"Kobe Bryant of women’s basketball" - Raven Johnson responds to Diana Taurasi's WNBA prediction for South Carolina star

South Carolina star Raven Johnson was seemingly in disbelief after hearing praise from WNBA legend Diana Taurasi. While Johnson's stats may not immediately stand out, Taurasi recognized her significant impact on the court as the Gamecocks advanced to their second straight championship game.

Taurasi was with another WNBA icon, Sue Bird, calling the Final Four on an ESPN alternate broadcast, providing analysis of the game where South Carolina handled its SEC foe, the Texas Longhorns, 74-57 to advance to Sunday's national championship game.

Mitchell Northam of SB Nation tweeted Taurasi's quote on X.

"Raven Johnson will have a home in the WNBA... Everytime I watch her play, she plays so hard, competes so hard," the three-time WNBA champion said.

Northam wrote that he showed the tweet to Johnson in the locker room, and she was left speechless as emotion took over.

"She said that? Is that real?" Johnson asked.

The junior guard then showed the tweet to her teammate, Sania Feagin.

"I got to send this to my mom," she added. "She’s like the Kobe Bryant of women’s basketball. I’m going to be thinking about this all day. It means a lot, honestly. She’s a legend. This lady knows basketball. I don’t even know what to say. That’s crazy. From her? It’s great. This is a GOAT."

Raven Johnson shares insight on South Carolina's composure and dominance in defense

South Carolina restricted Texas to just 57 points on Friday night while forcing 14 turnovers and holding the Longhorns to 39.3% shooting from the field.

Raven Johnson, who had two points and six rebounds in the contest, shared insight on what allowed the Gamecocks to remain composed.

"I think it starts in practice. Like I said, our practices are way harder than games," Johnson said after the game, via an X post from Noah Chast of ABC Columbia. "The margin of error in our practice is so small. I mean, you mess up in practice—you don't even want to know the consequences, honestly."

Johnson added that the rigorous nature of their practices actually readied them for what they were going to be put into, so none of them got flustered in high-pressure situations.

South Carolina also limited the Longhorns to their lowest scoring output of the season when the Gamecocks beat them 64-45 in the SEC Tournament final.

In the NCAA Tournament, the Gamecocks have allowed fewer than 60 points in four of the five games they have played, averaging 55 points allowed per contest.