The post Sue Bird receives message from Diana Taurasi before statue unveiling appeared first on ClutchPoints.
Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird had her statue unveiled on Sunday prior to the Storm’s game against the Phoenix Mercury. Bird made history in becoming the only WNBA player to receive that honor to this point. Some of Sue Bird’s former teammates, and even opponents, gave their thoughts on this honor, including fellow WNBA legend Diana Taurasi.
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In a recorded video from a different location, Diana Taurasi bestowed praise upon Sue Bird for receiving such a tremendous honor, and the Storm posted the video on their social media account.
“Sue, congratulations! No player, no team, no city deserves this more than you,” Taurasi said. “You brought championships, joy, you changed the game. We love you and I can’t wait to see this statue.”
While Bird and Taurasi never played together in the WNBA, they were teammates quite often beginning with the UConn Huskies where they played together for two seasons and won a national championship. They were teammates overseas in Russia and won five EuroLeague titles together. They were also teammates with Team USA in the Olympics, winning five gold medals together in the process.
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Throughout their WNBA careers, Bird and Taurasi faced off against each other 14 times, with Taurasi and the Mercury emerging victorious in eight of those matchups. Like Bird and the Storm, Taurasi spent her entire WNBA career with the Mercury. Bird helped lead the Storm to four WNBA championships (2004, 2010, 2018, 2020) while Taurasi helped lead the Mercury to three WNBA titles (2007, 2009, 2014).
Both players were selected to the WNBA’s 25th Anniversary Team in 2021. Bird will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame later this year, and Taurasi is an obvious lock for the same honor when she is eligible. Players have to be retired for four seasons before they can be nominated for the Hall of Fame.
Related: WNBA commends Storm over historic Sue Bird tribute
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