“A Bird shot,” tweeted Warriors announcer Tim Roye, and he was so right. Enough for Las Vegas to tie the game and eventually win in overtime. Everyone was going nuts - except for Bird, who knew there was a fraction of time remaining. “The clutch gene of Sue Bird is timeless!” ESPN’s Ryan Ruocco shouted over the crowd’s roar. There was less than a second remaining - eight-tenths, to be exact - as her 3-pointer swished and put Seattle ahead 92-90. The ball went to Bird in the deep left corner. She happened to take a very big one two days earlier, and for those attuned to NBA history, a remarkable comparison could be made. Even at 41 she has the endurance, court vision and willingness to take the big shot. What struck me Tuesday night, as Bird’s final game unfolded on her home court, is that she looks and plays like the same clever point guard who led UConn to a pair of national championships. and the long-ago baseball revival of the Mariners, the notion seems beyond debate.Īs she eases into retirement, what isn’t possible for Bird? One imagines her mentoring young players, advising the WNBA’s executive council on delicate issues, choosing only the most relevant endorsements, fighting hard for social justice and, all the while, engaging the LGBTQ community with her indomitable spirit. It embraces sports, no matter the gender, but the love this city has for women’s basketball, Sue built that.”ĭare it be suggested that in the totality of performance, impact, longevity and crowd appeal, Bird is the most important person in the history of Seattle sports? With all respect to Ken Griffey Jr. “She one of those athletes that breaks through the sex barrier - she has the ultimate respect from both sides. “She’s been tremendous in transcending the game,” Plum told USA Today sports. As the Storm became the heartbeat of local sports, her influence spread to the University of Washington, where Kelsey Plum’s stunning 2016 performances drew huge crowds, and the National Women’s Soccer League, where the OL Reign (featuring Rapinoe) is a consistently hot ticket. She was a Seattle sensation from the start, in 2002, and she grew to embrace a city far removed from her New York upbringing and collegiate days at UConn. “Legend,” Stephen Curry wrote on Twitter. Take note of the NBA players sitting courtside, increasingly enthralled by the WNBA’s level of play and particularly drawn to Bird’s shining light. Appreciate the members of the LGBTQ community in the stands, so proud that Bird champions her sexuality and married life with soccer icon Megan Rapinoe. Watch the young girls in attendance, spellbound, as Bird glides through the arenas, interviews, social-justice pursuits and personal appearances. There are certain athletes who remain vibrant and influential well after retirement - the likes of Bill Russell, Billie Jean King, Arnold Palmer and for too brief a spell, Kobe Bryant - for there’s a mystique about them, a magnetic and eternal attraction for future generations.īird’s reputation will always reflect the grander scale. To witness the looks on her expressive face - the joy, the sadness, the reflection, the anticipation- is to realize that Sue Bird’s last game was not a farewell to basketball, but a blessing for all of sports. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) Steph Chambers / Getty Images Show More Show Less SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 06: Sue Bird #10 of the Seattle Storm reacts after losing to the Las Vegas Aces 97-92 in her final game of her career during Game Four of the 2022 WNBA Playoffs semifinals at Climate Pledge Arena on Septemin Seattle, Washington. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Lindsey Wasson / Associated Press Show More Show Less 3 of3 The Aces beat the Storm 97-92 to advance to the WNBA Finals. Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird hugs Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum (10) after the Storm was eliminated in the playoffs by the Aces in Game 4 of a WNBA basketball playoff semifinal, making it Bird's ast career game, Tuesday, Sept. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images/TNS) Steph Chambers / TNS Show More Show Less 2 of3 Nomber_key:000362Sue Bird (10) of the Seattle Storm reacts after losing to the Las Vegas Aces 97-92 in her final game of her career during Game Four of the 2022 WNBA Playoffs semifinals at Climate Pledge Arena on Tuesday, Sept.
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