When Geno Auriemma’s son Mike talked about Sue Bird & Diana Taurasi uplifting each other: “Without knowing it you step your game up”

UConn Huskies alumni Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi are hailed as two of the best WNBA players of all time. Before achieving professional stardom, the pair led Geno Auriemma's squad to national championships in 2000 and 2002, each earning individual accolades along the way.

As college teammates, Bird reflected on her and Taurasi's ability to elevate each other's performances during an Instagram Live with Mike Auriemma, Geno Auriemma's son, in May 2020. Mike also acknowledged this dynamic during the interview, sharing his perspective:

"When I think about playing with or against the best players, it's almost happens subconsciously, it happens like you kind of just without even knowing it, you step your game up because you want to. Whether they're your teammate and you want to feel like you're on their same level or you're playing against somebody and you want to be as good as them." (11:39)

"You don't even realize it happens until afterwards like you and Dee have played so much together it's like, 'Wow! She made me better,' and I wasn't even realizing like why it was happening type thing," Auriemma then added.

Bird then elaborated further on the significant influence Taurasi had on their team over the years:

"When you're around her, first of all, her personality is infectious for the good and the bad. When she gets pissed off in a game, you're kind of like, we're all going to get pissed off. When she's vibing in a game, you follow suit too. So, I can't imagine my career without Dee, truthfully, for so many reasons." (12:15)

"Talking about basketball-specific, I'd probably have a totally different career without her," she added.

Nevertheless, there's no denying that the camaraderie between two of Auriemma's greatest UConn Huskies helped propel them to elite status.

For Sue Bird, playing for Diana Taurasi is like JR Smith playing for LeBron James

Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi in 2020. - Source: Kyle Terada, Imagn

Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi have been teammates on multiple ocassions, from college to representing Team USA at the Olympics. During the live discussion, the 44-year-old brought up the pressure of playing with the Phoenix Mercury legend, even comparing it to LeBron James and JR Smith's time with the Cleveland Cavaliers:

"We've maybe jawed at each other, like a handful of times. It helps that we're usually on the same team, but we kind of just see it the same...When you're playing with someone like Dee, you always want to step your game up. You don't want to be the one that because Dee is getting double-teamed and kicks it to you, you're the one missing that open three," Bird shared. (10:43)

"It's almost like when LeBron was playing with like whoever, name a guy like JR Smith, anytime those guys would miss, it's a lot of pressure," she then concluded.

Taurasi retired from professional basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 25, joining her former UConn Huskies partner, Sue Bird, who retired in 2022. Together, they are regarded as having shaped an unprecedented era in women's basketball.