Future Hall of Famer Sue Bird returns for the 2022 WNBA season.
Bird, 41, took to Instagram to make the announcement, sharing a video of Seattle fans chanting “one more year” when the Storm were eliminated from the 2021 playoffs along with the caption “Ok … let’s go.” .
It’s worth noting that Bird’s post location is labeled Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle’s new entertainment venue, which opened at the start of the 2021-22 NHL season for the Seattle Kraken expansion.
While technically a free agent, Bird is likely to return to Storm for his 19th season.
During an October appearance on ESPN’s Monday Night Football “Manningcast,” Bird was asked if she would be returning for another season, to which she replied “we just opened a new arena here in Seattle, and I was there for the grand opening. of the Kraken “. play. And … it was tempting. The idea of playing there was very tempting. I’ll leave you with that. ”
Bird, the No. 1 pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft, is one of the most decorated players in the game’s history. Bird, a 12-time All-Star, has been a part of four WNBA titles, which only begins the list of his countless accomplishments over the past 20 years.
By the numbers: Sue Bird’s 19th season record
Bird is the league’s all-time leader in games played and, entering the 2022 season, is the only WNBA player to have appeared in more than 500 games.
It should come as no surprise that Bird is also the first all-time in minutes played, having logged more than 1,000 more minutes than Tina Thompson, who ranks second.
The standard of exemplary guard play, no WNBA player has dished out more assists than Bird, who has won three assist titles.
Diana Taurasi (1,205) is the only player in league history to have scored more triples than Bird, who will become the second player in league history with more than 1,000 triples made.
No other player has dressed as many seasons as Bird.
Bird’s 12 All-Star appearances rank first in league history, ahead of Tamika Catchings (10) and Taurasi (10).
Bird has been a member of the United States Senior National Women’s Team since 2004, winning gold medals in Athens, Beijing, London, Rio and Tokyo.
Bird is tied with Seimone Augustus, Cynthia Cooper, Maya Moore, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson for the all-time leader with four titles.
No other player, male or female, has won so many gold medals at the FIBA World Cup.