Legendary UConn Huskies women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma has coached many of the best players the sport has ever seen during his four decades running UConn’s program.
The dynasty that Auriemma has produced during the past 30 years is truly staggering, as he has won 12 NCAA national championships during that time. While he deserves a ton of the credit for this unprecedented success, there’s no doubt that the players he was able to recruit during that time were key to these national title trophies coming to Connecticut so many times.
And this is proven by many of UConn’s greatest players going on to be WNBA superstars and legends of the sport, some of whom have earned induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Two such players (Sue Bird and Maya Moore, who won a combined four NCAA national championships during their respective UConn tenures) were inducted into the sport’s Hall of Fame on September 6.
While Auriemma has no problem being hard on his players during games, it’s clear that he also loves to joke around with his biggest stars when the occasion calls for it. Those who have followed Auriemma in recent years could see this with former Huskies star turned Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers, as those two could seldom last a few hours with playfully ribbing each other.
And it seems that Auriemma has this same sort of relationship with Sue Bird.
Sue Bird Ribs Geno Auriemma During Basketball Hall of Fame Speech
Auriemma was right next to Bird while she was delivering her Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame speech on Saturday night. And she took this opportunity to get a wisecrack in about her former head coach.
“I mean, I guess you gave a lot of advice, because you talk a lot. But this was really the one I remember,” Bird said to Auriemma (who shifted in his seat), which caused the crowd to laugh.
Bird then added, “You know, it’s not often you get to take shots [at Auriemma], and he doesn’t have a mic to come back.” She then looked at Auriemma, who looked back at her for a few seconds before pretending to pick up his water bottle and chuck it at her.
Sue Bird was messing with Geno during her Hall of Fame speech 😭 pic.twitter.com/eIP3Ttukil
— WNBA Got Game (@wnbagotgame) September 7, 2025
Props to Auriemma for always being able to take his players’ playful teases. Then again, he surely has to be able to take it because of how often he dishes it out.
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