As Sue Bird stood at center court Sunday afternoon, minutes before her No. 10 UConn jersey was unveiled in the rafters of Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, her former coach Geno Auriemma got on the mic to sing her praises — and make a bold declaration“The greatest point guard ever in the history basketball, men’s or women’s, Sue Bird,” he said as the crowd applauded in agreement, including Bird’s family standing with her.Auriemma, a 12-time national championship-winning coach, isn’t known for showering his players with public adoration.“You’ve never said that before, in front of me,” Bird, who won two of those titles with Auriemma, later joked.”The greatest point guard ever in the history of basketball, men’s or women’s.”Geno Auriemma on Sue Bird at her jersey retirement ceremony at UConn ❤️ pic.twitter.com/nV4Er2Ey8I— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) December 7, 2025As for if Bird is the greatest guard Auriemma ever coached, it should be noted that he also guided guard Diana Taurasi, who won three titles at UConn and became the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, although Auriemma may view Taurasi more as a shooting or even a combo guard (Bird and Taurasi shared the Huskies backcourt in 2001 and 2002).In college, Taurasi won three consecutive national titles, was a two-time NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, a two-time Naismith Player of the Year and a two-time AP First Team All-American. In the WNBA, she won three championships, two Finals MVPs and one league MVP. She is also an 11-time All-Star, five-time scoring champion and holds the record for most Olympic gold medals by any basketball player with six.Bird certainly has a case for Auriemma’s title as well. The Hall of Famer was a two-time national champion in college, the Naismith Player of the Year and an AP First Team All-American. She played 21 seasons in the WNBA and was a four-time champion, 13-time All-Star and won five Olympic gold medals.Both found significant success internationally, as well. Bird is a five-time Russian National League champion and a five-time EuroLeague champion. Taurasi is a seven-time Russian National League champion and six-time EuroLeague champion.Bird is the WNBA’s all-time career leader in assists, with 3,234, while Taurasi holds the league record for total points, with 10,646.But on Sunday, after the decades of international accomplishments, the now 45-year-old Bird said she never forgets where her journey began.“This is home,” she told the Connecticut crowd before the Huskies went on to defeat DePaul 102-35. “This is where it started. So to see what we are about to see, my number up in the rafters, the rafters next to these other legends, it’s an incredible, incredible honor.”She joined fellow former Huskies Rebecca Lobo and Swin Cash as the only women to have their numbers retired by the legendary program. Maya Moore is expected to have her number in the rafters as well, as her induction in the Naismith Hall of Fame deemed her eligible for a UConn jersey retirement. Taurasi will most likely join them soon as well.“I think it represents how in a list of some incredible people, how unique some really were for a lot of different reasons,” Auriemma said. “The amazing thing about these three, and Maya, the fourth, was the incredible amount of success they had after they left here. That, as great as their accomplishments were here, what they’ve done since they left has been nothing short of incredible.”This article originally appeared in The Athletic.Connecticut Huskies, Women’s College Basketball, Olympics2025 The Athletic Media Company