Sue Birdโs No. 10 jersey will endlessly dangle within the rafters of Climate Pledge Arena because the Seattle Storm honored the legendary level guard with a three-hour ceremony on Sunday.
Bird, who retired after the 2022 WNBA season, performed 19 years for the Storm and led them to 4 championships. She additionally gained 5 Olympic gold medals with Team USA and have become the WNBAโs all-time chief in assists.
Among the audio system on the ceremony had been Birdโs fiancรฉe Megan Rapinoe, who’s a soccer star and an activist. Rapinoe praised Bird for her achievements on and off the courtroom and for being a task mannequin for many individuals.
โCongratulations on like, arguably the best career that anyone has ever had in the history of any sport ever,โ Rapinoe mentioned.
The Storm honored Birdโs legacy by retiring her No. 10 jersey, making her the second participant in franchise historical past to obtain this distinction after Lauren Jackson. The festivities started on Friday with a flag bearing Birdโs quantity flying excessive above the Space Needle and ended on Sunday with an emotional speech from Bird to the followers at Climate Pledge Arena.
โI will forever miss it, and thatโs OK,โ Bird mentioned. โI think some people try to avoid missing it when theyโre in my seat up here, and the reality is Iโm always going to miss it.โ
Megan Rapinoe calling Sue Bird the GOAT athlete sparks Twitter debate
Rapinoeโs remark sparked a frenzy on Twitter, the place many followers agreed along with her evaluation of Birdโs greatness, whereas others argued that it was unfair to match completely different sports activities and eras.
Here are among the reactions from Twitter:
Bird, who the Storm drafted because the No. 1 choose in 2002, spent her complete profession with the franchise, including to the wealthy basketball historical past of Seattle. She additionally represented the USA in 5 Olympics, turning into considered one of solely 5 gamers to win 5 Olympic golds in basketball.
Regardless of the place one stands on the controversy of who’s the very best athlete ever, there is no such thing as a denying that Sue Bird is likely one of the most influential and profitable gamers in WNBA historical past.
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