Sue Bird was a generational icon during her playing days with the Seattle Storm, so it\u2019s only fitting that she\u2019s set to experience an honor no WNBA player has before.<\/p>\n
Seattle Storm\u2019s Nneka Ogwumike will start in her 10th All-Star Game<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The Storm announced Wednesday that a statue honoring Bird will be unveiled outside of Climate Pledge Arena at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 17, before the Seattle plays the Phoenix Mercury. The franchise is the first in WNBA history to dedicate a statue to a former player.<\/p>\n \u201cSue\u2019s legacy isn\u2019t just written in championships\u2014it\u2019s woven into the fabric of Seattle,\u201d said Seattle Storm President & CEO Alisha Valavanis said in a release<\/a>. \u201cHer leadership transcended basketball and helped shape a cultural shift\u2014one that expanded who gets to lead, who gets seen and who gets celebrated.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cToday, as the first WNBA franchise to honor a player with a statue, we celebrate not just Sue\u2019s illustrious career, but the standard of excellence and future she helped shape for the next generation of athletes, leaders and advocates. This statue is more than a tribute. It\u2019s a promise that what Sue stands for will keep rising, and young people, especially girls, will always see themselves in greatness,\u201d Valavanis added.<\/p>\n Bird\u2019s statue was created by Roblatt Amrany Studio, the same studio that created the recently revealed statue of Lenny Wilkens<\/a> at Climate Pledge Area, as well as statues of Mariners legends Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and Dave Niehaus at T-Mobile Park.<\/p>\n After leading perennial college powerhouse UConn to two national titles, Bird was selected No. 1 overall by the Storm in the 2002 draft.<\/p>\n Bird, who retired after the 2022 season, averaged 11.7 points and 5.6 assists per game while spending all 21 seasons of her legendary WNBA career in Seattle. She led the franchise to all four of its league championships (2004, 2010, 2018, 2020) while earning a whopping 13 All-Star selections. She holds franchise records in career points, assists, steals, made field goals and made 3-pointers.<\/p>\n A five-time Olympic gold medal winner, Bird is the WNBA\u2019s career leader with 3,234 assists. She\u2019s the only player in league history to reach 3,000. Bird is also third all-time with 724 steals and ninth with 6,803 points.<\/p>\n Bird was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame<\/a> in April. She will be enshrined during a ceremony on Sept. 5-6 in Uncasville, Connecticut.<\/p>\n Bird also joined the Storm\u2019s ownership group<\/a> in April and was named the USA women\u2019s basketball team\u2019s first-ever managing director<\/a> in May.<\/p>\n WNBA expanding to 3 more cities over the next 5 years<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n