The Sue Bird “farewell tour” lacks the usual central figure: a hobbled star limping to the finish line.
At 41, twenty years after the heights of her college career at UConn, having spent half her life with the WNBA’s Seattle Storm, Bird still displays most, if not all, of the skills that make her a future Hall of Famer.
If she’s not leaving on top, she’s pretty close to it.
“It’s very nice,” says Bird. “I’ve seen other athletes who haven’t been able to do that and I’ve seen the heartache that it’s caused.”
The two-time national champion at UConn (2000, 2002) was honored before her final game in Connecticut with a set of books and a bottle of wine (vintage 2002, to match that second UConn title), then minutes later was leading her Seattle Storm to a ten point lead behind a couple of three pointers, sharp passing and typically tenacious defense.
Bird left the game, and much of that lead vanished. The Connecticut Sun won the game, 88-83, behind 19 points from Alyssa Thomas. Bird scored 14 points with 7 assists.
Connecticut fans gave Bird a strong salute, filling every seat in Mohegan Sun Arena (sellout of 9,137), home of the Sun:
“As a UConn player, I feel like the fans look at us like family. They stay with us through our career. That’s something that I treasure.”
Young fans were thrilled to see her:
“I admire how she plays and how fast she is. She’s just so fun to watch,” said Cassidy, from Plainfield.
“Watching her is just electric. This is my first time seeing her play, and it’s unreal,” said Elizabeth from Eastern Connecticut.
