SUE BIRD

Storm Liberty Basketball Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird (10) drives against New York Liberty guard CrystalDangerfield during the first half of WNBA basketball game Sunday, June 19, 2022 at Madison Square Garden in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) (Mary Altaffer)NEW YORK — (AP) — Sue Bird admitted that it felt like a fairy tale. It was only fitting that her final regular-season game in her hometown of New York ended with her hitting the last shot. The league's all-time assist leader made a 3-pointer to seal the game and give the Seattle Storm a 81-72 win over the New York Liberty on Sunday. “In some ways, I was kind of bummed my last game in New York was so early in the season.

Storm Liberty Basketball Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird (10) drives against New York Liberty guard CrystalDangerfield during the first half of WNBA basketball game Sunday, June 19, 2022 at Madison Square Garden in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) (Mary Altaffer)NEW YORK — (AP) — Gabby Williams scored a season-high 23 points in Seattle's 81-72 win over the New York Liberty on Sunday in what was Storm guard Sue Bird's final regular-season game in her hometown. Bird, the league's all-time assists leader, announced Thursday that she would retire at the end of the 2022 season. Bird needed about 100 tickets for family and friends who wanted to take in her last game in New York. Marine Johannes scored a career-high 23 points to lead New York (6-10).

Gabby Williams scored a season-high 23 points in Seattle’s 81-72 win over the New York Liberty in what was Storm guard Sue Bird’s final regular-season game in her hometown.

Storm-Bird Retires Basketball FILE - Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird (10) plays during the first half of the Commissioner's Cup WNBA basketball game against the Connecticut Sun, on Aug. 12, 2021, in Phoenix. The Seattle Storm star and five-time Olympic gold medalist announced Thursday, June 16, 2022, that the 2022 season will be her last playing in the WNBA. The Seattle Storm star and five-time Olympic gold medalist announced Thursday the 2022 season will be her last playing in the WNBA. Bird was the AP national player of the year her final season at UConn. “Sue Bird is Storm basketball,” her WNBA team tweeted moments after Bird made her decision known.

Bird has played with the Seattle Storm since being drafted by the team in 2002. On Thursday, she announced that the current WNBA season, her 19th playing, will be her last.

Seattle Storm star and five-time Olympic gold medalist Sue Bird says the 2022 season will be her last playing in the WNBA.

Sue Bird Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird (10) plays during the first half of the Commissioner's Cup WNBA basketball game against the Connecticut Sun, on Aug. 12, 2021, in Phoenix. The Seattle Storm star and five-time Olympic gold medalist announced Thursday, June 16, 2022, that the 2022 season will be her last playing in the WNBA. (Matt York/AP Photo, File)Five-time Olympic gold medalist Sue Bird, one of the most decorated players in the history of women’s professional basketball, on Thursday announced plans to retire from the WNBA after the 2022 season. >> Read more trending newsThe Seattle Storm point guard made the announcement on social media. >> Read more on KIRO7.com“Bird’s importance to the Seattle Storm franchise cannot be overstated,” team officials said.

Sparks Storm Basketball Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird lines up a 3-point shot against the Los Angeles Sparks during the second quarter of a WNBA basketball game Friday, May 20, 2022, in Seattle. (Jennifer Buchanan/The Seattle Times via AP) (Jennifer Buchanan)Seattle Storm star and five-time Olympic gold medalist Sue Bird announced Thursday the 2022 season will be her last playing in the WNBA. She strongly considered retirement after last season before choosing to return for a 19th season as a player. Bird is a four-time WNBA champion, 12-time All-Star and the oldest player in the league at 41. ___More AP women’s basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports___More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.

Seattle Storm star and five-time Olympic gold medalist Sue Bird says the 2022 season will be her last playing in the WNBA.

Congratulations, ladies! The issue comes out on May 19.

For WNBA players, spending the offseason by competing in Russia can be lucrative, with some earning more money than they make back home.

The five-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time WNBA champion talks about her legacy in a league that's changed drastically since she was drafted.

Russia has been a popular destination for WNBA players like Brittney Griner over the past two decades because of the money they can make playing there in the winter.

Storm Bird Basketball FILE - Seattle Storm's Sue Bird dribbles in the first half of a WNBA second round playoff basketball game against the Phoenix Mercury, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021, in Everett, Wash. Sue Bird officially re-signed Friday, Feb. 18, 2022, with the Seattle Storm, her only WNBA team, in what is expected to be her final season. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File) (Elaine Thompson)SEATTLE — (AP) — Sue Bird officially re-signed Friday with the Seattle Storm, her only WNBA team, in what is expected to be her final season. Bird, the WNBA assists leader and oldest player in the league at 41, previously announced she would return for one more season. Bird is a four-time WNBA champion with Seattle. The 2022 season will be Bird’s 21st overall with the franchise, but she missed the 2014 and 2019 seasons due to injury.

Sue Bird officially re-signed with the Seattle Storm, her only WNBA team, in what is expected to be her final season.

The Minnesota Lynx’s Cheryl Reeve will be the next USA Basketball national team coach, a person with knowledge of the situation said Tuesday. She will be the first professional women’s basketball coach to lead the team since Anne Donovan was courtside for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The U.S. is in a bit of transition with five-time Olympic gold medalist Sue Bird retiring from international play. Four-time Olympic gold medalist Sylvia Fowles, who plays for Reeve in Minnesota, also said she is retiring from USA Basketball. ___More AP women’s basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2021 The Associated Press.

Paige Bueckers scored 22 points but went down with an injury at the end of No. 2 UConn’s 73-54 win over No. 24 Notre Dame.

The WNBA superstar and five-time Olympic gold medalist told Insider she "really enjoyed shooting with Woj" and that he was "a lot of fun" on set.

The WNBA playoff chase may come down to the final day of the regular season on Sept. 19.

The WNBA honored its past and present when it announced the league's top 25 players Sunday. The “W25” has 10 current players, including Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Sylvia Fowles, Candace Parker and Breanna Stewart. Former stars Lisa Leslie, Tamika Catchings, Katie Smith and Sheryl Swoopes are among 15 retired players selected by a panel of media members and women's basketball pioneers and advocates.

President Joe Biden has honored the 2020 WNBA champions Seattle Storm at the White House.

Breanna Stewart scored 15 of her 17 points in the first quarter and the Seattle Storm routed the Connecticut Sun 79-57 to win the inaugural WNBA Commissioner’s Cup.

Tokyo Olympics Basketball United States' Sue Bird (6) drives past Japan's Maki Takada (8) and Rui Machida (13), right, during women's basketball gold medal game at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021, in Saitama, Japan. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) (Eric Gay)SAITAMA, Japan — (AP) — Sue Bird capped off her unblemished 17-year Olympics run with a record fifth gold medal. The Americans are on a 55-game Olympic winning streak dating back to the bronze medal game of the 1992 Barcelona Games. Wilson, who celebrated her 25th birthday on Sunday, made her presence felt in her Olympic debut, scoring 19 points in the gold medal game. The victory also made Dawn Staley, the first Black women's basketball coach for the U.S., the second woman to win a gold medal as a player, assistant and head coach joining Anne Donovan.

Sue Bird capped off her unblemished 17-year Olympics run with a record fifth gold medal.

Tokyo Olympics Athletics Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Italy celebrates after winning the men's 100-meters at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. Not really.”He suggests people doubted his own rapid career progress from a “relatively modest athlete” in 1978 to an Olympic champion two years later. ___Megan Rapinoe says she’s enjoying the greatest gift she doesn’t deserve: being able to stick around and watch fiancee Sue Bird play for a fifth Olympic gold medal. ___MEDAL ALERTJason Kenny has become Britain’s most decorated Olympian by defending his gold medal in the keirin. ___Serbia is going home with an Olympic medal in women’s volleyball for the second straight Games.

She hopes it will be with an unprecedented fifth consecutive gold medal when the U.S. plays Japan in the women's basketball championship game. Bird and Taurasi have never lost an Olympic game, going 37-0. “They’re doing a great job at keeping everything in check because the main thing is winning a gold medal,” Staley said. “I think everybody here wants to win gold for them, for us, for everybody that’s started this streak that got us here," said U.S. center Brittney Griner. "You know there’s a lot of different reasons why we want to win this gold medal.

Sue Bird’s impressive 17-year Olympic journey will come to an end this weekend.

The U.S. baseball team featuring Todd Frazier and Edwin Jackson plays Japan in the gold medal game, while the U.S. women's volleyball and water polo teams also play in the finals. WOMEN'S WATER POLOThe U.S. women’s water polo team goes for its third straight gold medal when it faces Spain in the final at the Tatsumi Water Polo Centre. Spain is looking for its first gold medal in women’s water polo. MEN'S BASEBALLMike Scioscia is one win from matching mentor Tommy Lasorda, the only manager to lead the United States to a baseball gold medal. But host Japan, which stopped its major league season during the Tokyo Olympics, is the favorite in the gold medal game.

Day 15 of the Tokyo Games will feature the American women going for gold in basketball, volleyball and water polo.

The new medal standard in Olympic women’s track has been set.

Brittney Griner had 15 points and 12 rebounds to help the U.S. beat Serbia 79-59 to advance to the gold medal game of the Olympics.

Breanna Stewart scored 20 of her 23 points in the first half to help the U.S. beat Australia 79-55 on Wednesday in the quarterfinals.

There is definitely a UConn flavor to the women's basketball being played in the Tokyo Games.

The next challenge for the U.S. is rival Australia in the quarterfinals of the women's basketball tournament.

A’ja Wilson scored 22 points and Breanna Stewart added 17 to help the U.S. beat France 93-82.

Usain Bolt has retired so there will be a new fastest man at the Olympics for the first time since 2008 when the men’s 100-meter dash is held on Day 9 of the Tokyo Games.

The U.S. women’s basketball team isn’t clicking at the Tokyo Games the way the Americans would like.

The U.S. defeated Japan 86-69 in group play. It's a record 51st straight win for the top-ranked U.S. dating to the 1992 Games. The Americans are going for their 7th straight Olympic gold medal.

(AP Photo/Eric Gay) (Eric Gay)SAITAMA, Japan — (AP) — A'ja Wilson scored 20 points and Breanna Stewart added 15 to help the U.S. beat Japan 86-69 on Friday in the women's basketball tournament. The U.S. had its dominant group of bigs led by the 6-foot-9 Brittney Griner. Despite the size disadvantage, Japan was able to consistently beat the Americans off the dribble, get to the basket and score early on. With the game tied at 36, the Americans scored scored seven straight to start a 13-4 run to close the half. Japan cut the deficit to five in the third quarter but couldn't get any closer as Wilson, Stewart and Griner dominated inside.

A’ja Wilson scored 20 points and Breanna Stewart added 15 to help the U.S. beat Japan 86-69 in the women's basketball tournament.

Nigeria assistant coach Ruthie Bolton could only watch and yell at the television in a Japanese hotel room as the Nigerians battled the U.S. women's basketball team.

A’ja Wilson had 19 points and 13 rebounds in her Olympic debut to help the U.S. beat Nigeria 81-72 in the opener for both teams.

Dawn Staley says she doesn’t feel any added pressure being the first Black head coach of the U.S. women’s basketball Olympic team.

U.S. assistant Dan Hughes is not the face of the Olympic women's basketball team and he couldn't be happier in his role.

From pictogram people to a moving rendition of "Imagine," the Tokyo Olympics' opening ceremony balanced fun with the seriousness of the moment.

Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony Sue Bird and Eddy Alvares, of the United States of America, carry their country's flag during the opening ceremony at the Olympic Stadium at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 23, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) (Morry Gash)The Latest on the Tokyo Olympics, which are taking place under heavy restrictions after a year’s delay because of the coronavirus pandemic:___An array of singers, including John Legend and Keith Urban, have performed “Imagine” at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. Bird says “this Olympics are like no other.”___The parade of athletes at the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Olympics has started. ___Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach have arrived for the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Games. ___With a blaze of indigo and white fireworks lighting the night sky, the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony has started.

Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony Sue Bird and Eddy Alvares, of the United States of America, carry their country's flag during the opening ceremony at the Olympic Stadium at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 23, 2021, in Tokyo. ___Sue Bird is one of the flagbearers for the U.S. in the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Olympics, sharing that role with baseball’s Eddy Alvarez. Bird says “this Olympics are like no other.”___The parade of athletes at the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Olympics has started. ___Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach have arrived for the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Games. ___With a blaze of indigo and white fireworks lighting the night sky, the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony has started.

Miami Marlins infielder Eddy Alvarez and four-time Olympic women’s basketball gold medalist Sue Bird will be the U.S. flag bearers for the opening ceremonies of the Tokyo Games.

(Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP) (Chase Stevens)Four-time Olympic women's basketball gold medalist Sue Bird and baseball player Eddy Alvarez were chosen as U.S. flag bearers for the opening ceremony of the Olympics on Friday night. Alvarez, who won a silver medal in speedskating at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, and Bird were chosen by a vote of fellow U.S. athletes. Bird is the second U.S. women's basketball player to carry the flag, joining current coach Dawn Staley, who did it at the 2004 games. “It’s an incredible honor to be selected the flag bearer for Team USA,” Bird said. Alvarez becomes the first baseball player to carry the flag for the U.S.

The U.S. rebounded after dropping consecutive exhibition games for the first time since 2011 with losses to the WNBA All-Stars and Australia earlier this week. After shooting 2 for 18 from behind the 3-point arc in the loss to Australia, the U.S. pounded the ball inside early and often against Nigeria. Williams did play for Nigeria in the exhibition game while Ogwumike and her sister, Chiney, who was approved to play as a naturalized player for Nigeria were on the bench, but not suited up. Erica Ogwumike, the youngest of the four Ogwumike sisters, had five points for Nigeria. Nigeria has been a team on the rise, reaching the quarterfinals of the World Cup in 2018. before losing to the U.S.

Both the U.S. Olympic team and the WNBA All-Stars expect a competitive game in the league’s showcase.

The Chicago Sky are at full strength and moving up the WNBA standings after a slow start due to injuries.

Storm Fever Basketball Seattle Storm's Sue Bird drives as Indiana Fever's Jantel Lavender defends during the second half of a WNBA basketball game Thursday, June 17, 2021, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) (Darron Cummings)Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi will try and become the first five-time Olympic gold medalists in basketball as they lead the U.S women's team at the Tokyo Games. The duo was selected for their fifth Olympics on Monday, joining Teresa Edwards as the only basketball players in U.S. history to play in five. Edwards won four gold medals and a bronze in her illustrious Olympic career. “USA Basketball has never been in a better place,” said U.S. head coach Dawn Staley, who won three Olympic gold medals as a player and helped the team win two more as an assistant coach.

Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi will try and become the first five-time Olympic gold medalists in women’s basketball as they lead the U.S. team during the Tokyo Games.

Storm Fever Basketball Seattle Storm's Sue Bird drives as Indiana Fever's Jantel Lavender defends during the second half of a WNBA basketball game Thursday, June 17, 2021, in Indianapolis. The four-time Olympic gold medalist is expected to return to the Phoenix Mercury lineup in a few weeks and should be ready to go for training camp in Las Vegas in July. The former WNBA MVP and 2016 Olympic medalist hasn’t even practiced yet with the Washington Mystics this season. It would be highly unlikely for Delle Donne to be on the roster if she doesn't return with the Mystics before the Olympic break. Nneka Ogwumike played on the 2018 World Cup team as well and is a strong candidate for her first Olympics.

The U.S. women’s basketball team has a few questions surrounding its roster as the Americans to make a run at a seventh consecutive gold medal in the Olympics.

Coaches will chose the 12-player WNBA team from the top 36 vote-getters who aren’t on the U.S. Olympic 5-on-5 team. The 12-member U.S. Olympic team roster hasn't been announced yet, but is expected to be released later this month. This is the first time that the league has held an All-Star Game in an Olympic year since 2000. The WNBA played an exhibition in New York in 2004 at Radio City Music Hall, but it wasn't considered an All-Star Game. Any player chosen to play in the game for either the U.S. or the WNBA team will be considered an All-Star and could earn their normal endorsement bonuses like shoe contracts.

The WNBA will tip off its 25th season on Friday after an offseason that was full of player movement, including Candace Parker returning home to Chicago.

A series of CarMax ads featuring WNBA standout Sue Bird uses humor and misdirection to elevate female athletes.

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich signals to players during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets in San Antonio, Friday, Jan. 29, 2021. The Tokyo Games open July 23, one day after the NBA says is the last possible date for this season’s NBA Finals. AdSerbia will play host to the Dominican Republic, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Italy and Senegal. Croatia will play host to Germany, Russia, Mexico, Tunisia and Brazil. And Canada will play host to Greece, China, Uruguay, Turkey and the Czech Republic.

That's changing now that Rapinoe has returned to the U.S. national team for its January training camp in Florida after sitting out most of last year. The last time Rapinoe played for the national team was on March 11, when she scored in a 3-1 SheBelieves Cup victory over Japan. The national team settled its dispute with the federation over unequal working conditions in December, leaving the pay dispute still unresolved. Rapinoe, 35, has scored 52 goals with 68 assists in 168 appearances with the national team since her first call-up in 2006. She scored on a penalty kick in the United States' victory over the Netherlands in the 2019 World Cup final.

Breanna Stewart and the Seattle Storm never really got a chance to defend their 2018 championship because of key injuries. “I don’t know if any of us are thinking that way,” Stewart said after the Storm completed a three-game sweep of the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday night by setting a WNBA Finals record with a 33-point win. The 26-year-old won a second WNBA Finals MVP as a unanimous choice and was nearly unstoppable in the championship round. Bird, who turns 40 next week, has been a part of all four of the Storm championships during three decades. I just kind of start working out and see how I feel,” said Bird, who averaged 11 assists in the WNBA Finals.

Stewart scored 26 points and Seattle completed a sweep of the Las Vegas Aces with a 92-59 rout Tuesday night. It was the biggest margin of victory in WNBA Finals history. Seattle had pretty much the same core group that won the 2018 championship back for this year, led by Stewart, Bird and Jewell Loyd. Seattle has now won a record 11 games in a row in the WNBA Finals, dating to the team's first championship in 2004. She led the Dream to three WNBA Finals appearances but the team was swept in each one.

Las Vegas couldn't respond. A'ja Wilson had 20 points to lead Las Vegas while Angel McCoughtry and Emma Cannon added 17 each. The Aces led 65-64 with 3:22 left in the period before the Storm closed with a 11-3 burst. The Storm, who had 17 assists on their 18 baskets, built the lead to 13 before Las Vegas rallied to the six-point halftime deficit. ... Stewart had her fifth consecutive 20-point game in the WNBA Finals spanning back to the 2018 season.

Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart (30) celebrates after the team defated the Las Vegas Aces during Game 1 of basketball's WNBA Finals Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, in Bradenton, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)BRADENTON, Fla. – The Seattle Storm's lead down to two with a quarter left, Breanna Stewart took over. The big-game player scored the first 11 points of the fourth quarter and finished with 37 to help the Storm beat the Las Vegas Aces 93-80 on Friday night in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. She was a point short of the WNBA Finals record set by Angel McCoughtry. McCoughtry scored 20 points to lead Las Vegas, which was playing in the WNBA Finals for the first time since the franchise moved to the Nevada city three years ago. Eight players had reached 11 assists in a finals game before Bird's record performance.

NEW YORK The Seattle Storm are healthy to begin the season with Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird back in the lineup and sit atop the preseason Associated Press WNBA poll. 1 in the preseason since the AP has been doing the poll. You have to go out there and play the games, said Bird, who missed last season while recovering from knee surgery. Connecticut and Washington, who met for the WNBA title last year, were sixth and seventh in the poll. The first regular season power poll will be released on Tuesday, July 28___Follow Doug on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dougfeinberg

Sue Bird has seen a lot in her storied playing career in the WNBA, overseas and the Olympics. While nothing the 39-year-old Seattle Storm guard experienced has prepared her for life in the WNBA bubble, she is making the best of the situation. The bubble is part summer camp, mixed in with the Olympic village, playing overseas and an AAU tournament with a little bit of college life thrown in, Bird said in a phone interview. Two weeks into the experiment, players and coaches have been adjusting to their temporary homes. The WNBA has gone far and beyond what I thought would happen.Even with the WNBA in the bubble, the virus is still on everyones mind.

(AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)BOISE, Idaho Groups that advocate for civil rights and womens rights have joined notable athletes in asking the NCAA to move 2021 mens basketball tournament games out of Idaho after the state passed a law banning transgender women from competing in womens sports. The first and second rounds of the men's tournament are scheduled for next March at Boise State University. Transgender athletes deserve the same dignity and respect entitled to all NCAA athletes. A girls or womens team will not be open to transgender students who identify as female. Backers said the law, called the Fairness in Womens Sports Act, is needed because transgender female athletes have physical advantages.

USA players celebrate following their sides victory in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup France Semi Final match between England and USA. The USWNT's victory is the biggest win in the history of the Women's World Cup, surpassing Germany 's 11-0 result against Argentina in 2007. It's also the largest margin of victory in the history of the FIFA World Cup (men's and women's). On top of that, the USA are unbeaten in their last 16 Women's World Cup matches -- 13 wins and three draws -- and have never lost a World Cup game they have scored first in, winning 36 and drawing four. She's now scored five times at this World Cup, becoming the first player to score two goals in successive games in the World Cup since Brazilia Marta in 2007, after the American's braces against Spain and France.