Sue Bird officially made it official: The GOAT is calling it a career. Thursday, the 41-year-old Seattle Storm star point guard announced on Twitter that the 2022 WNBA season will be her last.
The news of her impending retirement shouldn’t come as much of a shock to fans, but it doesn’t mean it stings and saddens them any less. She is, after all, one of the greatest players to ever hit the court.
Since becoming the Storm’s No. 1 overall WNBA Draft pick in 2002, Bird has had a stunning, record-breaking career filled with too many accolades and trophies to list entirely. She’s a four-time WNBA champ (2004, 2010, 2018, 2020), and she’s the league’s all-time assists leader — a mark she broke back in 2017. She’s also a 12-time WNBA All-Star, and she’ll likely get to No. 13 this season.
Outside of the W, Bird is also a five-time Olympic gold medalist, winning in 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and, most recently, in 2021 postponed Tokyo Games last summer, along with being a four-time FIBA world champion (2002, 2010, 2014, 2018).
💚🥺@S10Bird x #TheFinalSeason pic.twitter.com/cvCtYwhkoJ
— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) June 16, 2022
Anyone who’s been able to witness Bird play, in person or on TV, knows how special of a player she is and how vast her contributions to the game have been. So after she announced this will be her last season, fans began celebrating her illustrious career while still mourning the end of an era.
Sue Bird is Storm basketball.
Every moment, every memory has one constant. No. 10.
It’s time for the final chapter.#TheFinalYear x #TakeCover pic.twitter.com/d0UJfpGahM
— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) June 16, 2022
Now, fans can hope she’ll end up in a broadcast booth, preferably with Diana Taurasi some day.
