Diana Taurasi sends heartfelt message to Sue Bird as Storm unveils legendary statue

WNBA legend Diana Taurasi shared a heartfelt message for Sue Bird on Sunday. The Seattle Storm immortalized Bird as they unveiled a bronze statue of her outside of Climate Pledge Arena.

Bird made history by becoming the first-ever WNBA player to receive a statue to commemorate her legendary career.

Taurasi, a long-time friend and rival of Bird's, went on Instagram to show the 13-time All-Star some love.

"Sue, congratulations," Taurasi said. "No player, no team, no city deserves this more than you. You brought championships, joy, you changed the game. We love you and I can't wait to see the statue."

Aside from becoming a multi-time All-Star, Sue Bird has also helped the Storm achieve four WNBA titles. The championships they won in 2004, 2010, 2018, and 2020 are the only titles they have in franchise history. With that in mind, Bird was truly Seattle's trailblazer in women's basketball. There's no doubt that she is deserving of the bronze statue.

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Sue Bird expressed her thoughts on her statue

Sue Bird will forever be immortalized in the sports world now with a statue planted in Seattle. She is the first WNBA player to ever do it, and the second basketball athlete in Seattle to have a statue made. The first was Lenny Wilkens, who played for the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics in the late '60s.

With Bird and Wilkens' statue close to each one, the Seattle Storm legend couldn't help but acknowledge the honorable moment.

“I knew Lenny was going to be playmaking off the dribble,” Bird said. “We need someone to get that assist – so someone has to take the shot."

Sue Bird then reminisced about her early days and her final hours in the WNBA. She shared how meaningful it was to her to receive such an honor from the city she represented for two decades.

“My very first points in the WNBA at KeyArena as a rookie were on a lay-up," Bird continued. "My very last points in the WNBA were at Climate Pledge Arena on a lay-up. That’s something that means a lot to me – it’s feels very full circle.”

With Bird becoming the first WNBA player to receive a statue, this now changes the landscape of women's basketball. It shows how far the lady athletes have evolved, and younger players now have more inspiration to keep striving harder.