Candace Parker Picks Geno Auriemma as Greatest Coach Over Rival Dawn Staley

Despite their long-standing dislike for each other, Parker acknowledges Auriemma's coaching success at UConn.

Jan. 29, 2026 at 8:55am

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Candace Parker and Geno Auriemma have a well-documented history of disliking each other, stemming from Parker's time at rival school Tennessee and Auriemma's role in not selecting her for the 2016 Olympic team. However, when asked to choose between Auriemma and Dawn Staley as the current greatest coach, Parker did not let her personal feelings cloud her basketball judgment, picking Auriemma due to UConn's sustained excellence and championship pedigree.

Why it matters

This shows that Parker is able to put aside her personal differences with Auriemma and objectively evaluate his coaching abilities, which is an important step in normalizing the idea that women in sports can have rivalries and disagreements without it becoming a major issue. Parker has been vocal about the need for more acceptance of this dynamic in women's sports.

The details

On their Post Moves podcast, Parker and Aliyah Boston were asked by a viewer to choose between Auriemma and Staley as the current greatest coach. Despite their well-documented dislike for each other, Parker acknowledged Auriemma's sustained success at UConn, noting that the fact people are questioning their "drought" without a championship shows how dominant they've been. Parker playfully chided the viewer for putting her in the position of having to choose Auriemma, but ultimately gave him the nod over Staley based on his coaching resume.

  • In June 2025, Parker openly discussed her dislike for Auriemma in a TikTok video.
  • On January 28, 2026, Parker and Boston answered viewer questions on their Post Moves podcast.

The players

Candace Parker

A WNBA star who played college basketball at the University of Tennessee, a rival of Auriemma's UConn program.

Geno Auriemma

The legendary head coach of the UConn women's basketball team, who has led the Huskies to numerous NCAA championships.

Dawn Staley

The head coach of the South Carolina women's basketball team, who has also found great success and won a national championship.

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What they’re saying

“It's not beef. It's just we don't like each other.”

— Candace Parker

“The best feeling is knowing you don't like each other. There's not beef, because we moved past it.”

— Candace Parker

“I'm sorry, but if you go by championships...coach Geno has his squad playing right, especially right now. Anytime you're being asked about a drought because they didn't have a championship for a while, that means that you're really good, when people are like why haven't you won a championship, as opposed to other teams where winning a championship is a big deal.”

— Candace Parker

The takeaway

This story demonstrates that even when there is a long-standing personal dislike between two figures in women's sports, they can still objectively evaluate each other's accomplishments and abilities. Parker's willingness to acknowledge Auriemma's coaching prowess despite their history is an important step in normalizing the idea that women can have rivalries and disagreements without it becoming a major issue, which Parker has advocated for.