Mercury: Diana Taurasi draws GOAT takes from Sue Bird, Geno Auriemma

Sue Bird and Geno Auriemma told ESPN they consider Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi the greatest player in WNBA history.

Now it can be said: Sue Bird and Geno Aueriemma considers the Phoenix Mercury's Diana Taurasi the WNBA's GOAT.

Aueriemma, Taurasi's college coach at UConn basketball, already saw something special in her when she was a true freshman in 2000. He told her to wear No. 3 because she could eventually become the Babe Ruth of women's basketball, per ESPN's Josh Weinfuss.

Diana Taurasi is only 18 points away from becoming the FIRST WNBA player to score 10,000 points 👏

More on Taurasi's 10,000-point shot: https://t.co/MS8FKteQIM pic.twitter.com/SnYPFbegSF

— ESPN (@espn) August 3, 2023

Fast forward two decades later, Aueriemma's prediction came true. His former protege is on the verge of reaching the WNBA's elusive 10,ooo-point mark.

“Ten thousand is going to be something that hopefully means something to women's basketball,” Taurasi said. “And it's going to be, I feel like, a bigger deal when someone breaks it.”

Bird, the Seattle Storm legend, considers Taurasi the greatest WNBA player of all-time. The 41-year-old Taurasi is two years younger than Bird. They had many memorable battles in the WNBA and played together in five summer Olympics for Team USA.

“I think Dee's legacy is going to be all the things you can read on a piece of paper,” Bird quipped. “In my mind, she's the best player the WNBA has seen.”

Aueriemma couldn't agree more.

“As the WNBA is getting more and more and more traction and recognition among the majority of the fans in America, they're going to start realizing that this kid was the best basketball player in the world for a long time,” he said.

Diana Taurasi's road to 10,000 points

A recent injury hasn't stopped Taurasi from closing in on the WNBA's 10,000-point mark. Although Taurasi also recorded just her fifth scoreless game in her legendary career on June 14, it hardly tarnished her WNBA legacy.

As of this writing, Diana Taurasi is just 18 points shy of becoming the first WNBA player to score 10,000 points. It's only a matter of time before the 41-year-old GOAT rewrites the WNBA record books.