During her almost 20-year stint with the Seattle Storm, legendary point guard Sue Bird built an all-time great WNBA career. During it, she stepped off the court and moved to the front office, even thanks to the Denver Nuggets.
In November 2018, fresh off her third championship, Bird was hired by the Nuggets to serve as the team’s Basketball Operations Associate. Tim Connelly, the team’s president and general manager, then linked up with her through former NBA player Caron Butler.
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Now, three years after her retirement, Bird – with four WNBA championships and 13 All-Star selections under her belt – looks back on her time with Denver with gratitude as she navigates that off-court world as a minority owner of the Storm.
“All in, I learned so much,” Bird said on The Young Man and The Three. “I have a special place for Denver because of my experience there.”
Why Bird chose the front office over coaching
Connelly didn’t really have an ironed-out position for Bird when she called her in 2018. But impressed by her resume and personality, the former Denver president let the WNBA all-time great have all the say.
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“He just was like, ‘Hey, I see what you’ve done on the court. I see who you are off the court. Do you want to come check us out and see if something fits?'” she recalled. “They really let me choose in a sense.”
After touring Denver’s facility and meeting the coaching staff, Bird ultimately chose to work at the front office rather than being part of the coaching staff.
“I chose the front office because I don’t know the inner workings of a coaching staff,” she recalled. “But as a player, I kind of understood what that life was.”
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Bird admitted that she didn’t have much experience in both realms of the sport at the time. Still, she was certainly more interested in the battle behind the scenes, one marked by the thrill of trade deadlines, NBA drafts, contract signings, scouting, etc.
“I probably could have learned a lot more X’s and O’s from Mike Malone…I actually don’t know in the moment that I ever wanted to go into coaching,” Birds said. “So, for me to learn about the front office, something I didn’t know, was really attractive.”
Bird owes the opportunity to Tim
In April 2024, Bird joined Seattle’s Force 10 Hoops ownership group. As minority leader, she is not involved with major decisions and is primarily responsible for investment.
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Nevertheless, Bird is forever thankful for learning from one of the best in the business in Connelly. During his 10-year stint as general manager, he drafted three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. He acquired Aaron Gordon via trade, forming the eventual core that won Denver the NBA title in 2023.
“Tim is great. I love Tim. I love how he works. I love what he stands for. I learned so much from him,” she said. “I’m so thankful that he even reached out at all.
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Aside from Force 10 Hoops ownership, Bird also holds a minority stake in NJ/NY Gotham FC, a National Women’s Soccer League franchise. The five-time Olympic gold medalist has also been appointed the first managing director of the USA Women’s National Team.
As Bird continues to build her name off the court, she is forever armed with the experience and knowledge she learned working for Denver’s front office during her short stay.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 20, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
