Diana Taurasi finally called it quits this year after a legendary 21-year WNBA career, and the basketball world is still waiting to see how she approaches the next part of her career.
Based on her wisecracking personality and thoughtful perspective on the sport, a media career would make a ton of sense for the six-time gold medalist. Taurasi’s fellow UConn alum Rebecca Lobo, who is now ESPN’s lead analyst on the WNBA Finals and NCAA women’s basketball championship, believes Taurasi could be one of the greats.
“She’s exhibited every time she does interviews, she’s shown during The Bird & Taurasi Show, she is an absolutely incredibly funny, terrific voice for the women’s game,” Lobo said of Taurasi on an ESPN media call this week.
“I’ve always thought throughout the course of her time as a player, she’s sort of our Charles Barkley in terms of what she could bring to a studio, in particular a studio show, either in the NBA or the WNBA.”
So far, the only regular media role Taurasi has signed on for is the Final Four alt-cast with Sue Bird.
However, if the Barkley comparison from Lobo is any indication, people who know Taurasi believe she has a huge opportunity in media if she wants it. Beyond messing with refs and heckling young stars like Caitlin Clark, Taurasi deeply understands the sport and is able to explain it simply. She was on the court from the first generation in the league all the way through Clark’s rookie season. That sense of history would help her as well.
Amazon and NBC are starting to make hires for their WNBA broadcast deals, which begin in 2026. Candace Parker will be a lead analyst in the studio and broadcast booth for Prime Video, while recent reports suggest Michael Grady could call top games for both Prime Video and NBC.
If Taurasi wants it, she would immediately become the biggest voice in WNBA media. And given the growth of that league and analysts like Parker increasingly covering both leagues, Taurasi could soon become one of the biggest voices in all of basketball.
