1:20 PM
One of the biggest questions of the WNBA's 2022 offseason is if Sue Bird will return for a 19th season in the league.
Bird posted a video of fans chanting "One more year" during her interview on Friday morning. Bird's caption is "Ok". Let's go.
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This post can be seen on the photo sharing app, IG.
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] ( http://www.instagram.com/p/CYb1KVRrNr6/ )
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Sue Bird shared a post.
Bird was noncommittal about her future in the league for the first time. Bird has talked about retirement for years, but never before had she thought about whether she'd continue playing if she could.
Bird told reporters after the game that he had been trying to push away those thoughts. It makes me want to cry when I think about it. This is the first time I feel like I need to weigh it. If I feel good, I'll be there for one more year.
I'm going to have to sit back and see how I feel, weigh some things. I want to let the season end. I don't want to be emotional.
Bird wants to finish her career at Climate Pledge Arena, the Storm's new home in Seattle after a full renovation to KeyArena. The Storm played their home games last season at the Angel of the Winds Arena.
Bird was one of the featured guests as the NHL's expansion Seattle Kraken played their first game at Climate Pledge Arena. Bird mentioned that experience as part of her decision-making process when she was a guest on ManningCast during a Monday Night Football game.
Bird was in Seattle for the opening of the new arena and the game. It was tempting. The thought of playing there was very tempting. I will leave you with that.
Bird's career full circle is brought about by the team's return to uptown Seattle. She played her first game for the Storm at KeyArena. Bird helped the franchise win four titles, most recently during the 2020 "Wubble" season in Florida, as well as last year's inaugural Commissioner's Cup.
Bird made her 12th All-Star appearance at the age of 40 and played in 30 of Seattle's 32 games during the regular season. The USA women's national team won a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics, their fifth basketball gold medal, and she and teammate Diana Taurasi were the only two players to win five gold medals.
Bird is an unrestricted free agent, even though the Storm participated in Friday's announcement on social media. New contracts can't be signed until February 1 and teams and players can't begin negotiations until January 15.
Unless the team chooses to use the core designation on one of them, Seattle All-Stars Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd will both be unrestricted free agents. Bird is ineligible for the core designation because she has already been a core player twice.
