Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi back for women's Final Four alternate broadcast: What to know

USA Today

04-04-2025

Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi back for women's Final Four alternate broadcast: What to know Basketball icons Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi are broadcasting live from the women's Final Four with another edition of "The Bird & Taurasi Show."
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Geno Auriemma: Seeing his players reach Hall of Fame is bigger than winning Championships
So many great players got their start under Auriemma at UConn. He talks to the media about witnessing these players' wildest dreams come true.
The Final Four is always a star-studded event at the women's NCAA Tournament, and that extends to legends like Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi.
The basketball icons will be at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, broadcasting both Final Four games as well as the national championship game as part of "The Bird & Taurasi Show," with ESPN giving fans the chance to listen to analysis and commentary from two of the greatest to ever take the court.
Bird and Taurasi — along with some yet-to-be-announced special guests from sports and culture — will call Friday's Final Four contests, with Texas taking on South Carolina, before UConn (where both players starred collegiately) squares off with UCLA. "The Bird & Taurasi Show" will pick back up on Sunday afternoon, with the former Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury guards also calling the national championship game live.
Here's what to know about "The Bird & Taurasi Show" at the 2025 women's Final Four, including times and how to watch:
OPINION: UCLA's Lauren Betts needed confidence to go with her skills. Now she has both
HELPING HAND: How UConn played a part in UCLA making first women's NCAA Final Four
Bird & Taurasi Show: How to watch Final Four alternate telecast
In addition to Friday's main Final Four broadcast on ESPN, "The Bird & Taurasi Show" alternate telecast will be broadcast at the same time on ESPN2. The show will feature game commentary from WNBA legends Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi (as well as some surprise guests) live from Amalie Arena in Tampa. Florida.
Bird and Taurasi Final Four broadcast
Date: Friday, April 4
Friday, April 4 Time: 7 p.m. ET (Texas vs. South Carolina) | 9 p.m. ET (UConn vs. UCLA)
7 p.m. ET (Texas vs. South Carolina) | 9 p.m. ET (UConn vs. UCLA) TV channel: ESPN2
ESPN2 Streaming options: ESPN+, Fubo (Free Trial)
Watch the Bird & Taurasi Alt-Cast on Fubo
Bird and Taurasi championship broadcast
Additionally, Sunday's national title game (main broadcast on ABC) will feature one more round of "The Bird & Taurasi Show" alt-cast, with the two basketball icons convening once again – this time on ESPN – to see who wins the 2025 NCAA women's basketball championship.
Date: Sunday, April 6
Sunday, April 6 Time: 3 p.m.
3 p.m. TV channel: ESPN
ESPN Streaming options: ESPN+, Fubo (Free Trial)
What to know about Sue Bird
Sue Bird's career speaks for itself. The Syosset, New York native won four WNBA championships in her 21 years in the league, all of which were spent with the Seattle Storm. During that time, Bird was named to the All-WNBA First or Second Team eight times and made 13 WNBA All-Star teams. In 2011, Bird was named one of the best 15 players in league history, and despite retiring in 2022, she remains the WNBA's all-time leader in assists (3,234) and games played (580).
That came after an incredible college career at UConn, where Bird helped the Huskies to national titles in 2000 and 2002. Bird holds program records for three-point field goal percentage (.459) and free-throw percentage (.892), and was named the Naismith College Player of the Year in 2002 as a senior. For Team USA, Bird won five Olympic gold medals and was part of four FIBA World Championship-winning teams.
Since retirement, Bird has become a part-owner of the Storm and NWSL club NJ/NY Gotham FC, and among other interests hosts the A Touch More podcast with her fiancée, U.S. women's national team icon Megan Rapinoe.
Bird was named a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in February. Inductees into the Class of 2025 will be announced April 5.
What to know about Diana Taurasi
Diana Taurasi is a WNBA legend not just for her accomplishments, but for her competitive side that is notorious even among the league's best-ever players. "DT" spent 20 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury, winning the WNBA MVP award in 2009 while winning three league titles. Like Bird, Taurasi was named one of the 15 best players in WNBA history in 2011, making the All-WNBA First or Second Team a staggering 14 times.
It's probably no surprise that the five-time WNBA scoring champion is the league's all-time scoring leader, with her 10,646 career points nearly 3,000 more than any other player has totaled. She also holds league records in three-pointers made (1,447), free throws made (2,517). At the Olympics, Taurasi has won a record six gold medals, including one last summer in Paris.
Like Bird, Taurasi starred at UConn, winning the Naismith College Player of the Year award in 2003 and 2004. The Huskies collected three national titles during Taurasi's four seasons, and the guard was an All-American three times. The California native holds the UConn record for assists as a sophomore (208) and is third all-time in career assists (648) and three-pointers made (318).