Matt Calkins: Sue Bird's Hall of Fame honor bolsters case as one of Seattle's best athletes

Matt Calkins, The Seattle Times on Apr 7, 2025

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SEATTLE — It happened as quickly as the rules allow, yet, for a lot of people, likely still felt overdue. Sue Bird’s name has long been surrounded by accolades — four-time WNBA champion, all-time league assist leader, four-time Olympic gold medalist — but will soon attain the ultimate honor.

Saturday, it was announced that the Seattle Storm legend will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September. The pending enshrinement comes in Bird’s first year of eligibility.

Granted, the suspense as to whether this would happen was akin to whether Jerry would best Tom. But this is still a significant moment — one of Seattle’s greatest athletes will soon become basketball immortality.

“Surreal. I think there’s no way to really wrap your head around it,” said Bird in an interview on ESPN. “… How lucky am I that I got to experience all these things?”

I don’t know if you can say that Bird was ever the best women’s basketball player in the world. I also don’t know that you can say anyone had a more accomplished career if you blend team and individual success.

Before ever donning a Storm jersey, Sue won two NCAA titles at the University of Connecticut, took home the Wooden Award for the nation’s top player, and was selected first in the WNBA draft. Then, in 2004 and 2010 she won WNBA titles with Lauren Jackson as her primary counterpart, and took two more in 2018 and 2020 with Breanna Stewart as her chief complement. Additionally, throughout Bird’s 21-year career (two of which were tabled due to injury), she collected a record 13 All-Star appearances along with eight All-WNBA selections.

No, there were no regular-season MVP awards. The highest she ever finished in the voting was third. But if you were fresh out of high school and were offered the chance to match any WNBA player’s résumé, is there anyone you would want over Bird’s?

Seattle is certainly grateful to have her. Two years ago, the Sporting News put her on the town’s sports Mount Rushmore alongside Ken Griffey Jr., Ichiro and Russell Wilson. These types of lists are designed for debate, but Sue has as good of a case as just about anyone to be among this city’s quartet.

For one, she never played for anyone but the Storm. Her 21 years are one more than Kobe Bryant spent with the Lakers and two more than the 19 Tim Duncan spent with the Spurs. Only the Mercury’s Diana Taurasi matched her for longevity.

Furthermore, there was no proverbial “cliff” as she aged. At 39, Bird shot a career-best 46.9% from three-point range en route to her fourth title. At 41, she dished out six assists per game, the third-highest average of her career.

The only “cliff” involved with Sue took place after her retirement — which coincided with Stewart leaving Seattle for the Liberty — as the Storm went from 22-14 in 2022 to 11-29 in ’23.

But if you really want to know what Bird means to the Emerald City, just listen to the reaction whenever she’s shown on the big screen at any Seattle sporting event. Her fandom transcends women’s basketball. And it makes sense.

Bird is opinionated, but she’s never been standoffish. I can tell you that in my 20-plus years covering sports at all levels, she ranks in the 99th percentile for graciousness. Fans can feel that, even if they have never dealt with her personally.

On ESPN on Saturday, Bird took a moment to shout out all the players that had come before her. She recalled going to the Hall of Fame as a kid and seeing pictures of predecessors such as Anne Donovan. At the same, she recognized that youngsters are going to look up to players like her.

“We had impact in that there’s little girls that are going to try to be like us,” Bird said.

Count on Bird being involved in the game for years to come. We’ve seen her in front-office roles in the NBA. We’ve heard her on podcasts. We see her at events across the country.

Count on her being a fixture in Seattle, too. She has a street named after her near Climate Pledge Arena, and if I had to bet, isn’t far from having a statue erected in her likeness.

But what happened Saturday goes beyond the Emerald City. Sue Bird: Hall of Famer. She needs no introduction — but what a way to be introduced.

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