"I can be an a**hole and be proud of it": Paige Bueckers delivers gratitude filled message to Diana Taurasi after ESPYs Icon Award nod

Paige Bueckers and the basketball world honored Diana Taurasi, a legend of the sport, on Wednesday. Taurasi hung up her jersey in 2025 after a 20-year career in the WNBA. The former Phoenix Mercury star received the ESPYs Icon Award for a career that inspired many to play basketball.

During the awarding ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, Bueckers gave Taurasi her flowers via a video message:

"Dee [Taurasi], because of you, I can be an a**hole and be proud of it."

After leading UConn to three championships in four years, Diana Taurasi entered the WNBA in 2004. The Mercury, unsurprisingly, made her the No. 1 pick of that year’s draft. As the playmaker, she carried the franchise to three championships (2007, 2009, 2014) before calling it a career in 2024.

Taurasi was the 2009 MVP and won the WNBA Finals MVP award twice. She was an 11x All-Star and a five-time scoring champ. The “White Mamba” served as an inspiration to young basketball players, including Paige Bueckers.

Bueckers’ message to Taurasi was not surprising. Although the WNBA legend turned pro, she remained a big fan of the UConn Huskies. Taurasi often went to Storrs to support the new generation of Huskies, including Bueckers.

The six-time Olympic champion watched Bueckers lead the Huskies to the 2025 championship. Taurasi celebrated with the team and coach Geno Auriemma following UConn’s latest triumph on the national stage.

---

Paige Bueckers once shared Diana Taurasi’s advice to her before starting her WNBA career

Diana Taurasi is a huge fan of Paige Bueckers. After UConn lost to Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the 2024 Final Four, Taurasi said that she would choose to build a franchise with Bueckers over Clark. DT added that she believes Bueckers would one day be the best in the WNBA.

Bueckers decided to stay in college while Clark dominated her peers in 2024. With the former UConn star finally joining the pros in 2025, Bueckers shared Taurasi’s message for her before the season started:

“Really just to be me and to find my own way to lead. You don’t have to be anybody else but find your own creative way, your own unique way to be who you are in this league.”

Paige Bueckers’ ESPYs’ message for Diana Taurasi seemed like a rewording of the WNBA legend’s advice for the No. 1 pick of the 2025 WNBA draft.

Edited by Michael Macasero