Guiding one of the greatest players to ever step into the WNBA is surely a big opportunity. But Sandy Brondello seemed to have hit a jackpot to be the head coach of Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury for seven long years before she became a coach for Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu. In her tenure with the team, she grabbed a championship trophy and also the honor of being the 2014 WNBA Coach of the Year. But what she also gained was the “privilege” of coaching the all-time leading scorer of the W.

Despite moving to Brooklyn in 2022, the New York head coach continues to praise the 10x WNBA All-Star. The Australian native applauded the soon-to-be 43-year-old for continuing playing and setting higher standards. “Quite amazing really. It’s been a privilege for me to get to coach one of the greatest of all time. Just what she’s been able to do and how she raised the bar of the skill set; how she took care of her body,” Bordello said during a press conference.

Incredibly impressed by Taurasi’s shots, the 55-year-old added, “But her ability to shoot, I haven’t seen anyone as good as her.” The head coach for the 2023 WNBA Finalists also added how the 6-foot guard is adding a lot of threes this season. In their last matchup where Liberty emerged as the winner, Diana Taurasi went for 7 deep shots and made 3 from beyond the arc. But according to Brondello, her shooting prowess is not the only trait that makes her a GOAT.

The Mercury star’s continuous grind to keep making herself better is truly inspirational to many. Brondello added more words of praise, saying, “How she makes people better around her. I think she has this unbelievable vision.” The Liberty head coach also applauded the guard’s leadership and wittiness. In fact, the veteran has also been helping the new coach Nate Tibbetts through his first season with Phoenix. However, one thing that the 55-year-old coach did notice was Taurasi’s weakened passing abilities.

The league will miss Diana Taurasi’s aggression as per Sandy Brondello

Commenting on it, she said, “Her passing ability, that’s probably the one thing that is not as good as it was in the past. You know, Sue Bird and her, just where, how they could pass and see things before they actually happen.”

Brondello also cherishes a fond but rather funny memory of how Diana Taurasi is a magnet for technical fouls. In fact, she also said the technical fouls will be one of the things that everyone will miss once the 3x WNBA champion retires. The Phoenix Mercury will travel to Minnesota to try and take down the Lynx before their first Commissioner’s Cup game vs the LA Sparks.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.