Who are UConn's next Hall of Famers?

There are already four Huskies enshrined in Springfield but more are on the way.

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Daniel Connolly
September 11, 2025

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Photo: Ian Bethune

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Last week’s Weekly

Who are UConn's next Hall of Famers?

Over the weekend, Sue Bird and Maya Moore entered the Naismith Hall of Fame, bringing the number of UConn players enshrined up to four with Rebecca Lobo and Swin Cash already in. Add in head coach Geno Auriemma and the Huskies are responsible for more Hall of Famers than any other women’s basketball program.

That total should only increase in the coming years, too. Bird and Moore aren’t the only recent retirees and UConn still has a few alumni dominating the WNBA, too.

Locks

Diana Taurasi

Taurasi will be in the Naismith Hall of Fame as soon as the two-season waiting period is up. She has a strong argument to be the greatest women’s basketball player ever, owning three WNBA titles, three national championships, six EuroLeague crowns, the 2012 WNBA MVP, 14 All-WNBA selections, 11 All-Star appearances and the league’s all-time scoring record. She’s also the only basketball player ever to win six Olympic gold medals.

Taurasi will be eligible for the class of 2027.

Tina Charles

While a WNBA championship has eluded Charles, she has pretty much everything else on her resume. She won MVP in her third season back in 2012, has made nine All-WNBA teams and is an eight-time All-Star. Charles also owns the league’s record for rebounds and double-doubles while sitting second on the all-time scoring list. She has three Olympic gold medals and two national championships for good measure, too.

Breanna Stewart

Stewart is still only 31 but even if she retired today, she’d still have a Hall of Fame-worthy career — similar to Moore, who stepped away at age 29. She’s a two-time MVP — and one of only two players to do so with multiple teams — three-time WNBA champion, three-time gold medalist and the driving force for the only college program to win four consecutive national titles.

With success at every level, Stewart has won her way into Springfield.

On track

Napheesa Collier

Collier is currently the best former Husky in the WNBA at the moment and while she’s currently on the right trajectory to eventually end up in the Hall of Fame, she still has work to do. An MVP and a WNBA championship would be major boosts — and both could potentially happen this season. Even if Collier doesn’t capture those in 2025, it seems inevitable she’ll get them at some point.

Aside from her playing career, Collier has another potential path to the hall: Unrivaled. The league is already a major success, having broken even in its inaugural season while recently announcing a valuation of $340 million. If Unrivaled stands the test of time, its two co-founders — Collier and Stewart — would deserve a spot for that alone.

Still early

Paige Bueckers

Bueckers is just wrapping up her rookie season in the WNBA, so she still has an entire career ahead of her. Despite that, she’s the heavy favorite to win rookie of the year and could even garner further accolades after putting together one of the best introductory seasons in league history.

From the moment she stepped on campus at UConn, Bueckers has shown herself to be a generational talent. She was the first freshman ever to be named national player of the year, reached 2,000 career points faster than anyone else in program history and became the only four-time regional most outstanding player ever.

That success has translated over to the WNBA immediately, too. Don’t just take our word for it, though. An anonymous general manager told ESPN this about Bueckers: "Long-term ceiling — she'll be a Hall of Famer."

Sarah Strong

It feels a bit ridiculous to be talking about the Hall of Fame — the ultimate honor after a player’s career ends — for someone who just finished their first season of college, but Sarah Strong is that good. She just put together arguably the best freshman campaign in UConn history with the only others in the conversation being Bueckers and Moore. Pretty good company.

Strong has already proven she’s one of the best players in the country, though she has to maintain that level of play over the next few years and eventually translate it over to the WNBA — all while staying on the court, too. A lot still has to happen for Strong over the next 10-15 years but make no mistake, she absolutely has the talent to one day end up in Springfield.

Best of social media

Official practice is just around the corner:

Kaitlyn Chen’s plans for the WNBA offseason are set:

Lots of Huskies in the building:

Quite a crew:

More history for Tina Charles:

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