It only took the WNBA 28 years to realize that maybe, just maybe, their legendary players deserve the same bronze treatment as their male counterparts. Sue Bird just became the first WNBA player to receive a statue from her franchise.
The Seattle Storm unveiled Bird’s bronze likeness outside Climate Pledge Arena on Sunday, and the symbolism is almost too perfect. Here’s a player who spent 21 years carrying a franchise on her back, winning four championships, making 13 All-Star games, and breaking practically every assist record in the book. Now, she gets to stand forever outside the arena where she made magic happen night after night.
During the ceremony, Bird addressed something that probably keeps many WNBA pioneers up at night. “People keep asking me what it feels like to be the first,” she said, and you could hear the weight of that responsibility in her voice. “The truth is that I never set out to be the first at anything, but if being the first means I won’t be the last, if this statue means that 20 years from now there will be statues of other WNBA greats—some who are in the audience and players whose names you don’t even know yet—than I’m proud to be the first.”
The statue itself shows Bird mid-layup, which might seem simple until you hear the backstory. Her first WNBA points at KeyArena? A layup. Her final points at Climate Pledge Arena before retirement? Another layup. It is like her career came full circle. That kind of poetic justice makes even the most cynical sports fan get a little misty-eyed.
Bird’s resume reads like a basketball fever dream. Four WNBA championships with Seattle spanning from 2004- 2020, 13 All-Star appearances, and five All-WNBA First Team selections. She retired as the league’s all-time leader in games played, minutes played, and assists.
Bird isn’t just the first WNBA player to get a statue from her franchise; she’s also the first female athlete honored this way in Seattle. The city that gave us Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, and is about to honor Ichiro Suzuki, finally recognized that women’s sports deserve the same respect.
The Seattle sports landscape includes statues of baseball legends and basketball icon Lenny Wilkens from the old SuperSonics days. Bird joining that exclusive club isn’t just about basketball. It is about finally acknowledging that women’s professional sports have reached a level of cultural significance that demands permanent recognition.
Julie Rotblatt Amrany, the sculptor behind Bird’s statue, worked closely with the legend herself to get every detail right. Bird chose to wear Nike Air Zoom Huarache sneakers in the statue; the same shoes she wore during her first Olympic gold medal and Seattle’s first championship. Talk about attention to detail that actually matters.
“The process was interesting and really fun,” Bird explained. “It was so incredible, every time I went to the studio to walk in—it’s weird to see yourself in clay form—but it was like every little tweak, it just became more and more me until finally I was underneath it and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s my nose. Oh, that’s definitely my hair.'”
There is something beautifully human about a basketball legend obsessing over whether her bronze nose looks right. It reminds you that behind all the records and championships, she is just someone who wanted her permanent tribute to actually look like her.
Now, before everyone gets too comfortable patting themselves on the back, let’s keep it real. A’ja Wilson already has a statue at South Carolina, her alma mater, proving that college programs figured this out before professional franchises did, but Bird’s statue represents something different. It is professional recognition from the league and city where she built her legacy.
The timing feels significant, too. The WNBA is experiencing unprecedented growth, with rookie sensations like Caitlin Clark bringing new eyeballs to the game. Bird’s statue isn’t just honoring the past; it’s establishing a precedent for how the league should treat its legends moving forward.
In typical Bird fashion, she ended her speech with humor that somehow managed to be both self-deprecating and profound: “When you inevitably see a little bird poop on the shoulder, don’t worry about it. Just consider it family checking in and reminding me where home is.”
A legend who can crack jokes about bird poop at her own statue unveiling while simultaneously making everyone realize that Seattle isn’t just where she played basketball, it’s where she became family. This statue represents more than individual achievement. It is a declaration that women’s professional sports have earned their place in the permanent cultural landscape. Bird might be the first WNBA player to get this honor, but if her legacy means anything, she definitely won’t be the last.
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