Diana Taurasi Headlines the 2027 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Class

Diana Taurasi has been named a 2027 inductee into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

The announcement was made Thursday, November 5, 2026, by the Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Taurasi headlines a six-person class that includes Toronto Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello, longtime WNBA coach and executive Mike Thibault, official Dee Kantner, contributor Dr. Judith Holland, and former professional player Molly Bolin Kazmer.

The induction ceremony is scheduled for June 26, 2027, at the Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville.

Taurasi’s resume is among the most decorated in the history of the sport.

At the University of Connecticut, she was part of three NCAA Tournament championship teams — 2002, 2003, and 2004.

The 2002 team finished 39-0 and is widely considered one of the greatest in women’s college basketball history.

Taurasi played alongside seven future WNBA players on that squad, including Sue Bird and Swin Cash — both already enshrined in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

“We got Diana, and you don’t,” UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said in 2003, summing up her impact.

Auriemma later called Taurasi “the greatest basketball player ever to play college basketball” and “maybe the greatest WNBA player of all time.”

Taurasi played 20 seasons in the WNBA.

She won three league championships — in 2007, 2009, and 2014 — all with the Phoenix Mercury.

She was an 11-time WNBA All-Star.

When she retired in 2025, Taurasi was the league’s all-time leading scorer with 10,646 points — more than 2,000 ahead of the next closest player.

On the international stage, Taurasi is the only basketball player — male or female — to win six Olympic gold medals.

She also earned three FIBA World Championship gold medals.

“In my mind, the greatest basketball player ever to play college basketball,” Auriemma told reporters at the Final Four in Phoenix in 2026.

Taurasi’s ability to perform at an elite level deep into her 30s and early 40s set her apart.

“It’s really simple,” Taurasi said before a game with the Connecticut Sun in 2024.

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

“It’s really just as simple as that.

“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 becomes the ninth UConn women’s basketball figure inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

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

Taurasi is also considered a lock for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame once she becomes eligible.

Sandy Brondello, the second headliner in the 2027 class, is a two-time WNBA champion coach.

She won her first title alongside Taurasi with the Phoenix Mercury in 2014, earning WNBA Coach of the Year honors that season.

Brondello then led the New York Liberty to their first championship in 2024 and a Commissioner’s Cup title in 2023.

She made four WNBA Finals appearances through her coaching career.

Brondello also represented Australia as both a player and coach.

She led the Opals to an Olympic bronze medal in 2024 and FIBA World Cup silver medals in 2018 and 2022.

On October 20, 2026, Brondello was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

She became the first head coach in Toronto Tempo history in 2025 after parting ways with the Liberty.

The Tempo went 11-33 in their inaugural season — the first time Brondello missed the playoffs as a head coach, snapping a streak of 12 consecutive postseason appearances.

Mike Thibault, the winningest coach in WNBA history, is also part of the 2027 class.

He coached the Connecticut Sun and Washington Mystics, winning WNBA championships with the Mystics in 2019.