Notebook: Seattle names a street after Sue Bird

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A stretch of Seattle will forever bear Sue Bird’s name. On Monday, the city held a ceremony to rename a portion of Second North Ave to “Sue Bird Court” in honor of the legendary point guard. The location is next to Climate Pledge Arena, between Lenny Wilkens Way and Denny Way.

“Sue Bird is more than a basketball legend – her legacy transcends the game as a symbol of excellence, determination, and the power of sports to inspire and uplift communities,” Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said. “Like the Space Needle or Starbucks, Sue’s name is synonymous with Seattle – a true icon whose impact on our city’s cultural fabric and the world of sports will be felt for generations. Renaming this street in her honor is a testament to the lasting impact she has had on our city, an impact that will always be a celebrated part of Seattle’s history.”

“I’ve always loved and cherished playing here in Seattle. This city will forever be a part of me and that’s why I am so thankful and honored today,” Bird said. “When I think back on my time with the Storm—the people I’ve met, the memories I’ve made, the impact this franchise has had off the court, and of course, the championships we’ve won on the court—I’m reminded that some achievements don’t come and go, they don’t get broken, they last forever. That’s what makes today so special is that I get to add to that list with something that is going to last forever.”

The street will be permanently renamed for Bird. It’s the first street in Seattle to have its name changed by ordinance since 2021.

Bird, whose number 10 is retired by the team, spent the entirety of her 19-year WNBA career with the Seattle Storm, winning four championships along the way. She’s the league’s all-time assists leader and set up 27.5 percent of the Storm’s baskets in franchise history through 2022.

In addition to her WNBA accolades, Bird won two national championships at UConn and earned national player of the year and All-American honors as a senior in 2002. At the international level, she claimed five Olympic gold medals — second-most of any basketball player behind only Diana Taurasi — and four FIBA World Cup titles.

Bird retired following the 2022 WNBA season.

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Minnesota retires Maya Moore’s number

Maya Moore returned to the Target Center on Saturday to see her No. 23 jersey enshrined in the rafters. The Minnesota Lynx retired her number a year and a half after Moore officially ended her basketball career.

The ceremony featured former teammates, friends, family, and a video montage from some notable opponents — including Diana Taurasi. Moore also received a custom letter jacket and shoe box from Jordan Brand.

Prior to the game, the Lynx’s two UConn alums — Napheesa Collier and Dorka Juhász — along with a few other players arrived wearing Moore’s jersey. Collier has a particularly close connection to Moore: The two both grew up in Jefferson City, Missouri, both went to UConn, and both are centerpieces of the Lynx organization.

"The impact of Maya Moore is that Napheesa Collier got to dream of one day being like Maya Moore," Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said afterward.

Moore played just eight seasons in the WNBA — all with Minnesota — but racked up plenty of awards and accolades in that time. She made six All-Star appearances, won four titles, and was named Rookie of the Year in 2011 and MVP in 2014.

She also won two national championships at UConn in 2009 and 2010 in addition to two Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016. Moore was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame earlier this year.

Following the 2018 campaign, Moore stepped away from basketball to focus on social justice. Specifically, she helped fight for the release of Jonathan Irons, a family friend who was wrongly imprisoned for over 20 years. His conviction was overturned in March 2020 and he was released from prison that July.

Shortly afterward, Moore married Irons and the two welcomed their first child in 2022. Even though she already announced her retirement in 2023, Moore reaffirmed that she won’t return to basketball on Saturday.

Next up? A retirement ceremony is Storrs. On the women’s side, UConn’s standard for jersey retirement is induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

It’s not all that clear as to when Moore will be eligible, though. She last played basketball in 2018 but didn’t officially retire until 2023. The Hall of Fame requires a player to be “fully retired” for at least four seasons before becoming eligible for selection. That means Moore could be eligible now or may have to wait until after the 2027 season.

Either way, it’s a matter of when, not if.

Tina Charles crosses a milestone

UConn now owns the top two spots on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list. Last week, Tina Charles passed Tina Thompson (7,488 points) for the second-most points in league history. She just happened to hit the mark against Diana Taurasi, the league’s all-time scorer with over 10,000 career points.

The two met up prior to the contest.

Charles is in her 13th WNBA season — her first since 2022 after she didn’t play last year. She won rookie of the year after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Connecticut Sun in 2010 then brought home the league’s MVP award in 2012.

Charles is also second on the WNBA’s double-doubles list (185, nine short of Sylvia Fowles’ record) and rebounds list (3,876, behind Fowles’ 4,006).

In another relevant league leaderboard change, Taurasi passed Lindsey Whalen for the fourth-most assists in WNBA history with 2,354.