Taurasi’s Hall of Fame Induction Adds to UConn’s Storied Legacy

Diana Taurasi has added another honor to a career already stuffed with them.

The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Thursday, November 5, that Taurasi will be inducted as part of the Class of 2027.

The induction ceremony will be held Saturday, June 26, 2027, in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Taurasi joins five other inductees: Sandy Brondello, Mike Thibault, Dee Kantner, Dr. Judith Holland, and Molly Bolin Kazmer.

But for UConn fans, Taurasi's name carries extra weight.

She becomes the ninth person with ties to the University of Connecticut women's basketball program to enter the Hall of Fame.

The list of UConn Hall of Famers now includes Geno Auriemma, Rebecca Lobo, Jennifer Rizzotti, Kara Wolters, Chris Dailey, Swin Cash, Maya Moore, Sue Bird, and now Taurasi.

That is nine inductees from a single program.

No other women's basketball program comes close to that number.

Taurasi's path to this moment began in Chino, California.

She spent four years with the Huskies from 2000 to 2004.

In her career at UConn, she appeared in 144 games, including 39 in her sophomore season.

She won three national championships in four years.

She earned a laundry list of individual awards along the way.

Taurasi was a three-time Associated Press All-American.

She was a three-time All-Big East selection.

She was a two-time Big East Player of the Year.

She was a two-time Naismith Award Winner.

She was the AP Player of the Year in the 2002-03 season.

Her career averages at UConn: 15.0 points per game, 4.9 assists, and four rebounds.

She shot 39.2 percent from three-point range.

Geno Auriemma, her coach at UConn, summed up her impact in one sentence back in 2003: "We got Diana, and you don't."

At the Final Four last year in Phoenix, Auriemma went further.

"In my mind, the greatest basketball player ever to play college basketball," he told reporters.

"And maybe the greatest WNBA player of all time."

Taurasi was the No. 1 pick in the 2004 WNBA Draft, selected by the Phoenix Mercury.

She is one of seven UConn alums to be taken first overall.

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

Taurasi spent her entire 20-year WNBA career with the Mercury.

She is the league's all-time leading scorer with 10,646 points.

She is also the all-time leader in three-pointers made and free throws made.

She was a 14-time All-WNBA selection.

She was an 11-time All-Star.

She won the scoring title five times.

She won three WNBA championships.

She was a two-time WNBA Finals MVP.

She won the league's MVP Award in 2009.

She won Rookie of the Year in 2004.

Her career WNBA averages: 18.8 points per game, shooting 36 percent from three and 87 percent from the free-throw line.

Taurasi also built an unmatched international resume.

She is a six-time Olympic gold medalist.

She won gold with Team USA in 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024.

That makes her the most decorated Olympic basketball player in history.

She also won three FIBA World Cup gold medals.

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

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

Now she joins the Hall of Fame.

Michelle Marciniak, CEO of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, released a statement on the Class of 2027.

"For nearly thirty years, the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame has honored the greatest of the game, and we are thrilled to welcome these six inductees into the distinguished seats of the Hall of Fame," Marciniak said.

"Selection for this esteemed celebration recognizes the hard work, success, and record-breaking journeys for those to join this global class. We cannot wait to welcome the Class of 2027."

Taurasi's fellow inductees each bring their own historic credentials.

Sandy Brondello is a championship-winning WNBA coach who has led the New York Liberty and previously the Phoenix Mercury.

Mike Thibault is another championship-winning WNBA coach, having led the Washington Mystics to a title and previously building the Connecticut Sun into a contender.

Dee Kantner is a veteran referee who has officiated at the highest levels of women's basketball.

Dr. Judith Holland is the former director of women's athletics at UCLA, a trailblazer in women's sports administration.

Molly Bolin Kazmer, nicknamed "Machine Gun Molly," was one of the greatest players in the six-on-six version of girls' and women's basketball that was popular for decades in states like Texas, Oklahoma, and Iowa.

As a senior at Moravia High School in Iowa, Bolin averaged 54.8 points per game.

Taurasi's own high school and college journey started when she decided she wanted to play for UConn after seeing the Huskies play a game near her home in the Los Angeles area.

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

"You could put her anywhere on the floor and she would be the best player in the country at that position," Auriemma once said.

In 2002, the Huskies went 39-0, a season considered the greatest of all the program's championship teams.

Taurasi played with seven future WNBA players on that team.

Teammates Sue Bird and Swin Cash are already in both the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.