially (he was a father figure for his team). His death scene, though, is laughably recreated with shaky cam footage, and all discussion of the incident—as well as his wife's newfound role in managing the sports business—is done in a hurry. 

A person says that Diana tasted success during a time when social media didn't exist, which is why she isn't that famous. Taurasi, then, tries to make the necessary corrections. Through the Prime Video streaming service, it attempts to introduce Diana to millions of viewers. As far as one can see, this seems to be the sole reason for making this docuseries. Diana surely achieved great things. It wouldn't be a stretch to call her Wonder Woman. That comic book superhero is Princess Diana of Themyscira. Can we call the basketball player Princess Diana of California? Diana is a notable figure — she deserves the spotlight. She also deserves a better film, a better series, a better documentary. 

Final Score- [4/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times
Note: All 3 episodes are screened for this review.
Premiere Date: August 7, 2025, on Prime Video