American basketball player Sue Bird’s farewell season reached an important pit stop as she played her final home game at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Bird, playing in her 20th WNBA season, was set to go head to head against conference rivals, Las Vegas Aces, as the Supersonics hope for another title run.
Before the start of the game, the crowd at the Climate Pledge Arena, cheered on Sue Bird as they serenaded their superstar who came in as the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2002 and won Seattle four WNBA championships, in 2004, 2010, 2018 and 2020. In this fixture against the Aces, Bird scored nine points, six assists and four rebounds as Supersonics lost the game 81-89.
After the match Sue Bird addressed the crowd and said, "I'm not going to lie, it kinda sucks to lose my last game here. But it's OK, I lost my first game here too." As Bird's comments indicated, the loss couldn't overcome the emotion on a day two decades in the making. "Outside of the outcome," she told reporters, "it was a wonderful afternoon for me."
Whereas Aja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces guard jokingly apologized to Seattle fans as the Aces were "party crashers" for Sue Bird's tribute. "I wasn't trying to crash Sue's party," Wilson said. "She invited me to the party. I'm just trying to have some fun, trying to lighten it up a little bit.
"This was a big night for Sue Bird. I'm so glad that her and [Sylvia Fowles] are both getting their flowers. The things that Sue has done with this franchise are amazing. I'm honored to be her teammate on the Olympic team, especially getting her fifth [gold medal] alongside her. This is a big night for her. I'm sure it's going to continue to be a big night for her and it's all love for sure."
