Storm unveil Sue Bird statue, first for WNBA player

Kate Shefte, The Seattle Times on Aug 17, 2025

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SEATTLE — A pair of point guards, Lenny and Sue, now guard the entrance of Climate Pledge Arena.

A statue honoring WNBA legend and soon-to-be Hall of Famer Sue Bird was unveiled on Sunday. Her 8-foot, 650-pound statue took its place next to the likeness of former Supersonics player-coach Lenny Wilkens, added to the arena grounds in June.

Her nose, broken five times during a 21-season career, passed muster. So did her ponytail, swishing as she goes up for a layup.

She’s not immortalized in bronze attempting a pull-up jump shot or adding to her all-time assists record. As Bird explained Sunday, the pose represents the beginning and the end of a legendary career. Her very first WNBA points at the former KeyArena as a rookie were on a layup. Her final points before her 2022 retirement were also on a layup.

The Storm are the first WNBA franchise to dedicate a statue to a former player.

“That fact both humbles me and fills me with pride, not just for me, but for what this represents for women’s basketball. For every young girl who will walk past this statue …and every young boy is going to do the same thing,” Bird said.

“The truth is, I never set out to be the first at anything. But if being the first means that I won’t be the last — if this statue means that 20 years from now, there’ll be statues of other WNBA greats, (some of whom) are in this audience … then I’m proud to be the first.”

Bird’s career, spent entirely in Seattle, includes four league titles and 13 All-Star selections. A loyal and visible advocate for more than two decades, Bird is credited with helping the expanding WNBA become what it is today.

“It’s the biggest ‘I told you so’ that any of us could ever have in our lives,” Bird said. “Because we knew. We knew what we had. We believed in it. We just needed other people to see it. And they did. And of course, it goes ka-boom.”

Bird’s statue was created by sculptor Julie Rotblatt-Amrany. Rotblatt Amrany Studio is the leading artistic team behind the Wilkens statue, plus the Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and Dave Niehaus statues at T-Mobile Park, among others.

Amrany took measurements and photos during an in-person session and made a clay model Bird could see before welding progressed. Bird chose some of the details, including the jersey and Nike Huarache 2K sneakers she’d be wearing. Plus, of course, the pose.

Bird reasoned that Wilkens would already be “playmaking off the dribble,” so someone had to “finish it off.”

A fan festival and a Storm matchup with the Phoenix Mercury, called the “Forever Sue” game, was set to follow the statue unveiling. Two years after retiring, Bird joined the Storm’s ownership group and is often at games even when she isn’t being honored.

During Sunday’s festivities, Aug. 17, 2025, was designated “Sue Bird Day” at the city, county and state levels.

“It really takes other people’s reaction to it for me to fully grasp and understand the magnitude,” Bird said. “As I’ve gone through some of these in the last couple of years, that’s becoming clearer to me. I have my own reaction to it … but then when I see other people react to it, I’m like, ‘Oh, this is a pretty big deal.’

“I’m really starting to feel and understand … the magnitude of the moment, what a statue means, what it means for a woman, what it means for a WNBA player.”

Multiple former WNBA players spoke, including another Storm legend Lauren Jackson, who said she avoids public speaking engagements “at all costs” but makes exceptions when Bird is involved. Jackson noted Bird’s five Olympic gold medals, which usually came at the expense of Jackson and her Australian teammates.

Bird’s UConn teammate and roommate Swin Cash, who went on to become a four-time WNBA All-Star and three-time champion, was also present. One of those titles came in 2010 in Seattle, alongside Bird.

Cash said she defined greatness not just by numbers and banners, but “the way you change the air in the community.”

“For the City of Seattle, Sue is not just a player. She’s family. This was told to me by the lady at Nordstrom yesterday,” Cash said to laughter.

Bird saluted Seattle several times while standing next to her new statue. This hard-to-miss ode to an all-time great is a testament to the impact she had on her adopted home, and the impact it had on her.

“This statue will stand here long after we’re gone, and I hope it tells a simple story that greatness isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being persistent,” Bird said. “That you can be true to yourself and still achieve extraordinary things, and that when a city believes in you, anything is possible.

“And when you inevitably see a little bird poop on my (statue’s) shoulder, don’t worry about it. Just consider it family checking in and reminding me where home is.”

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