Meredith Cash
·2 min read
Legendary Seattle Storm point guard Sue Bird is currently the oldest active player in the WNBA.
The Storm drafted a player who hasn't been alive for the entirety of Bird's pro career.
Bird played her first WNBA game in May 2002. Her new teammate, Jade Melbourne, was born 3 months later.
Sue Bird played her first WNBA game on May 30, 2002. Just about three months later, her newest teammate was born.
The Seattle Storm selected Jade Melbourne with the 33rd pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft Monday night. In drafting the young Australian, the franchise officially brought on a player who has not been alive for the entirety of their superstar point guard's tenure with the team.
This content is not available due to your privacy preferences.
Bird has been in the league so long, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told Insider she's taken to calling the four-time WNBA champion "our Tom Brady."
The 41-year-old debuted in the league when she was 21 years old and fresh off of an incredible college career with Geno Auriemma's UConn Huskies. She won two national championships, three Nancy Lieberman awards, and consensus National Player of the Year honors over her four years in Storrs — none of which Melbourne was alive to witness.
Since then, Bird has been named a WNBA All-Star 12 times and become the league's all-time assists leader. She's currently the oldest active player in the WNBA.
Melbourne, meanwhile, would be among the youngest in the league if she were to suit up for the Storm this season. But reporting from Australian basketball outlet, The Pick and Roll, suggests that Melbourne has decided against reporting to Seattle this season.
This content is not available due to your privacy preferences.
Though getting drafted into the WNBA is notoriously difficult, the odds of making a gameday roster are even slimmer. And with two veteran point guards — Bird and Briann January — already signed to the Storm's roster, Melbourne will likely need to wait a season or two before making her professional debut stateside.
Seattle will retain the rights to the Aussie while she competes back home. And if Bird ever chooses to retire, perhaps Melbourne will wind up becoming her successor.
Read the original article on Insider
FAQs
Sue Bird has been playing in the WNBA longer than her newest teammate has been alive? ›
Legendary Seattle Storm point guard Sue Bird is currently the oldest active player in the WNBA. The Storm drafted a player who hasn't been alive for the entirety of Bird's pro career. Bird played her first WNBA game in May 2002. Her new teammate, Jade Melbourne, was born 3 months later.
How long is Sue Bird played in the WNBA? ›| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| College | UConn (1998–2002) |
| WNBA draft | 2002: 1st round, 1st overall pick |
| Selected by the Seattle Storm | |
| Playing career | 2002–2022 |
| Rank | Player | MP |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sue Bird | 18080 |
| 2. | Diana Taurasi | 16024 |
| 3. | DeWanna Bonner | 13517 |
| 4. | Tina Charles | 12580 |
Bird was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft, and she spent her entire career with the Storm before retiring at the end of the 2022 season.
Who is retiring from the WNBA? ›More than nine months have passed since Sue Bird and Sylvia Fowles played their final WNBA games. The legends retired after the 2022 season, Bird on Sept. 6 when her Seattle Storm were eliminated at home in the WNBA semifinals, and Fowles on Aug.