Diana Taurasi Discusses the WNBA’s New CBA, UConn’s Superstars and Women’s Health

Diana Taurasi spoke with Sports Illustrated while at the women’s Final Four and opened up about retirement.

Diana Taurasi spoke with Sports Illustrated about the WNBA’s new CBA, UConn’s next generation of superstars and women’s health. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Diana Taurasi retired from the WNBA following the 2024 season after 20 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury. Her professional career is arguably the best one in history—she’s a three-time champion, 11-time All-Star, holds the record for the most points scored in the W (10,646) and the most three-pointers made (1,447), just to name a few of her many accomplishments. This May she will rightuflly have her jersey retired by the Mercury.

Since retiring she has continued to watch her alma mater UConn continue to dominate in women’s college basketball and produce some of the biggest stars in the sport (examples include Paige Bueckers, Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd). Retirement has given Taurasi time to focus on other things she’s passionate about, too, like women’s health.

Taurasi spoke with Sports Illustrated over the weekend while on the ground of the women’s Final Four with Lilly, and she spoke on all these topics.

Taurasi on the WNBA’s new CBA

The players of Taurasi’s WNBA generation and before her worked tirelessly to make changes in pay and salary caps. That hard work is finally paying off after the W passed the new CBA in March to raise those average amounts. It’s fulfilling as a retired player to watch the next generation bask in the glory of their hard work, but Taurasi couldn’t help but joke about it.

“It feels so good to know I’ll never get paid like that,” Taurasi says while laughing. This is a joke probably all retired players have been waiting to make.

“I don’t feel bad because I did get paid that way, I just had to play in Russia for 12 years. But, there’s a lot of players that didn’t have that opportunity. Those are the players that, when I look back on and when I look into the future, you want to take care of everyone,” Taurasi continued. “Hopefully we’re on the right path.”

Taurasi was always a loud advocate for players’ salaries. She knew that not every player had the opportunity to make a reasonable salary to help pay for their families’ livelihoods. To see her dream come to fruitition has been special for her to witness.

“For a long time, I was already very adamant about players’ salaries. The more money you could put in your pocket for the future of you and your family for me was always key,” Taurasi says. “To see the change of salary, I think for a lot of players in the past, the present and future, that’s what we always wanted. ... I think it’s only the beginning. I think there’s a lot of things as players to fight for. That's the beauty of the WNBA, we make social change in so many ways. This is just another way to make sure that women can be in different fields and get paid accurately.”

Taurasi on watching the next generation of UConn superstars

Taurasi led the Huskies to three national titles during her time in Storrs. She was named the Naismith Player of the Year twice. Her accomplishments at UConn resulted in her getting drafted No. 1 overall by the Mercury in 2004.

Since Taurasi left UConn in ‘04, the Huskies have won seven more titles (the program has won 12 total) and produced various other superstars to follow in Taurasi’s footsteps. Most recently, Paige Bueckers led the Huskies to a 2025 national title, then became the No. 1 overall pick and WNBA Rookie of the Year. Following Bueckers, the Huskies have superstars Sarah Strong (the Wooden Award favorite) and Azzi Fudd (who is projected to be a top pick later this month).

Taurasi has enjoyed watching all three of those young players, and even has grown a bond with Bueckers. She attended UConn’s Final Four game this past weekend with Bueckers to watch Strong and Fudd, but the Huskies fell short, losing to South Carolina.

“There’s something really special when you watch them play,” Taurasi says. “I understand how hard it is to put that Connecticut jersey on and how hard coach [Geno] Auriemma and that staff pushes you. It’s not easy to come to a Final Four and have the weight of the history of our program and how many national championships we’ve won.

“... They’re just such great kids, they do it the right way. Even through tough losses, they still went out there and played as hard as possible and still try to grind out a win. It just didn’t work out.”

.@UConnWBB legends Diana Taurasi and Paige Bueckers in the house for the Final Four 🔥 pic.twitter.com/iSBcR3Edom

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 3, 2026

Taurasi has really enjoyed watching this generation of UConn stars.

“Those three in particular, Sarah, Azzi and Paige, they represent everything Connecticut stands for—being a great teammate, bringing in the community. They showed us as alumni why we’re so proud to be a part of it.”

Taurasi on women’s health

In the second half of Taurasi’s legendary WNBA career, she really started focusing on her health and wellbeing. She dealt with injuries over the years and gives credit to her focus on her own health being the reason she was able to play so long in the W.

Diana Taurasi helped lead a girls basketball clinic with Lilly. | Lilly

In retirement, Taurasi can pick and choose what partnerships she wants to take on, and her main passion is rooted in women’s health. She partnered with Lilly at the women’s Final Four to put on a basketball clinic for young girls, but also to teach them about their health. The clinic even had a mammogram station outside for any adults interesting in screening.

“Women’s health, we talk about it a lot, but to actually do something that I can see and touch and feel,” Taurasi says. “… In retirement, you do have more time to really think about the things that you want to change. For me, the health of our youth, especially young girls and women my age, that is some of the most important things and hard work we can do.”

Even in retirement, Taurasi is advocating for women in sports and in general. Although she isn’t on the court anymore, don’t be surprised if you continue seeing Taurasi out and about.

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