When Geno Auriemma mocked Sue Bird for tauntingly imitating him: “I never said attaboy”

Sue Bird was essential to Geno Auriemma's two-time national championship-winning team at UConn between 2000 and 2002. She was also an All-American, a two-time First Team All-Big East pick at Storrs. Bird went on to have a distinguished WNBA career with the Seattle Storm, winning four WNBA titles and being named an All-Star 13 times.

Bird and Auriemma have remained close, and the WNBA legend has even stated that they're very similar in character. This leads them to bump heads occasionally, but this is nothing to worry about since they usually laugh it off. Back in 2020, during a video call during the pandemic, they disagreed on how they remembered their time together at UConn, which made for a good laugh.

At one point in their call, Geno Auriemma unwittingly closed the app they were using and seemingly had some trouble getting back. When he finally returned, he made a point of how fast he was able to get a hold of how the app works. Sue Bird mockingly mimicked Auriemma while stating, "Good job". Auriemma, in turn mimicked, Bird's mimicking.

After this, his former player said:

"Shall I say what you said to us in college? Attaboy, you want attaboy?" [1:00 mark]

To which Auriemma replied:

"I never said attaboy ... You make stuff up man ... I don't know how Megan (Rapinoe) puts up with your crap"

The last comment mentions Sue Bird's girlfriend, former USWNT captain and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion Megan Rapinoe.

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Geno Auriemma responds to being considered a villain by the Tennessee fanbase

Ahead of their rivalry game against the Lady Volunteers, coach Auriemma has been asked how he feels about being considered a villain by the fanbase of the SEC school. Here's what he told USA Today:

“Weird. I just represent what is not necessarily copacetic for the people in Knoxville, but I think I’m on a long, illustrious list of villains, so I feel pretty good about it.” Auriemma said on Monday.

“Because we had the audacity to come in there and win, and win, and win, we become the villains,”

“Just like whoever the football coach is at Georgia is the villain, or whoever the coach is at Alabama is the villain, or Florida, or any other school that Tennessee has these intense rivalries with, I just think by the nature of the sport and who you are and the success that you’ve had automatically makes you a villain.”

No. 5 UConn and No. 19 Tennessee will clash on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. ET, at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee.