how old is sue bird

Professional career edit

In the 2002 WNBA draft, Bird was chosen by the Seattle Storm with the first overall pick. [11] She would play with the renowned Lauren Jackson, who was selected first overall the previous year as well. Bird started all 32 of the Storm’s games in her rookie campaign, averaging 14. 4 ppg. She was chosen to start for the Western Conference All-Star squad of the 2002 WNBA. Bird was one of just two rookies to be selected to the All-WNBA First Team and finished second in the Rookie of the Year competition. [11] Bird and Jackson guided the Storm to their first-ever postseason trip. Bird scored a career-high 33 points against the Portland Fire in a regular-season game during her rookie season in the league. [32] She has been a regular member of the Western Conference All-Star team since her rookie season.

Bird had one of the most crucial plays in WNBA Playoff history as the Storms advanced to their second championship. In the Conference Finals against the Phoenix Mercury, who were defending their title, with the Storm leading 1-0 in the series, Bird made a game-winning three-pointer with two seconds remaining in Game 2 to put the Storm up 91–88. The Storm then overcame a 19-point deficit to advance to the 2010 WNBA Finals. [33] Bird also made a game-winning jump shot with two seconds remaining in Game 1 of the 2010 WNBA Finals, which put the Storm up 79–77. The Storm went on to win the series. [34] Fans selected her as one of the top 15 players in the WNBA’s 15-year history in 2011. [35].

Bird had been experiencing knee issues during the 2012 WNBA season. Bird managed to participate in 29 games both in the regular season and the postseason. Bird had knee surgery during the off-season, which would keep her from participating in the 2013 campaign. [36] Bird during the.

After recovering fully for the 2014 WNBA season, Bird averaged 10.7 points per game while playing 33 games. 6 ppg and 4. 6 apg. She was voted as a WNBA all-star that year. But the Storm was never able to qualify for the playoffs, and they would also miss out the next season.

Bird re-signed with the Storm on February 16, 2016, in free agency, for a multi-year contract. [37].

Bird would have a comeback and record her best results since recovering from knee surgery in the 2016 campaign. She averaged 12. 8 points per game, a career-high 3-point field goal percentage, and 5 assists, which led the league. 8 apg. Bird was selected to the All-WNBA First Team for the fifth time in her career and the first time in twelve years. The Storm chose Breanna Stewart first overall in the 2016 WNBA draft prior to the season, making it their second consecutive year at the top pick after selecting Jewell Loyd the year before. With Stewart joining the team and Loyd emerging as a star player quickly, the Storm finished 16–18 and qualified for the playoffs for the first time in three years. The Storm, seeded seventh in the league after the WNBA changed its playoff structure, lost their single-elimination match against the Atlanta Dream 94–85. Additionally, in honor of the WNBA’s 20th anniversary, Bird was included in the WNBA Top 20@20, a list of the league’s top 20 players ever. [38] Bird guarding.

The Storm revealed in April 2017 that Bird had missed training camp due to surgery on her left knee earlier in the month. She was ruled out indefinitely. [39][40] After recovering from knee surgery, Bird made her season debut on May 21, 2017, making her the WNBA’s oldest starter and active player. [41][42] She led the Washington Mystics to an 81-71 victory with nine points and ten assists. [43] On June 11, 2017, in a 94–86 loss to the New York Liberty, Bird recorded a season-high 21 points and ten assists. [44] Bird tied Tamika Catchings for the most all-star game appearances with her tenth appearance after being voted into the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game. She had recorded eight points and eleven assists for the Western Conference All-Stars team in a 130–121 victory, setting the record for assists in an All-Star Game. [45] In a 110-106 overtime loss to the Washington Mystics on September 1, 2017, Bird passed Ticha Penicheiro to become the WNBA’s all-time leader in assists with 2,600 career assists. [46] She recorded a game-high 13 assists in addition to 19 points at the end of the contest. Bird would conclude the 2017 campaign with the Storm finishing 15–19 and holding the eighth seed in the league, averaging a career-high in assists per game. The Phoenix Mercury would defeat the Storm 79-69 in the opening round elimination match.

On July 8, 2018, Bird led the Washington Mystics 97-91 with a season-high 21 points. She surpassed Lauren Jackson’s 6,007 points to become the Storms’ all-time leading scorer during that game. [47] On July 19, 2018, Bird overtook Tamika Catchings in the record for the most all-star appearances when she was selected for the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game. [48][49] On July 22, 2018, Bird surpassed Delisha Milton-Jones by playing in her 500th game against the Atlanta Dream, breaking yet another record for the most WNBA regular-season games played. [50] At the conclusion of the season, Bird set new career highs in assists, field goal percentage, and three-point shooting percentage. The Storm concluded as the league’s top seed with a 26–8 record, guaranteeing them a double-bye to the semifinals and home court advantage all through the postseason. After a fierce five-game series, the Storm emerged victorious over the Phoenix Mercury in the semi-finals. The Storm led 2-0, dropped their next two games, and won game 5 at home to end the series. Bird scored a season-high 22 points in game 5. The Storm would make their first trip to the WNBA Finals since 2010 with that victory. They would defeat the Washington Mystics in the Finals to claim their first title in eight years.

Sue Bird was appointed Vice President of the WNBA Players Union in August of 2018. Bird was a member of the team that led the WNBA through the pandemic during her tenure. As she continued her term, Bird stated that the WNBA union leadership did not consider social justice messages to be negotiable. The WNBA’s acceptance of social justice messaging on jerseys, basketball courts, and nearby floors is credited to Birds’ presidency. [51].

Bird was sidelined during the first week of the 2019 season after undergoing left knee surgery once more, and her absence was declared indefinite. [52] In September 2019, it was declared that Bird would not be coming back, so she was unable to participate in the season. [53] The Los Angeles Sparks defeated the Storm in the second round of elimination, preventing the Storm from defending their championship without Bird.

Bird would be completely well and back for the Storm in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the season to be postponed and reduced to 22 games in a bubble at IMG Academy. Despite her knee re-aggravation during the season, which prevented her from playing in half of the games, the Storm finished 18–4 as the number two seed and earned a double bye to the semi-finals with a fully healthy and active roster. They would defeat the Minnesota Lynx in three games in the semi-finals to return to the WNBA Finals for the second time in three years. Bird won her fourth WNBA championship in the Finals, becoming the first player in WNBA history to win a championship in three different decades as the Storm defeated the Las Vegas Aces in a three-game sweep. [54].

Bird moved past Milton-Jones for the most seasons played in the WNBA in 2021 when she re-signed with the Storm for a one-year contract. This allowed her to play her 18th season in the league. [55][56] She crossed Katie Smith’s 6452 points with her first three-pointer in a July 2021 game against the Los Angeles Sparks Birds to move up to sixth place on the WNBA career scoring list, with 6490 points (as of August 2021) and counting. [57][58] She was included in The W25, the WNBA’s official list of the 25 greatest players in its history, during that season, the league’s 25th. [59].

Bird declared on June 16, 2022, that she would retire after the 2022–2023 WNBA season. [60].

WNBA career statistics edit

In the NewsCaret Left

2:17

1:01:02

3:06

2:07

27:10

FAQ

Are Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe married?

What year did Sue Bird come out?

Is Sue Bird the oldest WNBA player?

Is Sue Bird Larry Bird’s Daughter?