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It didn’t take long for recently retired WNBA vet Diana Taurasi to make another bold statement about the league’s young talent.
The former Phoenix Mercury star seems to be enjoying the retired life so far having hung up her shoes earlier this year after a decorated 20-season career. But like any WNBA fan, Taurasi has naturally still been paying close attention to the 2025 campaign, and she had some pretty high praise for Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers during a recent appearance on the No Offseason podcast hosted by Ben Pickman of The Athletic.
The UConn pride in Taurasi runs deep, so it’s no surprise that she had nothing but nice things to say about the ex-Huskies guard, who’s coming off her first NCAA title in her last season in Storrs.
Among Taurasi’s litany of compliments was a supremely confident statement about Bueckers developing into the best player in the WNBA.
“And the one thing I know about Paige is she’s so grounded, so patient, and she’s so prepared,” said Taurasi. “She’s learned that in the last four or five years, and all those things that she learned at Connecticut are going to change the way you look at that team. One day, she’s going to end up being the best player in the league for sure.”
When asked to elaborate, Taurasi doubled down and explained why she thought Bueckers would eventually take the league by storm.
She told Pickman:
“Paige’s instincts on the court are just incredible, and it takes a special skill and talent when you can galvanize a group of people. I’ve been around her long enough to know that once they get the right group around her, things will change because of her skill set and her ability to distribute and score. Paige just has tremendous talent, and once it’s unlocked, I’m going to be really excited to watch her play.”
Despite Bueckers’s college success, she’s still hunting for her first win with the Dallas Wings after being selected as the No. 1 pick in the draft a month ago. Bueckers has made quite a bit of history across her first four games, including being the fastest guard to record 50 points and 25 assists in the WNBA since none other than UConn alum Sue Bird.
But as the league’s fans well know, Taurasi’s last prediction about a certain WNBA rookie didn’t exactly age well. Just two weeks into her pro career, Bueckers would do well to shut out the outside noise and focus on playing her game—the rest will fall into place.
More WNBA on Sports Illustrated
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