Diana Taurasi Expands UConn's Hall of Fame Legacy

The list of UConn women’s basketball Hall of Famers just got longer.

Diana Taurasi has been named to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2027.

The induction ceremony will take place on June 26, 2027, in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Taurasi becomes the ninth person with UConn ties to enter the Hall of Fame.

She joins Geno Auriemma (2006), Rebecca Lobo (2010), Jennifer Rizzotti (2013), Kara Wolters (2017), Chris Dailey (2018), Swin Cash (2021), Maya Moore (2024) and Sue Bird (2025).

Auriemma, UConn’s Hall of Fame head coach, did not hold back when describing his former star.

“In my mind, the greatest basketball player ever to play college basketball,” Auriemma told reporters at the Final Four last year in Phoenix.

He added: “And maybe the greatest WNBA player of all time.”

Taurasi played for the Huskies from 2000 to 2004.

She appeared in 144 games and averaged 15.0 points, 4.9 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game.

She shot 39.2 percent from three-point range.

During her four seasons, UConn won three national championships.

Taurasi was a three-time Associated Press All-American and a three-time All-Big East selection.

She was named Big East Player of the Year twice and won the Naismith Award twice.

In the 2002-03 season, she was the AP Player of the Year.

Auriemma once said of her versatility: “You could put her anywhere on the floor and she would be the best player in the country at that position.”

The 2002 UConn team, which went 39-0, is considered the greatest in program history.

Taurasi played on that team alongside seven future WNBA players.

She was selected first overall in the 2004 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury.

She spent her entire 20-year professional career with the Mercury.

Taurasi is the WNBA’s all-time scoring leader with 10,646 points.

She also holds the league’s all-time records for three-pointers made and free throws made.

She was a 14-time All-WNBA selection and an 11-time All-Star.

Taurasi led the league in scoring five times.

She won three WNBA championships and was named Finals MVP twice.

In 2009, she won the league’s MVP Award.

She was also the Rookie of the Year in 2004.

Taurasi averaged 18.8 points per game for her WNBA career.

She shot 36 percent from three-point range and 87 percent from the free-throw line.

Perhaps her most remarkable achievement was her longevity.

She played at an All-Star level into her 40s.

When asked about her longevity in 2024, Taurasi kept it simple.

“It’s really simple,” Taurasi said before a game against the Connecticut Sun.

“You show up every single day and you work harder than the next person.

It’s really just as simple as that.”

She added: “There are no magic tricks.

There’s nothing special going on on the court.

Just get in the gym every single day before everyone and stay after everybody.

It’s the only way I can do it.

I’ve said before, if I don’t do that I’m not even gonna get out there.”

Taurasi retired in 2025.

Her international resume is just as decorated.

She is a six-time Olympic gold medalist, winning for Team USA in 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024.

No basketball player in history — male or female — owns more Olympic gold medals.

She also won three FIBA World Cup gold medals.

While playing overseas in Russia and Turkey, she won six EuroLeague championships.

Earlier this year, the Mercury retired her No. 3 jersey.

Taurasi is one of seven UConn alums to be taken first overall in the WNBA Draft.

The others are Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, Breanna Stewart and Tina Charles.

Taurasi, from the Los Angeles area, decided she wanted to play for UConn after watching the Huskies play a game near her home.

Once she arrived in Storrs, her confidence and all-around skills made an immediate impression.

The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame opened in 1999.

Taurasi becomes eligible for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this year.

She is considered a lock for induction into that Hall as well.

The Class of 2027 also includes Sandy Brondello, Mike Thibault, Dee Kantner, Dr. Judith Holland and Molly Bolin Kazmer.