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Taurasi sat down with NBC Sports and shared her thoughts on a number of hot topics in women\u2019s basketball, including the NCAA Tournament and who the biggest threats are to UConn repeating, Azzi Fudd\u2019s potential to go No. 1 in the WNBA Draft, life after basketball, the WNBA\u2019s new transformational CBA and the next generation of Team USA.<\/p>\n
Diana Taurasi\u2019s interview with NBC Sports was lightly edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n
Why did you decide to collaborate with GREENIES and how does someone take advantage of making the pledge to Be Your Dog\u2019s Mouthguard?<\/p>\n
Diana Taurasi: Well, it happened very organically. When I was approached to partner with GREENIES, I thought what do people love the most in life? Their college team and their pets. And when [University of] Connecticut and GREENIES teamed up to take [the] pledge to \u201cBe Your Dog\u2019s Mouthguard\u201d it [was] one of those things where like GREENIES has been in my house forever. It\u2019s always been my pet\u2019s number one treat. It was just a great partnership and they\u2019ve been amazing. And you know to get March Madness started, what better way than with GREENIES?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n So, if someone takes the pledge [to Be Your Dog\u2019s Mouthguard<\/a>] and then, either UConn men or women\u2019s wins the national championship, then they will get a free bag of Greenies Dental Treats?<\/p>\n Diana Taurasi: That is correct. If you\u2019re team Connecticut, which is all our team, I mean, you guys are in Connecticut, so you guys are fellow Huskies. If we win, you get a free bag of GREENIES. So, take your pledge to Be Your Dog\u2019s Mouthguard and get yourself some GREENIES.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In light of that, who is the biggest threat to UConn women\u2019s basketball to maybe prevent them from repeating this year?<\/p>\n Diana Taurasi: Yeah I mean, look Connecticut looks great. They\u2019ve been playing great all year. Just the way Sarah [Strong] and Azzi [Fudd] have really carried this team and they\u2019re just playing at a level that if you think about it, coming off the championship win last year with Paige [Bueckers] and what an incredible year they had, the follow up has been even more impressive than that. <\/p>\n You know when you talk about people that can easily upset Connecticut, I mean, you talk about South Carolina and what Dawn\u2019s been able to do with that team. And the beauty about South Carolina is they\u2019ve gotten better every month. And you know that\u2019s what you want when the season\u2019s so long. You want to come into March playing your best basketball. And I think that\u2019s what they\u2019re doing. I\u2019m really impressed with UCLA and how balanced they are. And I think the last couple of years when you have such an imposing figure like Lauren Betts, everything goes through her defensively and offensively. And I think this year they found a little bit better balance which makes them a threat to win the national championship.<\/p>\n Were you surprised that [UConn] dominated in the way that they did going undefeated this year?<\/p>\n Diana Taurasi: I want to say I am, but I\u2019m not. Knowing that it was going to be Azzi\u2019s last year as a senior, you always want to bring your best foot forward. And I think with all the things that she\u2019s gone through with her injuries and the way she played last year in the Final Four, she was incredible. I think there was a sense that I had and that people around the program [had] knowing that she was gonna have the best year of her career. And then, you have Sarah who was probably the best player in the Final Four last year. To come back her sophomore year with another year of experience having coach\u2019s trust, having more responsibility on the court, you kind of can see this dominant team being formed. And you know at the end of the day you start to show up to the games and you have to respect your opponent and you have to play at a very very high level. You know, that\u2019s what they do every night and that\u2019s what makes them so hard to beat.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ‘Not even a thought’ that UNC could beat UConn<\/p>\n Natalie Esquire, Terrika Foster-Brasby and Jordan Robinson discuss why North Carolina likely won’t have an answer for UConn’s firepower in the Sweet 16.<\/p>\n When you think about last year\u2019s squad and this year\u2019s squad, who do you think has the edge?<\/p>\n Diana Taurasi: Oh, I mean, it\u2019s tough. You know, that team last year went through a lot and sometimes when you see an undefeated season, you think, oh, that team might be the best to ever play. But sometimes those teams with losses, you know, they\u2019re hardened a different way. Obviously, a team with Paige is gonna always be better than a team without Paige. So, you know, they still have a job to finish. So, we\u2019ll get back to you.<\/p>\n Do you think this year\u2019s undefeated team could beat your undefeated team that won the title in 2002?<\/p>\n Diana Taurasi: I mean, 2002 is the best team to ever play. So, you know, I don\u2019t know. That\u2019s not coming from me. That\u2019s the experts. The experts are saying that, not me.<\/p>\n Should Azzi be the No. 1 overall pick in the Draft?<\/p>\n Diana Taurasi: Dallas is gonna have a tough decision to make and it\u2019s a decision you want when you have the No. 1 pick and you have all this talent coming out. I think just from a bird\u2019s eye view you would say Azzi is the No. 1 pick. And you know the synergy that she has with Paige on the court, they play great together. I think, you know, when you get to the WNBA if you have two guards that can pretty much do everything, defend, pass, shoot the three, get to the paint, then we\u2019re talking about building championship DNA. <\/p>\n And you know, it wouldn\u2019t be fair to have this conversation without Olivia Miles. I think what she does on the court is pretty special and unique [in] so many ways. Whenever someone can pass the ball like she does and score the basketball like she does, it just changes your franchise automatically. Obviously, those two are the front runners, but the way Azzi has been playing and how dominant she looks on the court on both ends right now, I would say she\u2019s probably the [No. 1] pick.<\/p>\n Have you had any conversations with her around just what that could mean?<\/p>\n Diana Taurasi: Yeah, I think no matter what, whether you\u2019re favored to be the No. 1 pick or not, you\u2019re always nervous. There\u2019s so much that happens in that two week stretch from, hopefully winning a national championship or making the Final Four, to all of a sudden you\u2019re a pro and you\u2019re at the Draft. So much happens in that stretch. But the beauty about Azzi, she has great people around her. She has great support. She has great friends that\u2019s gone through the Draft and she\u2019s got it figured out.<\/p>\n How has retirement been treating you?<\/p>\n Diana Taurasi: You know, it\u2019s been wonderful. Obviously, I\u2019ve gotten to do some incredible things with some incredible friends, but the most fascinating and fulfilling thing is just spending time with my family every single day. <\/p>\n You know, when you\u2019re playing, you\u2019re just so enthralled in the game. You know the last five or six years of my career, I was just so obsessed with being on the court and making sure I was ready to play every single game that I lost sight a little bit of what was around me. And it was so nice just to get back to the little things in life. You know, having coffee in the morning, breakfast with the kids, taking them to school, picking them up, taking them to swim, basketball, golf, tennis, they\u2019re as busy as anyone.<\/p>\n All the things that when you\u2019re playing, you just don\u2019t even think they\u2019re part of your schedule because you\u2019re so focused on the next game, the next practice, the next individual. I have to be in the weight room, I have to recover. So, it\u2019s been sweet. I\u2019ve got to do so many great things off the court.<\/p>\n Are there moments where maybe you kind of miss playing a little bit? Are there times where you think, you know, I still got it?<\/p>\n Diana Taurasi: Oh, I miss that paycheck. I don\u2019t miss anything else. You know, I think sometimes retired players that have a hard time with giving the game up is because they\u2019re so attached to the things that the game gave them off the court. I was never really that worried about any of that stuff. I was just really always worried about my team and being on the court. And you know, when that thrill was gone, I really don\u2019t miss anything about it. I loved it so much. I gave everything. I gave every ounce I had physically and mentally. So, when it was time to step away, it kind of was like, yeah, this is what\u2019s next in my life.<\/p>\n Another paycheck is gonna be coming very soon because under the terms of the new CBA, as a retiree, now they\u2019ve got a stipend in there specifically for retired players. So, what are your thoughts on the new CBA?<\/p>\n Diana Taurasi: Well, thank you for the paycheck, CBA. You\u2019re gonna put [Isla Taurasi-Taylor] through college. You always want to leave the game better. And the CBA news from this week, I mean when you talk about the league being here for 30 years and you know we talk about the past a lot and you know it\u2019s appreciation for all the people that paved the way, right? We always talk about unpaid pioneers and what they did for this league and the things we\u2019ve been fighting for for so so long. And to see the league go forward like that in a way where it\u2019s gonna change people\u2019s lives, you know our generation had to go to Europe, Russia and overseas. And that\u2019s a sacrifice we made. And I wouldn\u2019t trade it for the world. But to see what this next generation has done in such short time just says a lot about where this league is going and what these players are doing. It\u2019s been really fascinating to watch. And you know, we\u2019re all pulling in the same direction. And that feels good.<\/p>\n![\"GREENIES](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774577357_309_.jpeg\")
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