Basketball Hall of Famer, former University of Connecticut (UConn) Husky, Sue Bird, will be immortalized in the rafters of Gampel Pavilion this Sunday. Before UConn’s Big East battle with DePaul, her number 10 jersey will be retired in front of friends, family, and fans who have welcomed her into their hearts over the past 20 years.

Pre-UConn

Since Sue Bird‘s first dribble, the 5’9″ point guard from Long Island, NY, has been in a class of her own. She won the New York state championship and a national title as a high school senior. She started collecting personal hardware, winning the New York State Player of the Year, and was a Women’s Basketball Coaches Association All-American. She scored 11 points in the WBCA All-American game. Bird had many college suitors, including Stanford, Vanderbilt, and UConn.

UConn was Bird’s top choice, as it had a winning culture and was close to home. She was hesitant to accept UConn’s offer because two other point guards had committed to the school. Still, after another recruit dropped out, Bird chose to play college basketball for coach Geno Auriemma‘s UConn Huskies.

Sue-Conn Husky

Before college, Bird had developed into a combo-guard, able to score and facilitate on the court. Ironically, it was one of the coaches she snubbed when she chose UConn, Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer, who encouraged her to play point guard.

Bird’s freshman year in Storrs (CT) was anything but exceptional. She averaged just 5.1 points and 3.1 assists per game before tearing her ACL eight games into the season, abruptly ending her season. She was unable to qualify for a redshirt season since she had played over 20% of the season before her injury.

As a sophomore, she returned to lead the Huskies to a 36-1 record and the Big East Championship, and to win the 2000 NCAA Division I women’s national championship over the Tennessee Volunteers 71-52, UConn’s second championship (1995). She became the first recipient of the Nancy Lieberman Award, which is awarded to the nation’s best point guard.

She had another great season in her junior year. She averaged nearly 11 points and over four assists per game. The Huskies finished with a 32-3 record, but went on to lose in the Final Four to Big East rivals and eventual champions, Notre Dame.

Bird had her best statistical season in her senior year, scoring 14 points per game and dishing out nearly six assists per game, along with 2.5 steals. UConn finished the 2001-02 season undefeated, 39-0, winning UConn’s third national title in an 82-70 win over the Oklahoma Sooners. Bird won the Wade Trophy, awarded to the NCAA’s best women’s basketball player, the Honda Sports Award for the best female collegiate athlete, and the Naismith Player of the Year Award.

Bird finished her UConn career as one of the greatest Huskies of all time. She had career averages of 11.7 points, 5.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. She is a three-time (2000, 2001, and 2002) Nancy Lieberman Award winner. In addition to her two national titles and three Big East championships, she is currently ranked UConn women’s basketball’s seventh all-time in career assists (585) and third in single-season assists (231). She ranks among the most beloved Huskies of all time.

Gold Medalist

In addition to her stellar collegiate career, Bird has an equally impressive National team career. She was a regular member of Team USA, earning a total of nine gold medals, five Olympic golds, and four World Championship golds, in addition to a bronze in the 2006 World Championships. Bird and her former UConn teammate Diana Taurasi are the only two Olympic basketball players to win five gold medals.

Taking the WNBA by Storm

As Bird’s time at UConn came to an end, she became the first overall selection in the WNBA Draft by the Seattle Storm. As a rookie, she was named a starter for the 2002 WNBA Western Conference All-Star team. As the Storm’s starting point guard, she averaged 14.4 points per game and was runner-up for the WNBA Rookie of the Year award to the Indiana Fever’s Tamika Catchings. She also made the All-WNBA First Team as a rookie.

Bird was like a whirlwind on the court. During her twenty-year career, she was a 13-time WNBA All-Star, which is a record. She was named to the WNBA’s 10th, 15th, 20th, and 25th Anniversary teams, and was a five-time All-WNBA First team selection. She led Seattle to four WNBA championships.

Greatness Immortalized

As if she didn’t already have more hardware than a Harbor Freight store, Bird had her number 10 jersey retired by the Storm on June 11, 2023. Toymaker Mattel released a Sue Bird Barbie doll as part of Barbie’s 65th anniversary. On April 5, 2025, Bird was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. This upcoming Sunday, she will be honored by a fanbase that has embraced her for over two decades, Husky Nation, when her number 10 gets hung high above the sacred hardwood of Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.