It’s no surprise that former UConn Husky, Diana Taurasi, is a dog lover, so teaming up with GREENIES to help pet parents add dental defense to their dog’s daily playbook was a no-brainer for the UConn legend. According to Diana, pets are what people love the most in life and collaborating with GREENIES on its “Be Your Dog’s Mouthguard” campaign was a great way to get March Madness started.
Greenies-Taurasi promo
Taurasi sat down with NBC Sports and shared her thoughts on a number of hot topics in women’s basketball, including the NCAA Tournament and who the biggest threats are to UConn repeating, Azzi Fudd’s potential to go No. 1 in the WNBA Draft, life after basketball, the WNBA’s new transformational CBA and the next generation of Team USA.
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Diana Taurasi’s interview with NBC Sports was lightly edited for length and clarity.
Why did you decide to collaborate with GREENIES and how does someone take advantage of making the pledge to Be Your Dog’s Mouthguard?
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 “Be Your Dog’s Mouthguard” it [was] one of those things where like GREENIES has been in my house forever. It’s always been my pet’s number one treat. It was just a great partnership and they’ve been amazing. And you know to get March Madness started, what better way than with GREENIES?
GREENIES Be Your Dog’s Mouthguard campaign
So, if someone takes the pledge [to Be Your Dog’s Mouthguard] and then, either UConn men or women’s wins the national championship, then they will get a free bag of Greenies Dental Treats?
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Diana Taurasi: That is correct. If you’re 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’s Mouthguard and get yourself some GREENIES.
Diana Taurasi-GREENIES promo
In light of that, who is the biggest threat to UConn women’s basketball to maybe prevent them from repeating this year?
Diana Taurasi: Yeah I mean, look Connecticut looks great. They’ve been playing great all year. Just the way Sarah [Strong] and Azzi [Fudd] have really carried this team and they’re 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.
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You know when you talk about people that can easily upset Connecticut, I mean, you talk about South Carolina and what Dawn’s been able to do with that team. And the beauty about South Carolina is they’ve gotten better every month. And you know that’s what you want when the season’s so long. You want to come into March playing your best basketball. And I think that’s what they’re doing. I’m 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.
Were you surprised that [UConn] dominated in the way that they did going undefeated this year?
Diana Taurasi: I want to say I am, but I’m not. Knowing that it was going to be Azzi’s last year as a senior, you always want to bring your best foot forward. And I think with all the things that she’s 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’s 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’s what they do every night and that’s what makes them so hard to beat.
When you think about last year’s squad and this year’s squad, who do you think has the edge?
Diana Taurasi: Oh, I mean, it’s 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’re hardened a different way. Obviously, a team with Paige is gonna always better than a team without Paige. So, you know, they still have a job to finish. So, we’ll get back to you.
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Do you think this year’s undefeated team could beat your undefeated team that won the title in 2002?
Diana Taurasi: I mean, 2002 is the best team to ever play. So, you know, I don’t know. That’s not coming from me. That’s the experts. The experts are saying that, not me.
Should Azzi be the No. 1 overall pick in the Draft?
Diana Taurasi: Dallas is gonna have a tough decision to make and it’s 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’s 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’re talking about building championship DNA.
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And you know, it wouldn’t 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’s probably the [No. 1] pick.
Have you had any conversations with her around just what that could mean?
Diana Taurasi: Yeah, I think no matter what, whether you’re favored to be the No. 1 pick or not, you’re always nervous. There’s 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’re a pro and you’re 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’s gone through the Draft and she’s got it figured out.
How has retirement been treating you?
Diana Taurasi: You know, it’s been wonderful. Obviously, I’ve 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.
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You know, when you’re playing, you’re 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’re as busy as anyone.
All the things that when you’re playing, you just don’t even think they’re part of your schedule because you’re 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’s been sweet. I’ve got to do so many great things off the court.
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?
Diana Taurasi: Oh, I miss that paycheck. I don’t miss anything else. You know, I think sometimes retired players that have a hard time with giving the game up is because they’re 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’t 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’s next in my life.
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Another paycheck is gonna be coming very soon because under the terms of the new CBA, as a retiree, now they’ve got a stipend in there specifically for retired players. So, what are your thoughts on the new CBA?
Diana Taurasi: Well, thank you for the paycheck, CBA. You’re gonna put [my daughter] 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’s 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’ve been fighting for for so so long. And to see the league go forward like that in a way where it’s gonna change people’s lives, you know our generation had to go to Europe, Russia and overseas. And that’s a sacrifice we made. And I wouldn’t 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’s been really fascinating to watch. And you know, we’re all pulling in the same direction. And that feels good.
Did you ever envision such a transformational CBA between the players and the league coming to fruition?
Diana Taurasi: You know, it was coming. It just took a lot longer than we thought. Like anything with change, there’s a lot of people that resist it, that don’t like it. And we fought a lot of that. Whether it was through people not supporting women’s sports, whether it was the media not giving us the respect and you know, a lot of times, all we wanted was for people to know that this is our lives, this is our career. You know, we’re doing this not because we have a hobby. This is the thing we love to do the most and we’re willing to sacrifice our bodies and our lives for it. And to see the CBA go forward, it’s really sweet for a lot of people. And I’d like it to go to college now.
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You talk about the new generation, what is it like watching the evolution of Team USA, [which] is like a changing of the guard in a way?
Diana Taurasi: Oh yeah, I mean this team that’s gonna go to Germany for the World Cup, it’s gonna push this next generation of USA Basketball forward. And it’s been such a rich culture of great women that love the game of basketball that put everything on the line for it. And to see Paige and Caitlin [Clark] and Angel [Reese] and even [Kahleah Copper] and Jackie Young, Stewie (Breanna Stewart) and A’ja [Wilson] are gonna be the vets now. And they’re going to push that team forward going into LA for 2028.
Kara Lawson, being the new coach, there’s just all these faces that you grew up playing with or against and to see them in these positions where USA Basketball is in really good hands for a long time.
