Sue Bird credits fans' chants on deciding to return, won't fully rule out 2023
Fans, give yourselves a round of applause.
In an interview with ESPN's Mechelle Voepel on Thursday, four-time Seattle Storm champion Sue Bird credited the crowd's chant of "one more year" for her decision to continue playing rather than enter retirement.
"It really didn't hit me in that moment until the fans chanted," Bird said, via ESPN. "And then I was like, 'Oh, they know it, too? They're sensing this also?' It's weird because it immediately changed my perspective. Had the buzzer gone off and I just went home, I probably would have retired.
"But having that moment, it kind of changed some things for me. During the drive home, there was a wide range of emotions, as you can imagine."
Bird credited the fans for "reigniting something in me" and giving her the motivation and want to be back out on the court. It will be her 21st season in the league, and 19th on the court.
Bird swayed by crowd's 'one more year'
The playoff meeting between the Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury in September marked potentially the last game between Bird, 41, and Diana Taurasi, both of whom are nearing the end of their careers. It was already an emotional post-game TV interview with both players following the Storm's loss when the fans began chanting "one more year." Taurasi, 39, amped them up.
Bird told ESPN she rode home alone from Angel of the Winds Arena, about 30 miles from her place in downtown Seattle. She was still uncertain with her decision after hanging with teammates and doing media interviews. After a few days, the fans still in mind, she texted her trainer, Susan Borchardt.
"I said, 'Hey, I think I should keep working out, just in case,'" Bird said, via ESPN. "And once I said that out loud, I was like, 'All right, I'm probably going to do it.'"
Bird formally announced she would return in a social media post featuring the crowd chants and captioned, "OK," with a smiley face. Underneath it read, "Let's gooooo" with a handshake emoji. A week later, the WNBA leader in assists announced a documentary already in the works covering the 2021 season, Tokyo Olympics and the upcoming year.
Is it Sue Bird's last year?
Bird made it seem that way in social posts, but she isn't ruling out 2023. Via ESPN:
Bird said it is highly probable this is her last season. She hesitates a bit to fully commit to that largely because she doesn't want that as a season-long narrative that takes away from what the Storm hope to accomplish. She also wants a lot of attention to go other players who are or might be in their last WNBA seasons, including her Olympic teammate Sylvia Fowles of the Minnesota Lynx, another team Bird sees as championship contender.
Fowles, 36, said it will be her final season. The unrestricted free agent officially re-signed with the Lynx, where she won two WNBA titles. Briann January, a Spokane native who signed with the Storm, also said 2022 will be her last. She won the 2012 title with the Indiana Fever.
Bird has not officially re-signed with the Storm as an unrestricted free agent. She has played on year-to-year contracts to free up the franchise to sign other players first as she's willing to take less to win a fifth title.
"My thought about it is at this point in my career is I want to be on a good team. I want to win," Bird said, via ESPN. "Money is great, but I'm fortunate to be doing things off the basketball court that allows me the freedom to say I'll take less money."
Bird is one of the most marketed WNBA players and launched media company Togethxr in March of 2021.
