SEATTLE \u2013 The Seattle Storm, in partnership with Climate Pledge Arena, announced today that a statue honoring WNBA legend and Hall of Famer Sue Bird will be unveiled on Sunday, August 17, at 10:00 a.m. The Storm is the first franchise in WNBA history to dedicate a statue to a former player.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSue\u2019s legacy isn\u2019t just written in championships\u2014it\u2019s woven into the fabric of Seattle,\u201d said Seattle Storm President & CEO\u00a0Alisha Valavanis. \u201cHer leadership transcended basketball and helped shape a cultural shift\u2014one that expanded who gets to lead, who gets seen and who gets celebrated.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, as the first WNBA franchise to honor a player with a statue, we celebrate not just Sue\u2019s illustrious career, but the future she helped pave for the next generation of athletes. This statue is more than a tribute. It\u2019s a promise that what Sue stands for will keep rising, and young people, especially girls, will always see themselves in greatness.\u201d<\/p>\n
The unveiling will take place during a special press conference at Climate Pledge Arena (West Plaza), featuring remarks from Storm franchise leadership, city officials, WNBA legends, and Sue Bird. Immediately following the press conference and unveiling Bird\u2019s statue, fans are invited to enjoy a free community fan fest beginning at 12:00 p.m. It is encouraged for fans to arrive early to take part in the celebration and participate in the activities leading up to the \u201cForever Sue\u201d game presented by BECU at 3:00 p.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bird\u2019s statue was created by Roblatt Amrany Studio sculptor Julie Rotblatt-Amrany. Rotblatt Amrany Studio is\u202fthe leading artistic team behind some of the most iconic sports statues including Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and Dave Niehaus\u2019 statues at T-Mobile Park, Lenny Wilkens\u2019 statue at Climate Pledge Arena and A\u2019ja Wilson\u2019s statue at the University of South Carolina.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor over two decades, the city of Seattle supported me, both on and off the court. It\u2019s because of this community that Seattle will forever hold a special place in my heart. This statue isn\u2019t just for me, it\u2019s for anyone out there hoping to one day pursue their passions and live out their dreams,\u201d said Sue Bird. \u201cI\u2019m thankful to the Storm and Seattle for this honor, and can\u2019t wait to celebrate with my family, friends and our amazing fans this August.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bird\u2019s legendary 21-season career, spent entirely with the Storm, includes four WNBA Championships (2004, 2010, 2018, 2020), 13 All-Star selections, and the all-time assists record. She helped define the WNBA and played a pivotal role in its global growth. Internationally, she is a five-time Olympic gold medalist (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) and four-time FIBA World Cup gold medalist, representing USA Basketball with distinction across two decades. In May 2024, Bird was named the first managing director of the USA Women\u2019s National Team, where she is responsible for identifying the USA Women\u2019s National team coaching staff and players for major international competitions, including the Olympic Games.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSue Bird exemplifies excellence in basketball. Her leadership, her longevity and her commitment to the Seattle community and the Storm has inspired generations,\u201d said Dawn Trudeau, co-owner of the Seattle Storm. \u201cHer success at all levels is a testimony to the magnitude of her career.\u00a0 We are thrilled to celebrate her in this lasting way, where fans can admire her statue and be reminded of what greatness looks like for years to come.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Born in New York and drafted No. 1 overall by the Storm in 2002, Bird has been a central figure in transforming Seattle into a basketball city and uplifting women\u2019s sports around the world. In 2024, Bird joined the Storm\u2019s ownership group as a way for her to continue growing the game and paving the way for a more equitable and inclusive society.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSue Bird is not just one of the greatest basketball players of all time \u2013 she is a transformative figure in Seattle\u2019s history and a symbol of what it means to lead with purpose, courage and heart,\u201d said Mayor Bruce Harrell. \u201cDuring her incredible 21-season career with the Seattle Storm, she set the bar for excellence and elevated the visibility and impact of women in professional sports across the country.\u00a0This new statue outside Climate Pledge Arena is a fitting honor for a Seattle champion and icon who has helped shape the identity of our city.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSue is basketball royalty and a Seattle icon. We are thrilled she will have a permanent place outside the home of Seattle basketball, Climate Pledge Arena, where she finished her career,\u201d added Hewan Teshome, General Counsel of Climate Pledge Arena. \u201cWe look forward to her statue joining that of Lenny Wilkens.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Storm tip off against the Mercury at 3:00 p.m. on August 17. Doors to Climate Pledge Arena will open at 1:30 p.m., and the first 7,500 fans attending the game will receive an original drawing of a classic Sue Bird game-action photo created by local Seattle artist Keegan Hall, courtesy of BECU.\u00a0<\/p>\n
More information about the statue unveiling, including special programming, media credentials and fan fest details, will be released in the coming weeks.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
About the Seattle Storm\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Seattle Storm, a four-time WNBA champion, delivers a premier professional basketball and entertainment experience to a passionate fanbase. Off the court, the Storm is committed to promoting fitness and health, advancing social justice, and making a lasting impact in Seattle and the broader Pacific Northwest. Through youth development programs, equity and accessibility-focused partnerships and its Force4Change platform, the Storm is dedicated to long-term community impact and growing the game.<\/p>\n
About Climate Pledge Arena\u00a0<\/p>\n
Climate Pledge Arena, located at Seattle Center, is the complete redevelopment of an historic landmark, originally built for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. The arena is home to the WNBA\u2019s Seattle Storm, NHL\u2019s Seattle Kraken, PWHL Seattle and the world’s biggest performers of live music and events. The arena is named after The Climate Pledge, an initiative founded by Amazon and Global Optimism asking global corporations to become net-zero carbon by 2040. Climate Pledge Arena has one of the most progressive sustainability programs of any building its size, including being the world\u2019s first Zero Carbon Certified arena. Climate Pledge Arena opened October 19, 2021. Visit climatepledgearena.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SEATTLE \u2013 The Seattle Storm, in partnership with Climate Pledge Arena, announced today that a statue honoring WNBA…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":71576,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":["post-71575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71575"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71575\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}