Taurasi talks about her fire, Jordan
There’s a little bit of Michael Jordan in Diana Taurasi.
As a scorer. As an ice-inthe-veins finisher. As a winner.
But there’s a stark difference in the way Taurasi — widely considered the GOAT of women’s basketball — carries herself as a leader.
“I definitely don’t think I’m as mean as him. I always say I’m a kind-hearted (jerk),” Taurasi joked during an Instagram Live chat with UConn’s Geno Auriemma on Tuesday night.
Jordan’s harsh, sometimes maniacal leadership tactics were well-documented in last Sunday’s episodes of ESPN’s “The Last Dance,” which Taurasi and her former college coach discussed extensively.
“I’ve always been different as a teammate,” Taurasi said. “I’ve always tried to be on everyone’s side. … I think that’s just the way we grew up, right? Whoever is in your circle, you try to take care of them. If they’re in your circle, that’s part of the family. You take care of them.”
The hit docuseries on the 1998 Chicago Bulls showed Jordan berating his teammates, with one even calling him a “jerk.”
“It would be hard to play with someone like that,” Taurasi said. “They would have to be so much better than everybody else, which he was. Steve Kerr said it
best: They were literally scared of him when he walked in the gym.”
At the same time, Taurasi, a three-time national champion under Auriemma and the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, said her mentality as a competitor is very similar to Jordan’s.
“I hate people that say, ‘Nothing bothers me.’ (Crap), everything bothers me. Everything bothers me, especially on the court,” Taurasi said. “Everything bothers me. If you’re a competitor, I know a lot of people you smack them in the face, and they don’t care. And those people, I don’t understand.
“As a competitor … I’m always trying to find something to get into on the court.”
Here’s more from their conversation.
When will basketball be back?
Taurasi sounded skeptical about basketball returning anytime soon. And that includes the Tokyo Olympics, which already have been pushed back 12 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I don’t think anyone’s going to be able to handle that many people coming in,” Taurasi said of the Olympics. “And the same with the WNBA and NBA. Is the reward bigger than the risk? As a league, as a business, can you tell me that I’m going to be safe? The way this thing spreads, how can you do that? I don’t know how they can do it. How do you do that in the college world when you have thousands of kids on campus? You can’t control their every move and who they see, who they don’t see. That’s what’s tricky about this.”
Taurasi missed most of the past WNBA season with back and hamstring injuries and turns 38 next month. And as much as she’d like a fifth gold medal, she knows time could complicate her pursuit.
“I’ve played in four Olympics. If I don’t get to the fifth one, I’m not going to lose any sleep,” Taurasi said. “I’m just not.”
Make that money!
Taurasi called the NCAA’s proposal to allow student-athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness a win-win, believing it will entice more top players — think Oregon’s Satou Sabally — to stay in school longer.
“I think it’s going to benefit college, I really do,” she said. “Maybe not women’s as much, but I think on the men’s side it’s really going to benefit them. You’re talking about a guy like Zion (Williamson) — who got paid anyway, apparently — maybe that guy can get paid a little bit and he really likes college to stay an extra year. You’re not that desperate to make money. … Maybe a kid like Satou could’ve gotten some money here and there, she would’ve stayed an extra year.
“No matter what anyone says, when you are the man in college, that’s the most exposure you’ll ever get. That’s one thing that hasn’t changed. We’ll walk around, we’re talking about 20 years later and they’re still talking about Connecticut.”
Times are a-changin’
Taurasi said young players today don’t handle criticism as well as their predecessors, echoing a point that Auriemma’s made numerous times before.
“What I’ve seen from young kids, they have a hard time, they have a hard time getting stuff done,”
Taurasi said. “Things that are really hard, it’s hard for them to get through it without a helping hand here and there. The times are just different. I’m sure it’s different for you, too. What you put me through, you’re not going to put Paige (Bueckers) through.”
“I might,” Auriemma joked.
“You can’t, you can’t anymore. You knew back then whatever you said was going to stay in Gampel. … Nowadays, you can’t say anything,” Taurasi said.
Taurasi advocates for rule changes in WNBA
In addition to wanting the 3-point line extended, Taurasi would like to revert back to using a heavier ball.
“I do think our ball’s too light. Like when you watch our games, when you miss, there’s rebounds going everywhere,” Taurasi said. “When you watch the NBA, every single rebound is at the rim. It makes a difference in style of play.”
Auriemma chimed in, saying, “Women athletes, basketball players, they’re bigger, they’re faster, they’re quicker, they’re stronger, they’ve evolved. Then why do we still play with a ball that high school kids should be playing with?”
Taurasi also thinks players should be allowed a maximum of five fouls instead of six.