USA Basketball names Bird women's director
Published
USA Basketball introduced Sue Bird as its first ever managing director of the women's national team.
Bird, 44, won five Olympic gold medals as a player with the United States.
"It’s really exciting," Bird said in a statement. "I know what it feels like to represent your country as a player. I know what it feels like to stand on the podium as a player. So now that I’m retired, to continue to be able to have impact, to continue to be a part of representing (this) country and part of a gold medal organization feels like a natural next step for me.”
A native of Syosset, NY, Bird ended her playing career after the 2022 WNBA season.
A two-time National Championship winner at Connecticut, Bird was taken with the first overall selection of the 2002 WNBA Draft by the Seattle Storm with whom she spent the entirety of her career.
In 19 seasons (missing both the 2013 and 2019 campaigns due to injury), Bird averaged 11.7 points on .429 shooting, 5.6 assists and 2.5 boards over 31.2 minutes a night in 580 games played.
Named an All-Star on 12 occasions, Bird was named part of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025. She is set for induction in September.