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In Sue Bird’s farewell season, nothing (and everything) has changed

Sue Bird played her last regular-season game with the Seattle Storm on Sunday. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

As she handed off the microphone on Sunday, Sue Bird’s final words echoed throughout Climate Pledge Arena: “I love you. Thank you so much. I’ll see you in the playoffs.”

After 21 years in Seattle, Bird left the court following her final home regular-season game, an 89-81 loss to the Las Vegas Aces. Game 576 in a Storm uniform.

In that time, nothing has changed, and everything has changed for the Seattle legend.

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Sue Bird during her rookie season in 2002. (Mitchell Layton/WNBAE/Getty Images)
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Sue Bird during her final home regular-season game in Seattle. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

She has the same perfectly gelled ponytail, holding her brown curls in place. The same warm smile that she flashed when the Storm drafted her No. 1 overall in 2002. The same competitive edge, the one she used to lead the Storm to four WNBA championships, and the one she expressed on Sunday when she promised the cheering crowd that she still had more basketball left in her, enough for a Storm playoff run.

She’s different, too. Seattle helped with that.

In 21 years, Sue Bird has found herself. She’s a proud gay woman, with her fiancée Megan Rapinoe cheering her on courtside on Sunday. She’s an activist for the game, for women, for people of color and the LGBTQ+ community. She’s a role model in every sense of the word.

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Sue Bird kisses fiancée Megan Rapinoe before the game Sunday. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Two decades ago, Bird didn’t know it was possible for a woman to play professional basketball for as long as she has.

In the NBA, there was Michael Jordan, whose six rings served as a benchmark for success. But in the WNBA, a league in its infancy, Bird didn’t know what a long career even looked like.

“There were no players that had 20-year careers. I don’t think there were players that had 10-year careers,” she said. “There wasn’t this model to copy or emulate.”

There is now.

“I think that 21-year-old me would be surprised that I’m still going,” Bird said. “Not because she didn’t think we had it in us, but because she wouldn’t have even thought about those things.”

In 2002, the entire WNBA was thinking about Sue Bird.

Fresh off an NCAA Tournament championship run — the third in UConn program history — and multiple Player of the Year Awards, Bird was slated to be the No. 1 pick in the draft.

Lin Dunn, who coached the Storm from 2000-02, started watching Bird casually during her high school days at Christ the King, and then even more once she enrolled at UConn.

When Dunn learned that her team would have the No. 1 pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft, she really started paying attention to the point guard from Long Island.

“I watched so many of her games, read every article and studied everything available,” Dunn said.

She also answered a lot of phone calls. Dunn recognized Bird as a franchise cornerstone, a sentiment shared by nearly every team in the league. Dunn remembers the Detroit Shock and the New York Liberty being particularly relentless in their pursuit of the No. 1 pick.

“The more people called me about her and the more they offered me, the more it made me say, ‘There is no way I’m letting that pick go. She is too valuable,’” Dunn said. “I mean, I knew she was good, but I thought, ‘She might be even better than I thought.’ So I was determined to hold onto her.”

During her rookie campaign, and the Storm’s third season in existence, Bird averaged 14.4 points, 6.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Her team also enjoyed a winning season for the first time.

Bird was instantly living up to the hype, and everyone took notice.

In 2002, the Storm weren’t the only professional basketball team in Seattle. One day, as the Storm finished up a practice at the facility they shared with the Sonics, nine-time NBA All-Star Gary Payton came up to Dunn to chat about Seattle’s newest basketball player.

“He said, ‘Wow, I’ve never seen a point guard like Sue Bird. She sees the game a second or two ahead, and that is really unusual,’” Dunn recalled.

Bird was also highly competitive. During her first season, the Storm players decided to pick horses for the Kentucky Derby. What started as a fun activity turned into an obsession for the point guard as she studied everything she could about the Derby participants.

She was willing to do whatever it took to win.

“I’ve seen that a lot in the latter part of her career,” Dunn said. “She figured out how to extend her career by becoming the fittest person she could be. She changed her diet, she changed her training regime so that I can extend my career. That’s her competitiveness.”

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(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

In addition to her four titles with the Storm, Bird was named a WNBA All-Star 13 times. She earned All-WNBA First Team honors three times and Second Team honors twice, and she led the league in assists three times.

Bird’s point production has dipped over the years — down from 14.2 points per game in her rookie season to 7.9 this year — but her playmaking abilities have remained consistent. Her vision, which impressed Dunn, Payton and countless others back then, has helped her average 5.6 assists per game throughout her career.

Dunn, who is now the interim GM for the Indiana Fever, only coached Bird for one season in Seattle, but she remained a fan of the guard from that point on.

And throughout that fandom, Dunn has watched as Bird changed on and off the court.

Part of that was finding her voice.

Bird referenced the Wild Rose, a lesbian bar in Seattle, during her postgame remarks to the crowd on Sunday. Twenty years ago, Bird wouldn’t have been as candid about her sexuality.

She also wouldn’t have had her partner cheering for her from the sidelines. Nor would she have spoken out about issues, beliefs, politics — anything other than basketball.

“I definitely was part of a shut-up-and-dribble generation where that’s what we did. We didn’t complain too much or talk about things too much because we were scared to, or because it was the vibe,” Bird said during All-Star weekend last month. “It was an unspoken vibe, but it was there. Even coming out as gay, that’s not something I would have done in the early part of my career.”

Bird helped Seattle find its footing on the basketball court, and Seattle helped Bird find herself off of it.

“I did want to acknowledge everyone who made this moment possible,” Bird said, addressing the crowd at Climate Pledge Arena. “And not just this moment and having a sold-out crowd, but allowing me to be myself. It took me a minute to figure out who I was, but once I did, I was all right. And you guys allowed me to do that.”

In the postgame press conference, Bird, 41, said she didn’t think about what to say to the crowd before the game. She only knew she wanted to speak from the heart.

She spoke eloquently and thoughtfully, something she’s become known for during her time in the league. Although she didn’t have a script, every word was intentional.

During the “shut-up-and-dribble” era, Bird spoke with a different kind of intention. Her motive was to, as she put it, “fit the vibe.”

Now, she’s helping create the vibe.

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(Joshua Huston/NBAE via Getty Images)

As a rookie, Dun remembers Bird as being quick-witted and friendly. But in a crowd of people, the point guard was quieter. If she didn’t know someone, she kept to herself.

“Some of the things that meant a lot to her, she knew it mattered to her, but she was never really able to verbalize it and take a stand,” Dunn said. “I loved seeing her find her voice as she grew older.”

Sunday was a moment to celebrate Sue Bird for everything she is and everything she’s done.

It was also a moment to celebrate everything she will continue to do.

Bird is stepping away from the court, but never from the WNBA, and never from the voice she worked long and hard to find.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

JWS to Host 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend Event Featuring Captain Napheesa Collier

Graphic for Just Women's Sports event with Lisa Leslie at 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend.
The JWS WNBA All-Star Weekend activation tips off on July 19th. (JWS)

Just Women’s Sports is heading to WNBA All-Star Weekend with its most ambitious event presence yet.

JWS will tip off a multi-faceted WNBA All-Star activation in partnership with Famous Footwear on Saturday July 19th from 2 PM to 6 PM, located at 110 South Pennsylvania Street, Indianapolis.

JWS’ partnership with Famous Footwear includes a multi-part activation designed to merge back-to-school excitement with All-Star energy.

Graphic for JWS podcast Between the Lines with Lisa Leslie.
JWS is bringing a live taping of "Between the Lines with Lisa Leslie" to WNBA All-Star Weekend. (JWS)

"Between the Lines" live taping headlines WNBA All-Star event

The activation will also feature a live recording of Between the Lines with Lisa Leslie.

The exclusive taping brings WNBA stars Napheesa Collier, Rhyne Howard, Kelsey Mitchell, and Lexie Hull to the stage. Subsequently, these basketball icons will highlight the WNBA’s evolution and cultural resonance, while JWS captures the best moments across its social platforms.

“WNBA All-Star has become the crown jewel of the women’s sports calendar. We’re thrilled to be showing up in a major way across the entire weekend,” said Just Women’s Sports CEO Haley Rosen.

“This is a chance to celebrate and accelerate the strides the W has made in recent years as it’s cemented itself in the cultural landscape.”

Graphic image of the JWS x Famous Footwear WNBA All-Star Weekend tunnel walk.

Famous Footwear Shoe Tunnel lands in Indianapolis

The star-studded activation features player interviews, exclusive giveaways, fan contests, and more. It is also free and open to all WNBA fans. Visitors will be greeted by a Famous Footwear Shoe Tunnel — and the first 50 fans will be given a gift-card to Famous Footwear for their back-to-school needs.

WNBA legend Lisa Leslie and her son recently visited a Famous Footwear store to shop sneakers and talk all things style, school, and sport. The behind-the-scenes content will roll out as part of a broader back-to-school campaign later this month.

“As big fans of women’s sports ourselves, and knowing how much it means to our customers, we are thrilled to partner with JWS for All-Star Weekend,” said Holly Campbell, senior vice president of marketing at Famous Footwear.

“This activation provides a unique opportunity for us to engage with other sports fans directly fostering connections and creating fun memories during such an exciting time for the league.”

Marta Weighs 2027 World Cup as Brazil Hunts 2025 Copa América Title

Legendary Brazil captain Marta runs across the pitch during a 2025 match.
Marta unretired to join Brazil at the 2025 Copa América tournament. (Paulo Dias/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

Though international retirement did not stick for Brazil legend Marta, with the 39-year-old currently captaining her world No. 4 national team at the 2025 Copa América tournament, her World Cup future remains in question.

Brazil will be hosting the 2027 event — the first ever held in South America — with the record-breaking attacker turning 41 years old a few months before the World Cup's June 24th kickoff.

"I don't know whether I'll still be playing in 2027 or whether I'll be fit," she told Brazilian outlet Globo on Sunday.

"I still have a very strong desire to be a mother. So, I might wake up one day and decide to call my doctor to see if it's still possible. If it is, then bye, I have to go."

Should she decide to compete, Marta will join fellow Brazilian icon Formiga in logging seven total World Cups — the most of any athlete, man or woman, in soccer history.

In the meantime, the country's all-time leading goalscorer is currently working to help claim Brazil's ninth overall Copa América trophy.

Though early in the 2025 tournament, the Seleção is already on their way to a fifth straight title, opening their campaign with a 2-0 defeat of No. 48 Venezuela on Sunday.

"Brazil is the favorite, and we know it," said Marta. "We know our responsibility to bring home the title." 

How to watch Marta in the 2025 Copa América tournament

In their second of four group-stage matches, No. 4 Brazil will play No. 105 Bolivia at 5 PM ET on Wednesday.

The match will air live on FS1.

WNBA Expansion Team Portland Reignites Original “Fire” Name

A graphic of the revived Portland Fire team name.
The 2026 WNBA expansion team is leaning into its roots by reviving the original team name, the Portland Fire. (Portland Fire)

Portland's original WNBA team name is back, with the 2026 expansion side announcing the return of the the Portland Fire moniker on Tuesday — the name held by the city's first WNBA squad from 2000 to 2002.

With details including a "Rose on Fire" emblem— a nod to Portland's "Rose City" nickname — the city-specific nods in the new logo seek to capture Portland's identity.

"[It's] an important heritage," team interim president Clare Hamill told The Athletic this week. "The opportunity to bring the Portland Fire back, reborn, was 100 percent — creatively and for the brand and for fans — the way to go."

While the team is still searching for its head coach and general manager, excitement is growing, with fans anteing up to the tune of over 10,000 season-ticket deposits since the WNBA awarded the franchise last fall.

"Portland has long stood at the forefront of women's sports, and with nearly 11,000 season ticket deposits to-date, this community has made it clear they're ready to embrace the return of women's professional basketball," said Lisa Bhathal Merage, a co-founder of RAJ Sports — the ownership group of both the WNBA team and the NWSL's Thorns. "We're proud to reignite the Portland Fire."

In addition to the Portland Fire, the Toronto Tempo will hit WNBA courts next season, with three more expansion teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia set to tip off in 2028, 2029, and 2030, respectively.

2025 Euro Quarterfinals Take the Pitch

Italy's Elisabetta Oliviero celebrates a goal with her teammates during a 2025 Euro match.
The 2025 Euro quarterfinals kick off with Italy facing Norway on Wednesday. (Aitor Alcalde - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

The 2025 Euro quarterfinals kick off on Wednesday, with the eight remaining contenders sitting just three wins away from becoming champions of Europe.

While every win-or-go-home game promises excitement, a few of this week's matchups hold extra intrigue:

  • No. 16 Norway vs. No. 13 Italy, Wednesday at 3 PM ET (FOX): After winning Group A last week, a wobbly yet talented Norway side will kick off the 2025 Euro quarterfinals against second-place Group B team Italy — a squad with a proven ability to hit a counterpunch should they go down early.
  • No. 6 Sweden vs. No. 5 England, Thursday at 3 PM ET (FOX): Sweden looked utterly dominant in their 4-1 dismantling of Germany to win Group C on Saturday, and their reward is a date with the reigning champions, who bounced back from an early loss to France.
  • No. 2 Spain vs. No. 23 Switzerland, Friday at 3 PM ET (FOX): The 2023 World Cup champs have looked like the favorites to win it all by cruising through Group B, while a stoppage-time goal last Thursday sent the tournament hosts to their first-ever Euro quarterfinal.
  • No. 10 France vs. No. 3 Germany, Saturday at 3 PM ET (FOX): France emerged unscathed from the notorious "Group of Death," earning the Group D winners an advantage of momentum over a German side reeling from their 4-1 group-stage loss to Sweden.

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