Seattle, Storm honor former star Sue Bird with street name outside of arena

Fans will now use “Sue Bird Court” to get to games at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. (Aris Messinis/AFP)

The Seattle Storm have found another way to honor longtime star Sue Bird.

The city of Seattle renamed part of a street leading up to Climate Pledge Arena after the former Storm star on Monday. The stretch of road will now be known as “Sue Bird Court.”

“Especially for a woman in sports, this isn’t commonplace,” Bird said, via ESPN. “You’re starting to see it more with an example like A’ja Wilson’s statue, you’re starting to see these things celebrated. I didn’t know it was possible. That’s actually what makes this even more special.

“Now there might be a young girl who sees a street sign, or a poster, you name it, a mural and they might dream of that. That’s what makes it more special.”

Bird spent two decades with the Storm, who used the No. 1 overall pick on her in 2002, before she retired after the 2022 campaign. She won four titles with the franchise and earned 13 All-Star nods during her time with the team. Bird averaged 11.7 points and 5.6 assists per game throughout her career. She’s also the league’s all-time assist leader with more than 3,200.

Bird celebrated with her longtime fiancée, soccer star Megan Rapinoe, on Monday. Rapinoe, who retired after the end of the 2023 NWSL season, had her jersey retired by Seattle Reign FC in a ceremony on Sunday night.

Bird’s jersey was retired by the Storm last season, too. She has since joined the Storm’s ownership group. While she was born in the New York City area, Bird has clearly found a second home in Washington.

“I do feel like I grew up here in a lot of ways,” Bird said. “I doubt I’ll ever sell my home here, even if it isn’t the main home. We’ll see, TBD, but I always want to be connected. I always want to have roots here.”