The college, Olympic and WNBA star has played her last game after a peerless two-decade career. Is she retiring, check it out in this article.
Sue Bird : is retiring | is related to larry bird | Stats
Bird has won a joint-record four WNBA championships with the Storm (2004, 2010, 2018, 2020), a historic five Olympic gold medals (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020), two NCAA Championships with UConn (2000, 2002); and four FIBA World Cups (2002, 2010, 2014, 2018). She is one of only 11 women to attain all four accolades.
She is also a five-time EuroLeague Women champion (2007-2010, 2013).
During her WNBA career, she has been selected to twelve WNBA All-Star teams and eight All-WNBA teams.
Additionally, she was voted by fans as one of the WNBA’s Top 15 Players of All Time in 2011, was voted into the WNBA Top 20@20 as one of the league’s top 20 players of all time in 2016, and was voted into The W25 as one of the league’s top 25 players of all time in 2021.
Her fifth Olympic gold medal, at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, makes her one of only two Olympic basketball players—of either gender—ever to win five gold medals, with the other player being her US Olympic teammate Diana Taurasi.
Is retiring
Seattle Storm fans showed their appreciation for WNBA legend Sue Bird following the final game of her illustrious career Tuesday night.
Bird admitted after the game that she was emotional and felt “weird” about walking off the court for the final time as an active player, but she was also able to reflect on the great run she had in Seattle:
“I didn’t really want to leave the court. It felt like that’s where everybody was going, so I just followed at first. But I also wanted to kind of have one last moment to say thank you, to soak it all in, because in some ways it is a happy thing.
“I’m proud of everything we’ve accomplished here. Of course I’m sad, but there’s happiness too, to be able to have a moment like that with the fans, to have them chant the way they did. I know the tears don’t look like happy tears, but there’s a lot of happiness.”
In her final WNBA game, Bird finished with eight points and eight assists, plus Breanna Stewart dropped a game-high 42 points for the Storm, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the duo of Chelsea Gray and A’ja Wilson, who combined for 54 points for the Aces.
Bird, 41, spent 19 seasons in the WNBA after getting selected first overall in the 2002 WNBA draft out of UConn. Remarkably, the 13-time All-Star never played for a WNBA team other than the Storm.
Sue bird is related to larry bird
Despite the shared last name, Sue Bird is not related to former pro basketball player Larry Bird.
The Celtics Hall of Fame forward played with the Boston team from 1979 to 1992. The Celtics retired his iconic number 33 jersey following his retirement from basketball.
In an interview with Insider, Sue Bird actually revealed that she used to fib about being the niece of Larry Bird when she was younger.
Bird told WNBA.com, “Since I’ve been five, people asked me if we’re related. It is usually the third question in a line of questions.
What’s your name? Sue Bird. Oh, what do you do? I play basketball. Are you related to Larry Bird? That’s how it goes.”
Sue bird stats
The Seattle Storm selected Bird with the first overall pick of the 2002 WNBA draft. She would play alongside superstar Lauren Jackson who was also drafted first overall the year before.
| TEAM | AGE | GP | GS | MIN | PTS | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | SEA | 41 | 31 | 31 | 26.4 | 7.8 | 2.7 | 6.8 | 40.3 | 1.8 | 4.6 | 38.9 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 100 | 0.2 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 6.0 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 1.9 | 0.7 |
| 2021 | SEA | 41 | 30 | 30 | 27.7 | 10.0 | 3.5 | 8.2 | 43.1 | 2.2 | 5.3 | 41.9 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 83.3 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 5.3 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 1.0 |
| 2020 | SEA | 40 | 11 | 11 | 23.4 | 9.8 | 3.7 | 7.5 | 49.4 | 2.1 | 4.5 | 46.9 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 75.0 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 5.2 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 0.8 |
| 2018 | SEA | 38 | 31 | 31 | 26.6 | 10.1 | 3.7 | 8.0 | 46.6 | 1.9 | 4.3 | 44.8 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 82.8 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 7.1 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 1.9 | 1.2 |
| 2017 | SEA | 37 | 30 | 30 | 30.0 | 10.6 | 3.9 | 9.1 | 42.7 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 39.3 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 77.4 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 6.6 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 2.1 | 1.3 |
| 2016 | SEA | 36 | 34 | 34 | 31.6 | 12.8 | 4.7 | 10.5 | 44.9 | 2.1 | 4.8 | 44.4 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 78.6 | 0.2 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 5.8 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 2.5 | 1.4 |
| 2015 | SEA | 35 | 27 | 27 | 28.6 | 10.3 | 4.0 | 10.3 | 38.4 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 30.1 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 79.6 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 5.4 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 2.4 | 1.2 |
| 2014 | SEA | 34 | 33 | 33 | 29.2 | 10.6 | 3.9 | 10.1 | 38.6 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 34.5 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 83.1 | 0.2 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 4.0 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 1.0 |
| 2012 | SEA | 32 | 29 | 29 | 30.9 | 12.2 | 4.6 | 10.0 | 45.9 | 1.8 | 4.8 | 38.4 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 78.3 | 0.2 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 5.3 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 2.2 | 1.1 |
| 2011 | SEA | 31 | 34 | 34 | 33.0 | 14.7 | 5.4 | 12.0 | 44.9 | 2.1 | 4.9 | 42.8 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 87.5 | 0.4 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 4.9 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 2.4 | 1.3 |
| 2010 | SEA | 30 | 33 | 33 | 30.5 | 11.1 | 4.1 | 9.4 | 43.4 | 1.8 | 4.5 | 39.9 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 85.7 | 0.2 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 5.8 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 1.4 |
| 2009 | SEA | 29 | 31 | 31 | 35.5 | 12.8 | 5.0 | 12.2 | 40.8 | 1.7 | 4.8 | 36.0 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 85.4 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 5.8 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 2.6 | 1.6 |
| 2008 | SEA | 28 | 33 | 33 | 33.7 | 14.1 | 5.2 | 11.8 | 44.1 | 1.4 | 4.2 | 34.3 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 87.1 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 5.1 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 2.7 | 1.8 |
| 2007 | SEA | 27 | 29 | 29 | 31.7 | 10.4 | 4.1 | 9.5 | 42.8 | 1.6 | 4.6 | 33.8 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 84.6 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 4.9 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| 2006 | SEA | 26 | 34 | 34 | 31.7 | 11.4 | 4.0 | 9.8 | 41.1 | 1.6 | 4.5 | 36.6 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 86.8 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 4.8 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 2.6 | 1.8 |
| 2005 | SEA | 25 | 30 | 30 | 34.0 | 12.1 | 4.3 | 9.8 | 44.2 | 1.5 | 3.4 | 43.7 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 85.5 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 5.9 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 2.9 | 1.5 |
| 2004 | SEA | 24 | 34 | 34 | 33.4 | 12.9 | 4.4 | 9.6 | 46.3 | 1.9 | 4.3 | 43.8 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 85.9 | 0.6 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 5.4 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 2.6 | 1.4 |
| 2003 | SEA | 23 | 34 | 34 | 33.4 | 12.4 | 4.6 | 10.8 | 42.1 | 1.4 | 4.1 | 35.0 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 88.4 | 0.6 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 6.5 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 3.2 | 1.4 |
| 2002 | SEA | 22 | 32 | 32 | 35.0 | 14.4 | 4.7 | 11.7 | 40.3 | 1.8 | 4.4 | 40.1 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 91.1 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 6.0 | 1.7 | 0.1 | 3.4 | 1.5 |
| Overall: | 580 | 580 | 31.2 | 11.7 | 4.3 | 10.0 | 42.9 | 1.7 | 4.4 | 39.2 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 85.3 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 5.6 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 2.4 | 1.3 |
In her rookie season, Bird started all 32 games for the Storm and averaged 14.4 ppg. She was selected as a starter on the 2002 WNBA Western Conference All-Star team.
Bird was the runner-up for the Rookie of the Year award, and one of only two rookies to make the All-WNBA First Team. Both Bird and Jackson led the Storm to their first playoff appearance.
During her first year in the league, Bird scored a career-high 33 points in a regular-season game against the Portland Fire.
Since her rookie season she has continuously been selected to the Western Conference All-Star team.