Basketball legend Candace Parker takes aim at Geno Auriemma after Dawn Staley confrontation

Former WNBA prima Candace Parker had nary empathy for UConn Huskies women’s hoops manager Geno Auriemma aft helium erupted astatine South Carolina’s Dawn Staley connected Friday night.

Auriemma was upset with Staley failing to conscionable him for a customary pregame handshake earlier their Final Four crippled tipped off. His frustrations with Staley led to him confronting her astatine halfcourt erstwhile the crippled was over. Staley yelled backmost astatine Auriemma arsenic coaches and different unit members got successful betwixt the two.

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Candace Parker, a subordinate of the Amazon Prime NBA broadcast team, stands courtside astatine Intuit Dome successful Inglewood, Calif., during the crippled betwixt the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers connected Jan. 22, 2026. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Imagn Images)

Parker, who was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame this week, spoke astir the incidental connected Saturday night.

"In time, you spot people's colors implicit and implicit again," she said. "And determination tin beryllium a separation of clip with that, but the colors ever travel to light. I deliberation colors were shown yesterday connected some sides, right? However you privation to instrumentality that."

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South Carolina caput manager Dawn Staley and UConn caput manager Geno Auriemma reason aft a women's NCAA assemblage hoops tourney semifinal crippled astatine the Final Four successful Phoenix connected April 3, 2026. (Rick Scuteri/AP)

Auriemma issued an apology for his outburst.

"There’s nary excuse for however I handled the extremity of the crippled vs. South Carolina. It’s dissimilar what I bash and what our modular is present astatine Connecticut," the Hall of Fame manager said successful a connection connected Saturday. "I privation to apologize to the unit and the squad astatine South Carolina. It was uncalled for successful however I reacted. The communicative should beryllium however good South Carolina played, and I don’t privation my actions to detract from that. I’ve had a large narration with their staff, and I sincerely privation to apologize to them."

Staley sidestepped a question astir the interaction, saying she was focused connected South Carolina’s nationalist title crippled against the UCLA Bruins.

NBA connected Prime expert Candace Parker is courtside during the crippled betwixt the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers astatine Crypto.com Arena successful Los Angeles, Calif., connected Oct. 24, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

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"For me, nary distractions astatine this time. I'm concentrating connected winning a nationalist championship, that’s it," Staley said. "That’s a small disheartening. This is sports, sometimes things similar this happen. Continue to absorption connected my squad and quality to beforehand successful this tourney and hopefully triumph different nationalist championship."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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