The pair of Uconn alums were both inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday night, and they made sure that they showed their appreciation for their longtime head coach in their speeches.
On Saturday night, University of Connecticut basketball alums Sue Bird and Maya Moore took their place in the Basketball Hall of Fame. They were inducted alongside fellow players Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard, as well as women's basketball legend Sylvia Fowles. The 2008 USA men's basketball Olympic team was also put in the Hall of Fame after they won the Gold Medal.
Bird and Moore are just the latest UConn women's basketball standouts to make the Hall of Fame, as they joined the likes of Swin Cash and Rebecca Lobo in Springfield.
And they both made sure to give some shoutouts, and have some with, longtime UConn head coach Geno Auriemma.
At one point, Moore looked right at Auriemma and congratulated him on his most recent national championship, which the Huskies earned last season. She discussed how he was able to get the team to "fall in love with each other," and credited him for building a foundation of teamwork and trust among his players.
Bird took a different approach in one spot, telling Auriemma that he "talks a lot," and then mocking his inability to combat her jokes without a microphone, but then she delivered the money line, saying that Auriemma's best advice to her was "basketball is not a game of how to, it's a game of when to."
She says she built her entire career around that premise, and expanded upon it later in her speech.
The career accomplishments of both Bird and Moore were noted in an earlier story from UConnRoundtable:
The Sue Bird File
Bird starred at UConn from 1998-2002 and had career averages of 11.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists over 118 games. She won two NCAA championships.
A 5-foot-9 point guard, she was a first-team All-American and the national Player of the Year in 2002.
Now 44, Bird won Olympic gold medals with Team USA in the five Games from 2004 to 2020. She played 19 seasons with the Seattle Storm, who made her the first pick of the 2002 draft.
Her WNBA highlights:
· 4 league championships
· 13-time All-Star
· 8-time All-WNBA selection
· All-time WNBA assists leader
· 3-time Sportsmanship Award winner
The Maya Moore File
Moore, now 36, played at UConn from 2007-11 and had career averages of 19.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists over 154 games. She won two NCAA titles, was twice selected the national Player of the Year and was a four-time All-American.
The Minnesota Lynx made her the No. 1 pick of the 2011 WNBA Draft. A 6-foot forward, she played eight seasons in Minnesota before transitioning her career to social justice advocacy.
She won Olympic gold in 2012 and 2016.
Her WNBA highlights:
· 4 league championships
· 2011 Rookie of the Year
· 2013 Finals MVP
· 2014 league MVP
· 6-time All-Star
· 7-time All-WNBA selection