Between the regular season and the playoffs, Sue Bird has qualified for the Seattle Storm 651 times during her storied 19-year career. On Sunday afternoon, during the team’s 89-81 loss to the Las Vegas Aces, she took the field for one last game of the regular season in Seattle. Bird finished with nine points, four rebounds and six assists.
“Right now I just want to say, from the bottom of my heart, how grateful I am,” Bird said as he addressed the crowd after the game. “Not just for today, and all of you who show up and support us, but for 21 years… This place isn’t just where I played, it’s where I call home.”
Before the game, the Storm Bird honored with a moving ceremony to a sold-out crowd, the largest in franchise history and the largest ever seen a basketball game at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena.
Bird was also given a custom ring in honor of her many accomplishments, including but not limited to four WNBA titles, a record 13 All-Star appearances, and being the all-time leader of all-time assists.
Early in the day, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell also declared that Sunday would be “Sue Bird Day” in honor of her contributions to the city over the past two decades. The statement read, in part:
While she is one of the most decorated women’s basketball players of all time, being named a WNBA All-Star 13 times, eight All-WNBA recognitions, five Olympic golds, four World Cup golds and two NCAA championships; and
whereas she has been a vocal voice for change and has used her influential position to advocate for social change initiatives, including LGBTQ+ rights and racial equality here in Seattle and across the country; and
While the City of Seattle recognizes the significant contributions Suzanne Brigit Bird has made not only to our city, but to the wider community, and wishes her every success in her retirement.
Therefore, I, Bruce Harrell, Mayor of Seattle, hereby declare August 7, 2022, Sue Bird Day.
While the Storm has already secured a spot in the playoffs, the WNBA’s new format means there’s a chance this will be not only its last regular-season game in Seattle, but also its last home game. The Storm are currently locked in a close battle with the Washington Mystics for number 4 seed and home advantage in the first round.
Under the new format, the first round will be a best-of-three series, with the higher-ranking team hosting Games 1 and 2. If the Storm becomes the number 5, there is a future where they lose both games in Washington and are knocked out of the playoffs without getting a home game. That’s unlikely, of course, but the possibility made Sunday’s game even more meaningful for Bird and the Storm fans.