“Greatest winner in the history of basketball”: Geno Auriemma pens emotional message on UConn legend Diana Taurasi’s retirement

Geno Auriemma paid tribute to UConn legend Diana Taurasi on Tuesday after the WNBA star announced her retirement in an interview with Time magazine. The UConn coach delivered an emotional message about his former player, who made a tremendous impact on women’s basketball.

Taurasi played under Auriemma for four seasons with the UConn Huskies, helping the program win its first-ever three-peat in the early 2000s. Auriemma spoke about Taurasi’s greatness following her retirement.

"It's hard to put into words, it really is, what this means, Auriemma said (per ESPN's Alexa Philippou). "When someone's defined the game, when someone's had such an impact on so many people and so many places. You can't define it with a quote."

"It's a life that is a novel, it's a movie, it's a miniseries, it's a saga. It's the life of an extraordinary person, who, I think, had as much to do with changing women's basketball as anyone who's ever played the game."

Geno Auriemma then explained why, in his opinion, Diana Taurasi is the greatest.

"In my opinion, what the greats have in common is, they transcend the sport and become synonymous with the sport. For as long as people talk about college basketball, WNBA basketball, Olympic basketball: Diana is the greatest winner in the history of basketball, period."

"I've had the pleasure of being around her for a lot of those moments, and she's the greatest teammate I've ever coached. I'm happy for her and her family. At the same time, I'm sad that I'll never get to see her play again, but I saw more than most," Auriemma added.

Diana Taurasi decided to call time on her professional career after playing 20 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury. She won three WNBA championships with the franchise and will leave the league as its all-time leading scorer.

Diana Taurasi and Geno Auriemma's championship history with UConn

Diana Taurasi and Geno Auriemma made history together at UConn, leading the Huskies to three consecutive national championships from 2002 to 2004. Taurasi played a major part in that memorable three-peat, capturing the Naismith College Player of the Year award in her final two seasons.

Diana Taurasi in attendance of the Phoenix Suns game against the Dallas Mavericks at Footprint Center. Photo: Imagn

Auriemma and Taurasi were almost unbeatable during their partnership in Storrs, compiling a 139-8 record. They first won the championship in 2002, beating the Oklahoma Sooners 82-70 in the final. Taurasi scored 13 points to win her first-ever NCAA title.

They added another championship in 2003, beating Tennessee 73-68 in the final. Taurasi starred in that contest, scoring 28 points. She finished her college career in style, leading UConn to a 70-61 victory over Tennessee in the 2004 national championship game.