Paige Bueckers SHOCKS Fans With Her Brutally Honest Response to Diana Taurasi’s Sudden Retirement Bombshell

One UConn great saluted another

Paige Bueckers had the perfect response to Diana Taurasi's surprise retirement announcement

Lapresse

It wasn’t long ago when Paige Bueckers surpassed Diana Taurasi on the University of Connecticut‘s all-time scoring list in women’s basketball. Now, Bueckers has discussed Taurasi‘s decision to step away from basketball entirely.

Taurasi on Tuesday announced in an interview with Time magazine that she has retired after a legendary 20-year career in the WNBA, spent entirely with the Phoenix Mercury. Taurasi, 42, steps away from basketball as The W‘s all-time leading scorer and a three-time WNBA champion. She leaves behind a legacy that Bueckers, who is set to enter the league in two months, is hoping to emulate.

Bueckers: Role model Taurasi’s retirement is “crazy”

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Bueckers — the anchor of the fifth-ranked Huskies — said Taurasi’s retirement was not necessarily a shock, but there was a surreal aspect to no longer seeing Taurasi take the court that Bueckers found “crazy’.

“As long as I’ve basically been alive she’s always been playing,” Bueckers explained. “Just to watch her growing up, playing at UConn, playing in the W, playing in the Olympics, like being the ultimate winner, it’s something that I aspire to be.”

Bueckers is hoping to cap her college career with a championship this season; her Huskies are considered a strong contender entering March. Bueckers then is likely to take another step down Taurasi’s “path” by becoming the top overall pick in April’s WNBA Draft — Taurasi was the #1 pick of the Mercury in 2004, and she led the franchise to its first championship within three years.

Bueckers will be hoping to have a similar impact on the Dallas Wings, who hold the top pick this time around — but it remains to be seen if Bueckers can win six Olympic gold medals herself, an achievement only Taurasi has ever realized.

“She’s a great role model,” Bueckers said of Taurasi. “Just a great athlete for people to look up to… Obviously one of the greats, so it’s crazy that she’s not gonna be playing anymore.”