By: Nina Samone
According to ESPN Stats & Information Research, on Wednesday, June 29th, Sue Bird became the winningest player in WNBA history after the Seattle Storm defeated the Las Vegas Aces in a thrilling 88-78 win.
The win over the Aces marked Bird’s 324th career victory, surpassing retired point guard Lindsey Whalen’s 323 career victories. Both Bird and Whalen are currently the only WNBA players to ever surpass 300 career wins.
“That’s amazing,” said Noelle Quinn, Storm coach and former teammate of Bird. “She’s the GOAT, an amazing player with a long career and deserving of every single record she’s about to break because she’s played 20-something years.”
The iconic milestone comes shortly after Bird announced her retirement and that this season would be her last in the WNBA.
It also adds to her already impressive WNBA resume – she is arguably one of the most decorated WNBA players in history. Currently Bird is the all-time leader in career assists (3,132), a 13-time All-Star, 8-time All-WNBA and has won four WNBA titles.
On top of her WNBA success, she is a five-time Olympic Gold medalist and five-time EuroLeague title winner.
Bird was drafted No.1 overall back in 2002 and has helped lead the Storm to 14 winning seasons and 17 playoff appearances.
Sources:
Pelton, Kevin. June 2022. ESPN. “Seattle Storm’s Sue Bird becomes winningest player in WNBA history with 324th career victory.” <https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/34170845/seattle-storm-sue-bird-becomes-winningest-player-wnba-history-324th-career-victory>
Wells, Adam. June 30th, 2022. Bleacher Report. <Storm’s Sue Bird Becomes Winningest Player in WNBA History with 324th Career Victory.” <https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10040476-storms-sue-bird-becomes-winningest-player-in-wnba-history-with-324th-career-victory>
