Diana Taurasi is just a kid from Chino, CA.

That is to say, she’s a nine-time WNBA All-First Team, three-time WNBA Champion kid from Chino, CA.

But to those who know her, she’s just “Dee.”

Indeed, it’s tremendously endearing when someone of Taurasi’s stature – the G.O.A.T. – makes a conscious, yet selfless effort to stay true to their unpretentious roots. There’s nothing fake about Dee; what you see is what you get. The White Mamba is the same whether she’s speaking with the President of the United States or one of her millions of adoring fans across the globe.

This innate character trait is illustrated in a recent contributing article to The Players’ Tribune. In it, Taurasi reflects on her humble beginnings and the mandatory choice to remain grounded.

On her family:

I am very much the daughter of immigrants. It’s both a point of pride and an essential part of characterizing my upbringing. We spoke Spanish in our house. We listened to Spanish music. All of the TV channels we watched were in Spanish. We ate mostly Italian and Argentinian food.

That was my normal; it’s all I knew. That’s how I understood this country — a myriad of cultures coexisting all at once.

On playing both soccer and basketball growing up:

I remember everything: playing in the driveway, waiting for my dad to get home. Going from the soccer field to the basketball field, still having my shin guards on. Getting my first new pair of basketball shoes. The burn of the hot asphalt. The swoosh of the net and the whoosh of the soccer ball through freshly cut grass.

The truth is, I liked soccer more. But my dad, knowing and encouraging, said, “Diana. Go play basketball.”

On staying true to herself:

My sense of home, and where I’m from, has helped to shape but also ground me. No matter how far across the map my basketball journey has taken me or how bright the lights, I’m still myself.

I’m still just a kid from Chino.

Visit The Players’ Tribune for Taurasi’s entire article.