Tag: Sue Bird

Sue Bird just became the first WNBA player to reach 3,000 assists

Sue Bird just keeps racking up records

Sue Bird is one of the most decorated WNBA players of all-time and easily one of the best point guards to ever play the game.

And at 40-years-old, the Seattle Storm star just keeps racking up record after record after record to add to her resume. It’s really been incredible to watch over the last few seasons.

She continued to add to all that on Friday night with her 3,000th career assist.

3,000 assists is always a pretty spectacular number and an amazing milestone. It speaks to who Bird is as a teammate and as a player, which is great.

But what makes this even greater is that she’s the first player in WNBA history to ever hit this mark.

That’s pretty amazing, man. Here was the 3,000th assist.

Think about the context of this. WNBA seasons are typically just 34 games through a four-month period before the postseason. She’s played 539 games in her career through 20 seasons.

That’s pretty spectacular. The longevity of it all is amazing. Congrats to Bird on her new record. Hopefully, she has a few more coming before she calls it quits.

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Sue Bird’s reaction to learning she’s the same age as her teammate’s mom is priceless

“Devastating. Just devastating.”

Sue Bird is unquestionably one of the greatest basketball players of all time, and at 40 years old, she’s about to start her 18th WNBA season with the defending champs Seattle Storm’s opener against the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday (3 p.m. ET, ABC).

The 11-time All-Star is also the oldest player in the league. And she recently was reminded of just how much older she is than some other WNBA players, including one of her teammates, forward Mikiah “Kiki” Herbert Harrigan, who was traded to Seattle from the Minnesota Lynx in February.

During a press conference, Bird explained how she found out that she is the same age as 22-year-old Herbert Harrigan’s mother. And her reaction was priceless.

Talking about playing at an absurdly high level into her 40s, Bird said:

“I kind of joke we’re, — myself, Diana [Taurasi], and I don’t say this lightly, LeBron James, Tom Brady — I think we’re changing the conversations … of what it means to have a long career as an athlete. I think the way I always joke about it is 40 is the new 30.

“Although, I found out today — oh my gosh. Guys, this is just terrible. I found out today that my new teammate, Kiki, her mom is my age! We have the same birthday! Like, she’s 40 the same way I’m 40. She was like, ‘Oh no worries, she’s a young mom.’ I’m like, ‘She’s a mom! To my teammate!’

“[Herbert Harrigan] was like, ‘She’s excited to meet you.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, she probably wants to, like, hang out and get drinks.’ We’re the same age! That blew my mind.

“But anyway, I do think we’re changing the conversation about what it means to be an old athlete, or an older athlete, because we are taking care of ourselves in a way that allows us to continue to be great.”

And then she added about Herbert Harrigan’s mother: “Devastating. Just devastating.”

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WNBA legend Sue Bird praises Kyrie Irving: ‘He just goes out of his way’

Kyrie Irving did a lot to help WNBA players, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed in the basketball community.

Ahead of the WNBA’s bubble, Kyrie Irving committed $1.5 million to the KAI Empowerment Initiative for the WNBA players who decided to sit out the season for “personal, professional, health, and/or safety-related reasons.” The goal: to ensure those players would still have an income during this strange time.

The KAI Empowerment Initiative also provided WNBA players “access to a comprehensive financial literacy program provided by UBS.”

But going the extra mile for WNBA players isn’t something out of the ordinary for Irving.

“He’s been so kind. He’s hooked me up with Nike shoes, and he did the ‘Keep Sue Fresh’ collab thing,” Sue Bird said on All the Smoke after detailing the origin of her friends with Irving. “He just goes out of his way in that way and it’s just been really special.  Of course, I love watching him do his thing on the court. Hopefully, we see him back soon.”

The two developed a mutual respect for one another before they met back in 2016, and that’s only grown further as Bird has gotten to know Irving as a player and a person.

“So the first time I got to really meet Kyrie and hang out was at the Olympics in 2016. It was just cool because he’s a huge fan of basketball. He watches YouTube videos of all different kinds of players and he’s constantly trying to learn. I just really enjoyed talking to him, ’cause he doesn’t look at things [the same way], he wants to look at things differently ’cause he then implements that into his game.

“He’s not just gonna go do a workout that someone has always done…. He’’s just going to do it a little differently, and you can see that creativity in his game. So just talking to him, hearing how he looks at things basketball-wise was a lot of fun.”

Bird added:

“It was cool [the first time we met] because I’m much older than he is and he came up to me and was like. ‘Oh my god Sue, I’ve been dying to meet you.’ In the back of my head, I’m like, ‘I’ve been dying to meet you, too.’ It was just cool to have that mutual respect. Getting to know him, not just in basketball terms, but off the court stuff, too. It was fun.”

Watch: Wilson, Bird and Rapinoe have powerful message to open 2020 ESPYS

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, Storm guard Sue Bird and OL Reign winger Megan Rapinoe have a powerful message to open the 2020 ESPYS.

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Russell Wilson, Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird opened the ESPYS with powerful Black Lives Matter intro

“Our country’s work is not anywhere close to done.”

Amid the global coronavirus pandemic, ESPN elected to hold its annual sports awards show, The ESPYS, earlier than usual this year and with an entirely virtual format.

But co-hosts Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird and Russell Wilson didn’t need an audience to address the important issues facing the country.

To kick off the award show, Wilson, Bird and Rapinoe — all wearing Black Lives Matter shirts — voiced a powerful message of support for the Black Lives Matter movement in response to the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and Rayshard Brooks.

Wilson said:

“Our country’s work is not anywhere close to done. We need justice. We need true leadership. We need a change. And we need it now. I look at my children, and I pray for a better future. … The only thing that must die is racism. Black lives matter. So where do we go from here?”

Later in the video, Rapinoe and Bird both urged white athletes and fans to take a vocal stance in fighting systemic racism. Rapinoe said:

“So will it be uncomfortable? Yes. And speaking up, will we make mistakes? Yes. That cannot stop us from trying.”

Four years ago, NBA stars LeBron James, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade opened the ESPYS with a message for Black Lives Matter. That call for action continues today.

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How to watch 2020 ESPYS hosted by Russell Wilson, Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe

Everything you need to know to watch Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, Storms Sue Bird and OL Reign’s Megan Rapinoe host the 2020 ESPY awards.

The 2020 ESPYS will be a virtual event this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic that continues to impact the nation. The annual awards show will also have a different feel, as it’s shifting its focus “from outstanding athletic achievement to further highlight narratives of service, perseverance, and courage within the world of sports,” per the ESPN press release.

Three of the most exciting athletes in sports today will be hosting the event: Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird and OL Reign winger Megan Rapinoe.

“The ESPYS are always a highlight for me every year and I’m incredibly honored that they’ve asked me to co-host this year’s special show,” Wilson said via the press release. “Although the sports world is on a pause, Megan, Sue, and I hope to shine a light on some of the amazing stories of resilience that we are seeing through this unique time.”

The ESPYS will air Sunday, June 21 at 6:00 p.m. PT on ESPN and streaming on Watch ESPN.

Be sure and follow Seahawks Wire for the list of award winners.

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WNBA announces return in Florida with ‘commitment to social justice’

While everyone is waiting on the NBA to finalize a plan to return the WNBA announced their plan to play in Florida on Monday.

While the NBA and the NBPA continue to finalize details about their own return to play later this summer, their WNBA counterparts announced on Monday a commitment to a return to play with a focus on ‘social justice,’ including full salaries paid to every player in the shortened season, which will be played on the IMG Academy campus in Bradenton, Florida, which is near Tampa.

“In our discussions with the league, we emphasized and they agreed that a strong commitment to a 2020 season will give the WNBA the chance to show the world that it’s taking the steps needed to secure our livelihood and well-being, while also providing the opportunity to amplify our collective voice,” said WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike in a press release from the WNBA.  “We have always been at the forefront of initiatives with strong support of #BlackLivesMatter, #SayHerName, the LGBTQ+ community, gun control, voting rights, #MeToo, mental health and the list goes on.  This is not only necessary from a humanitarian perspective, but it may be one of the biggest opportunities that this league has and will ever have.”

There were reports that some WNBA players were part of Kyrie Irving’s phone call on Friday questioning the merits of a restart, it appears that the union has agreed with the league to move forward with the 2020 season. Just like with the WNBA, a season doesn’t mean that every player will play and we’ve already seen Minnesota Lynx star Maya Moore forego multiple seasons in committing her life to focus on freeing Jonathan Irons, a man she believes was wrongfully convicted, prior to the current political climate.

Per the WNBA’s release, the 12 WNBA teams will report to Bradenton for training camp in early July.

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Trio of Seattle sports stars, including Russell Wilson, to host ESPYs

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, along with Seattle sports stars Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird, will host the ESPY awards remotely in 2020.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and a pair of fellow Seattle sports legends, soccer player Megan Rapinoe and her partner, Sue Bird of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm, will be hosting the ESPY Awards this year.

Of course, instead of standing together at a podium in front of 5,000 audience members in Los Angeles in July, during MLB’s All-Star break, the event will instead take place on Sunday, June 21 – and will be done completely remotely.

Wilson, Bird and Rapinoe are all local to Seattle, with Bird and Rapinoe living together, helping to ease some of the logistics in preparation. Wilson’s wife, Ciara, is expected to participate in some fashion as well.

“We liked the idea of having athletes from diverse sports that represent something for every fan,” show producer Jeff Smith said. “We’re finding ways to make this feel really connected to the audience. They’re so ready to reach out to this community.”

The show also intends to change their focus. Instead of honoring the top athletes and moments in sports from the previous year, the event will celebrate “heroism and humanitarian aid.”

The event will still feature their most prominent awards, including the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, the Pat Tillman Award for Service and Jimmy V Award for Perseverance.

However, instead of giving canned acceptance speeches, the plan is to show the audience a call informing the award winner of the honor, so everyone can see their reaction in real time.

“We really love this sort of pure reaction,” Smith said. “We found ways to really be able to capture it.”

The ESPYs will no doubt look a lot different this year, like most of the sports world, but seeing a handful of familiar faces doing the hosting will feel good for local Seattle sports fans, and watching Wilson’s attempts at humor should be quite entertaining.

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Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi wanted to embarrass rookies on the court

The two future Hall of Famers recently discussed the joy they experience by crushing rookie players on the court.

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Rookie players across all sports frequently face adversity adjusting to the higher level of play as a professional compared to the college level. Seasoned veterans are stronger, more skilled and smarter than rookies and often wanted to embarrass those younger players.

If anyone knows that firsthand, it is a pair of future Hall of Famers.

Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe host the “A Touch More” Instagram Live session and have often had Diana Taurasi on to talk basketball, life and more related topics. The trio has produced some highly entertaining basketball banter each time they link up.

Matt Ellentuck of SB Nation recently listed the best moments from Bird and Rapinoe, including one session with Taurasi that lasted more than four hours long. On that episode, Bird and Taurasi hilariously discussed the joy they experience by crushing rookie players on the court.

Warning: Video contains explicit language

Taurasi: Every time you played rookies, you just wanted to [expletive] kill them.

Bird: Because it’s so easy.

Taurasi: It’s just physically punking them. It’s mental bullying that takes place right before the ball goes up. It happens in different ways. It happens in like, ‘Oh, you had such a great senior year. I’m about to bust your ass right now.’

Rookie players experience those moments where they realize the competition is different from the collegiate level. They are often humbled in those situations and it is certain that Bird and Taurasi humbled their fair share of players over the years.

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All-Star Sunday: The best pictures

All-Star Sunday: The best pictures

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