Why was Sue Bird's jersey retired by Seattle Storm? Reason behind the move explored

Former WNBA star Sue Bird had an emotional three-hour ceremony to celebrate her illustrious career and retire her iconic No. 10 jersey. Bird had a magnificent 20-year career with the Seattle Storm. The jersey retirement came after Seattle Storm's 71-65 win against Washington Mystics. However, the night was not about the Storm's win but about Bird.

Sue Bird was the first overall pick in the 2002 WNBA draft. In her 20 years with the Storm, she won four championships and had 12 All-Star appearances. In her four finals trips, she only lost one game.

Bird is the all-time leader in games, minutes, and assists in WNBA. To top this off, Bird has also won five gold medals for Team USA in the Olympics. Her career has been full of notable accomplishments and cements her case as one of the greatest women basketball players.

Bird's success with the Seattle Storm — the championships and her accolades — are the reason why the Storm retired Bird's jersey number 10.

Washington Mystics v Seattle Storm

Sue Bird gave a speech to address the large crowd in the Climate Pledge Arena. Her speech lasted one hour and 32 minutes, which is not long if you consider how much Bird has achieved over her career. Bird said:

“I will forever miss it, and that’s OK. I think some people try to avoid missing it when they’re in my seat up here, and the reality is I’m always going to miss it."

For a lot of people, like USWNT star and Bird's fiancee Megan Rapinoe, the retired WNBA star is arguable the best player to ever play the game.

While Bird's GOAT status may be up for debate, there is little debate that she is the best point guard in women's basketball history. It is not everyday that you draft a player who goes on to become the all-time assists leader. Bird's highlight reel is one that will be played over and again through the years.

Perhaps, one of the most emotional part of the night was Bird's letter to Seattle. In her heartfelt letter, Bird addressed her draft night and how it forever made Seattle her home. She gave a big shoutout to the fans and the community that she found in Seattle.

Sue Bird’s No.10 jersey is now in the rafters inside the Climate Pledge Arena. It will forever pay tribute to arguably one of the most impressive WNBA careers in the history of women's basketball.

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How are the Seattle Storm performing this year?

Washington Mystics v Seattle Storm

The Seattle Storm have the worst record so far in the WNBA season. The Storm have a 1-6 record. The season is 40 games long, followed by playoffs. Out of the 32 teams in WNBA history who have started the season 0-4, only six have gone on to make the playoffs.

The one game that the Storm won so far came on Sue Bird's retirement night.

Storm's coach Noelle Quinn is keeping her team's eyes on improving game to game:

"Yeah, we want to be in the playoffs and a part of the postseason, but for this particular team it’s not so much the big picture as it is every single day just learning and growing. That’s where you start."

Storm guard Kia Nurse had a possible explanation for why the Seattle Storm might've struggled so far:

"There are a lot of new faces and we knew that there was going to be an ebb and flow in understanding one another, understanding the offense and the defense and what we’re trying to do."

With Storm's recent victory though, things might be changing for the better. Moving forward, Storm will have to make improvements throughout the season to ensure that they are in the playoff seeding.