Basketball legend Diana Taurasi is retiring from the WNBA after an illustrious 20-year career. As the curtain closes on her time in the WNBA, she'll go down as one of the greatest individuals to ever step foot on a basketball court.
After the news of her retirement broke, the basketball world celebrated her career. Among those to weigh in was Taurasi's college coach at UConn, Geno Auriemma, who also coached her for the U.S. national team.
Taurasi rose to prominence while starring for the Huskies from 2000 to '04. She won three national championships at UConn and was a two-time Naismith Award winner. Auriemma issued a statement after her retirement, in which he detailed the lasting impact she had on the game.
"It's hard to put into words, it really is, what this means. 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," said Auriemma, via ESPN's Alexa Philippou.
"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, Olypmic 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 clearly holds Taurasi in the highest regard, not hesitating to suggest she is the most influential women's basketball player of all time. He's coached some legendary basketball players in his career with the Huskies, though none have risen to the level that Taurasi did.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Geno Auriemma Salutes Diana Taurasi After WNBA Retirement Announcement.
