Seattle storm sue bird jersey retirement

Former Seattle Storm player Sue Bird, in green, watches with her family as her jersey number is retired and lifted into the rafters during a ceremony following a WNBA basketball game between the Seattle Storm and the Washington Mystics, Sunday, June 11,in Seattle. Former professional basketball player Sue Bird poses for members of the media after she raised a seattle storm sue bird jersey retirement of her jersey retirement banner on top of the Space Needle in Seattle, Wash. And for Bird to share her thanks to former coaches, teammates, family, friends and fans who watched her win four WNBA titles and five Olympic gold medals and become the standard by which all other point guards are judged.

At one point Sunday, after yet another overflowing tribute to Sue Bird, co-host Macklemore joked about the growing length of her jersey retirement ceremony. But then he shrugged. Above all else, the 2-hour-andminute ceremony at Climate Pledge Arena — about 50 minutes longer than the game that preceded it, a Storm loss to the Washington Mystics — was a monument of love. The love that virtually everyone brought up to speak has for Bird and felt compelled to detail, and, as Bird expressed in her own expansive, emotional and at times hilarious hour-andminute speech, the love she has for them. At her news conference after the speech, Bird reiterated what her sister, Jennifer, told her when Sue asked afterward if she had gone on too long:. It really goes beyond the basketball court. It almost has nothing to do with basketball in so many ways.

Seattle storm sue bird jersey retirement

Soccer star Rapinoe honored her girlfriend Bird in an emotional ceremony. O ne of the top power couples in sports made another high-profile appearance on Sunday. Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird returned to Climate Pledge Arena for the latter's jersey retirement, a lengthy but emotional ceremony that saw the star of the OL Reign and the United States women's team tear up while introducing her girlfriend -- a Seattle Storm legend. Rapinoe served as co-master of ceremonies alongside rapper Macklemore , a Seattle native and Storm fan. Rapinoe set the tone for the ceremony by congratulating Bird on completing "arguably the best career that anyone has had" in sports history. Those are potent words coming from Rapinoe, often regarded as one of the greatest female soccer players in the history of the sport. Known almost as much for her fashion sense and social activism as she is for her play on the pitch, Rapinoe has made appearances for the US national team and received a Presidential Medal of Freedom in Rapinoe and Bird began dating in , long after the Seattle Storm point guard had solidified her position as one of the WNBA 's greats. In a year career spent entirely with Seattle , Bird won four WNBA championships and became the league's all-time assists leader. Now, her 10 jersey hangs in the rafters at the Storm 's home arena. Megan Rapinoe - English.

It was at times emotional and had those involved fighting back tears with speeches that stretched far beyond the allotted time. This is how everyone feels about you.

I was like, 'Was that too long? They can listen to you for an hour. Actually, Bird's speech was more than an hour and a half, as she apologized for during the midst of it. But there was understandably a lot of ground to cover for a player who retired last fall as the WNBA's all-time leader in games, minutes and assists during a career that spanned more than two decades -- all of it played in Seattle. It was just so important for me to say names and point people out and tell them what they've meant. I'm already thinking of things I wish I would have said. Before Bird took center stage, she heard from a variety of key figures in her career about the impact she had on them.

Sue Bird can't help but laugh when recounting the story of being less than thrilled about starting her professional career in Seattle. I was like, 'Was that too long? They can listen to you for an hour. Actually, Bird's speech was more than an hour and a half, as she apologized for during the midst of it. But there was understandably a lot of ground to cover for a player who retired last fall as the WNBA's all-time leader in games, minutes and assists during a career that spanned more than two decades -- all of it played in Seattle. It was just so important for me to say names and point people out and tell them what they've meant. I'm already thinking of things I wish I would have said. Before Bird took center stage, she heard from a variety of key figures in her career about the impact she had on them. Jackson, who flew in from Australia with eldest son Harry specifically for the event, called Bird "the true GOAT" with the help of AI chatbot ChatGPT, which helpfully pointed out that Bird's position of point guard is the most important in basketball. Given her four WNBA championships and five Olympic gold medals, plus a record 13 All-Star appearances, there's little debate that Bird retired as the greatest point guard in women's basketball history.

Seattle storm sue bird jersey retirement

Drafted No. Bird led the Storm to four titles and was chosen an All-Star a record 13 times. During Bird's final season, she was honored at Seattle's last home game of the regular season, which featured the largest crowd in franchise history. Bird helped the Storm past Washington in the first round of the playoffs before her career came to an end in the semifinals against the eventual champion Las Vegas Aces. Bird's No. Bird and Jackson teamed up for the franchise's first two championships, in and , and Jackson's jersey was retired in

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Above all else, the 2-hour-andminute ceremony at Climate Pledge Arena — about 50 minutes longer than the game that preceded it, a Storm loss to the Washington Mystics — was a monument of love. Alabama IVF. It was just so important for me to say names and point people out and tell them what they've meant. From the poem "Ulysses" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Bird quoted the line "I am a part of all that I have met" to describe her relationship with those groups. Now I will just be a former player. Of course, the Bird-Jackson relationship is legendary, and each spoke of how much the other meant to their career and life. UGA campus death. It was in there. This is how everyone feels about you. When I watch you guys play, I see a piece of myself out there. Now the pick-and-roll partners, who played together from Bird's selection as the No. The love that virtually everyone brought up to speak has for Bird and felt compelled to detail, and, as Bird expressed in her own expansive, emotional and at times hilarious one-hour, minute speech, the love she has for them. Given her four WNBA championships and five Olympic gold medals, plus a record 13 All-Star appearances, there's little debate that Bird retired as the greatest point guard in women's basketball history. The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times. More From AP News.

For more than two hours, Sue Bird was back commanding the middle of the court. At times funny, at times emotional, Bird's year career received a ceremony that matched the longevity of her basketball exploits when the Seattle Storm retired the No. The event pushed nearly three hours in total length with Bird's speech taking up more than half that amount.

Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Now larger-than-life replicas of both their jerseys are hanging in the Climate Pledge Arena rafters. Sue Bird commands floor once more as her No. Bird, now 42, added that she is still pondering what direction to take her post-basketball life after 21 years in the WNBA. Former professional basketball player Sue Bird poses for members of the media after she raised a replica of her jersey retirement banner on top of the Space Needle in Seattle, Wash. It really goes beyond the basketball court. When Bird finally took the microphone, she started by thanking her first basketball coach, Mr. O ne of the top power couples in sports made another high-profile appearance on Sunday. Bird had words of high praise for each of the four coaches with whom she won a championship, and also Boucek, who presided over the Storm rebuild post-Jackson and pre-Breanna Stewart that paved the way for two more titles. Of course, the Bird-Jackson relationship is legendary, and each spoke of how much the other meant to their career and life. As an active player, Bird stole the show with her speech at the retirement of Jackson's No.