Seattle Storm’s Sue Bird Becomes Winning Player In WNBA History With 324th Career Victory

With Storm pull away late on Wednesday to beat the WNBA in the lead Las Vegas Aces 88-78, defending the Seattle point Sue Bird scored his 324th career win and became the winning player in league history, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.

Bird, who announced earlier this month that this would be her final WNBA season, overtook retired point guard Lindsay Whalen (323). Bird and Whalen are the only two players in tournament history with at least 300 wins. Rebekkah Brunson and Swin Cash, who later played four seasons in Seattle with Bird, tied for third at 294.

Because all those players split their careers across multiple teams, Bird has an even bigger lead. Diana Taurasi afterward Phoenix Mercury (279) for the most wins with a single WNBA franchise.

“It was amazing,” said Storm coach Noelle Quinn, who played with Bird before retiring and joining the team’s coaching staff. “She would probably say it’s because she’s old. That’s always the answer. It only takes the longevity of a great player to have such an impact on the game.

“It’s not just assists with Sue, it’s big plays, big shots. I think she played great defensively tonight. The only record she’s about to break because of that. she’s been playing for 20 years or so.”

Indeed, Bird has downplayed the record – just as she did when she became the WNBA’s all-time leader in games and minutes played, joining the assists record she broke. in 2017 – as a product of the 19 seasons she’s played since drafted by Seattle placing first among Connecticut in 2002. She notes that Whalen has hit a record in fewer games (480 to 564 of Bird).

Las Vegas coach, Becky Hammon, who is playing for the opponent New York Liberty in Bird’s WNBA debut (the loss in the storm), gave Bird more credibility.

“It says she’s been on a lot of good teams for a very long time,” Hammon said. “She’s always been the head of the snake – I mean in a good way. She’s who she is for a reason. She consistently executes the right way of playing, whatever it is.”

Seattle’s strong fourth quarter, supported by 11 points from Jewell Loyd and eight words Breanna Stewartovershadows former WNBA MVP’s Storm debut Tina Charles. Charles, who signed with Seattle as a free agent on Tuesday after landing a buyout deal with Mercury, came off the bench for the first time in her WNBA career. .

According to research by ESPN Stats & Information, Charles has started his career in more games (373) than any other player in league history before coming off the bench for the first time. Charles overcame Whalen’s former teammate Seimone Augustus, who started his first 363 games before coming off the bench in 2019.

Charles had 4 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in 16 minutes of his debut.

In the end, the night went to Bird, whose milestone was much larger than her 13 points and 6 assists in 25 minutes.

“She was a winner,” Loyd summed up.