Sue Bird

Sue Bird (middle) is welcomed to Washington, D.C. in 2002 by Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd
WNBA's Seattle Storm  – No. 10
Guard
Born	(1980-10-16) October 16, 1980 (age 31) Syosset, New York
Nationality	American
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight	150 lb (68 kg)
College	Connecticut
Draft	1st overall, 2002 Seattle Storm
Profile	WNBA Info Page
WNBA Teams
Seattle Storm (2002–present)
Non-WNBA Teams
Dynamo Moscow (2004–2006) Spartak Moscow Region (2006–present)
Awards and Honors
All-WNBA First Team (2002–2005) All-WNBA Second Team (2008, 2010, 2011) WNBA All-Decade Team 7× WNBA All-Star (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011) 2× WNBA Champion (2004, 2010)
Medal record Women's basketball Competitor for the USA Olympic Games Gold Athens 2004 Team competition Gold Beijing 2008 Team competition

Suzanne Brigit "Sue" Bird (born October 16, 1980) is an American professional women's basketball player for the Seattle Storm and WBC Spartak Moscow Region.

In high school, she was the New York State Player of the Year, the New York Daily News Player of the Year, and a WBCA All-American. In her senior year at undefeated UConn in 2002, she won the Wade Trophy and the Naismith Award as College Player of the Year. She finished her UConn career ranked first in three-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage, second in assists and steals, and as a three-time winner of the Nancy Lieberman Award as the top point guard in the nation, while leading her team to a record of 114–4.

The Seattle Storm selected Bird with the first overall pick of the 2002 WNBA Draft, and she has been a seven-time WNBA All-Star. She is one of seven women to win an Olympic Gold Medal, an NCAA Championship, and a WNBA Championship. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history.

Early life[link]

Bird was born on October 16, 1980 in Syosset, New York. She is the younger of Herschel and Nancy Bird's two children.^[1] Her father's family was Jewish and originally from Russia, and their original name was "Boorda".^[2][3][4] Bird was raised in her mother's Christian religion.^[5] In 2006, Bird acquired Israeli citizenship. She still maintains her citizenship in the United States and represents the U.S. in international basketball competitions.^[6]

Bird’s role model as a young child was her older sister Jen. To stay active, Jen participated in several recreational sports.^[7] Sue’s favorite was basketball, though she also played soccer, tennis, and track.^[8] Sue became a very good player and started playing AAU basketball in the sixth grade. While only 11 years old, she played during halftime of a St. John's basketball game; her play was so impressive that a security guard asked for her autograph.^[1]

High school[link]

She played her freshman and sophomore years at Syosset High School, but wanted more competition. She therefore enrolled at Christ The King Regional High School in Queens, New York. Sue spent two seasons at Christ the King, and the Royals went undefeated in both seasons. In the second season her team won the New York state championship, and the national title. Bird won many awards, including the New York State Player of the Year, and the New York Daily News Player of the Year. Bird was named a WBCA All-American.^[9] She participated in the WBCA High School All-America Game, where she scored 11 points.^[10]

College[link]

Bird was recruited by a number of teams, including Stanford and Vanderbilt. She considered UConn the favorite, but she began to waver when Kiersten Walters and Brianne Stepherson, both point guards, announced commitments to UConn. She worried that there might not be room for her to play. However, Stepherson changed her mind, and decided to go to Boston College, making the decision a bit easier, so Bird committed to UConn.^[11] In addition, she chose UConn because it was close to home, and the UConn program had a winning tradition like the one at Christ the King.^[7] She suffered a torn ACL eight games into her freshman season. She was not able to redshirt, because she had played in more than 20% of the team’s games.^[8] In her sophomore season (1999–2000) she came back to lead the team to a 36–1 record and won the Big East Championship and the 2000 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament. The Huskies went 32–3 in her junior season. The last loss was to Big East rival Notre Dame in the Final Four. That was the last loss of Sue’s college career, as the Huskies went an undefeated 39–0 in her 2002 senior season. In that season, she won the Wade Trophy and Naismith Award as College Player of the Year.

During her junior year, Bird played in a game against Notre Dame referred to as "the best women's basketball game ever played". The game was memorialized in a book, Bird at the Buzzer, in which Bird took the eponymous shot at the buzzer to win the game.^[12]

She finished her UConn career on many of the record lists. She currently ranks No. 24 on the 1,000 point list with 1,378 points, No. 2 in assists with 585, and seventh with 243 steals.^[1] She ranks number 1 in three point field goal percentage (45.9) and free throw percentage (89.2).^[1] She has won two National Championships, three Big East Championships and Big East regular season titles. Bird was the inaugural winner of the Nancy Lieberman Award in 2000, given to the top point guard in the nation, and won the award in 2001 and 2002.^[1] Overall her record at UConn in games she played is a remarkable 114–4. Bird was a member of the inaugural class (2006) of inductees to the University of Connecticut women's basketball "Huskies of Honor" recognition program.^[13]

Professional career[link]

WNBA[link]

Bird during the 2008 playoffs against the LA Sparks

The Seattle Storm selected Bird with the first overall pick of the 2002 WNBA Draft.^[1] In her rookie season, Bird started all 32 games for the Storm and averaged 14.4 ppg. She was selected as a starter on the 2002 WNBA Western Conference All-Star team. Bird was the runner-up for the Rookie of the Year award, and one of only two rookies to make the All-WNBA First Team.^[1] She also led the Storm to their first playoff appearance. Since her rookie season she has been selected to the Western Conference All Star team. In 2004 Bird helped the Storm win its first WNBA Championship. By winning the WNBA Championship Bird became one of seven women to receive an Olympic Gold Medal, an NCAA Championship, and a WNBA Championship. The others are Ruth Riley, Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, and fellow Huskies Swin Cash, Kara Wolters, and Diana Taurasi. Bird now has two WNBA championships to go along with her two NCAA championships after the Seattle Storm beat the Atlanta Dream for the 2010 WNBA championship.^[15] In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in the fifteen year history of the WNBA.^[16]

International[link]

She competed with USA Basketball as a member of the 2000 Jones Cup Team that won the Gold in Taipei.^[17]

In the 2003–2004 off-season, Bird was named to the United States 2004 Women's Olympic Basketball Team's roster.^[18] The USA team would go on to win the gold at the games in Athens, Greece.

In the 2004–2005 WNBA off-season, she played in Russia, with Storm teammate Kamila Vodichkova on the Dynamo Moscow. In the 2005–2006 WNBA off-season, she played on the same team, reaching the Russian championship and the Euroleague women’s playoffs.

In the 2006–2007 WNBA off-season, she joined Storm teammate Lauren Jackson and fellow UConn stars Diana Taurasi and Svetlana Abrosimova on the Russian team Spartak Moscow^[19] to win both the Russian Super League and the EuroLeague Women championships. As a player of partially Jewish descent, Bird can claim Israeli citizenship and not count against Euroleague limits for foreign players.

In the summer of 2008, she was invited back to be on the 2008 Olympic Basketball Team. The team won the Gold medal in Beijing, China.^[20]

Bird was invited to the USA Basketball Women's National Team training camp in the fall of 2009.^[21] The team selected to play for the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Olympics is usually chosen from these participants. At the conclusion of the training camp, the team will travel to Ekaterinburg, Russia, where they compete in the 2009 UMMC Ekaterinburg International Invitational.^[21]

Bird was named as one of the National team members to represent the USA Basketball team in the WNBA versus USA Basketball.^[22] This game replaces the normal WNBA All-Star game with WNBA All-Stars versus USA Basketball, as part of the preparation for the FIBA World Championship for Women to be held in the Czech Republic during September and October 2010.^[23] Sue Bird along with team USA took gold in the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

Bird was one of 21 finalists for the U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball Team Roster. The 20 professional women's basketball payers, plus one collegiate player (Brittney Griner), were selected by the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee to compete for the final roster which will represent the USA at the 2012 Olympics in London.^[24]

WNBA career statistics[link]

Regular season[link]

Postseason[link]

Awards and honors[link]

• 1998—WBCA All-American.^[9]
• 2000—Nancy Lieberman Award
• 2001—Nancy Lieberman Award
• 2002—Nancy Lieberman Award
• 2002—Naismith Award
• 2002—Wade Trophy
• 2002—Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
• 2002—Big East Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year
• 2002—Sportswoman of the Year Award^[25]
• 2002—Honda Sports Award, basketball^[26]
• 2002–07, 2009 – WNBA All-Star Selection
• 2009—Most Valuable Point Guard, Ekaterinburg International Invitational^[27]
• 2010—All—-WNBA Second Team^[28]
• 2012—MVP Russian Cup Finals^[29]

See also[link]

Biography portal

• List of Connecticut women's basketball players with 1000 points

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Goldberg, Jeff (2011). Bird at the Buzzer: UConn, Notre Dame, and a Women's Basketball Classic. Doris Burke. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-2411-7. 
• David L. Porter, ed. (2005). Basketball: A Biographical Dictionary. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-30952-6. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sue Bird

• U.S. Olympic Team bio
• Sue Bird at WNBA.com

Tina Thompson

WNBA's Seattle Storm  – No. 7
Forward
Born	(1975-02-10) February 10, 1975 (age 37) Los Angeles, California
Nationality	American
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight	178 lb (81 kg)
College	USC
Draft	1st overall, 1997 Houston Comets
Profile	WNBA Info Page
WNBA Teams
Houston Comets (1997–2008) Los Angeles Sparks (2009–2011) Seattle Storm (2012–present)
Awards and Honors
4× WNBA champion (1997-2000) 8× WNBA All-Star (1999-2003, 2006, 2007, 2009)
Medal record Women's Basketball Competitor for  United States Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens National Team Gold 2008 Beijing National Team World Championship Bronze 2006 Brazil National Team

Tina Marie Thompson (born February 10, 1975 in Los Angeles, California) is a professional basketball player in the WNBA for the Seattle Storm. The first draft pick in WNBA history, Thompson was selected first by the Houston Comets. She helped lead the Comets to four WNBA Championships. She has won two Olympic Gold Medals and has made 9 WNBA All-Star Game appearances, the most recent being 2009. She is the WNBA's all-time leading scorer. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history. She is also the only player to play in every WNBA season (16).

Early years[link]

Tina grew up playing basketball with her brother TJ and his friends at Robertson Park in West Los Angeles, California. She recorded more than 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds in her high school career at Morningside High School in Inglewood, California, where she also played volleyball. She then went on to play basketball at the University of Southern California, where she graduated in 1997.^[1] She attended both high school and college with fellow WNBA player Lisa Leslie.

WNBA career[link]

Thompson was selected No. 1 overall in the first round of the inaugural 1997 WNBA draft by the Houston Comets.^[1] There, she was a member of a dynasty that won four consecutive WNBA championships from 1997-2000. Thompson is a nine-time All-Star, winning MVP honors at the 2000 All-Star Game. She led all Western Conference players in All-Star voting in 2001. Thompson has been named to the All-WNBA First Team three times (1997, 1998, 2004) and All-WNBA Second Team four times (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002).

She gave birth to her first child, a son whose father is NBA player Damon Jones, in May 2005; she resumed playing with the Comets only two months later.^[2]

After the Comets were disbanded in 2008, Thompson joined the Los Angeles Sparks, where, on August 2010, she became the WNBA's all-time leading scorer, passing Lisa Leslie.^[3] In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in the fifteen year history of the WNBA.^[4]

An unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2011 season, Thompson signed with the Seattle Storm on February 27, 2012, to fill gaps left by Australia's Lauren Jackson, concurrent with power forward Jackson's commitment to the Australian national team for the 2012 Olympics, and small forward Swin Cash, who was traded to the Chicago Sky as part of a package deal for the second overall pick in the 2012 WNBA Draft.^[5]

She has several game-day superstitions, including taking a shower after shootaround, taking a 45-minute nap, wearing lipstick to play every game and dressing in a specific order. Atypically of the traditional power forward, Thompson exhibits the ability to step out and make three-point shots from NBA range, and, in fact, after Sheryl Swoopes left Houston for Seattle, Thompson stepped into more of a cornerman role.

WNBA career statistics[link]

Regular season[link]

Postseason[link]

International career[link]

Thompson was an alternate for the 2000 Olympic squad. Thompson was a member of the U.S. women's basketball team and she earned a gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games: Beijing 2008. She was named to the '98 and 2002 USA World Championship teams, but injuries kept her from both competitions. She would earn her gold medal in 2004 in Greece.^[1]

Thompson has also participated in other professional leagues overseas. Following the 2001 WNBA season, Thompson played for Rovereto Basket in Rovereto, Italy and in 2003 she played for the Kumho Falcons of the Women’s Korea Basketball League (WKBL).

Overseas[link]

• 2001-2002: Rovereto Basket
• 2003: Kumho Falcons
• 2006-2007: Spartak Moscow Region
• 2010: Municipal MCM Târgovişte.

Vital statistics[link]

• Position: Forward
• Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
• College: University of Southern California
• Team(s): Houston Comets, Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA)

Awards and achievements[link]

• 4 time WNBA Championship
• 2 time Olympic Gold Medalist
• 2000 WNBA All-Star Selection (MVP)
• 9 time WNBA All-Star Selection
• Named to the All-WNBA team 8 times.
• Member of the WNBA All-Decade Team
• 1st in WNBA all-time scoring

Notes[link]

References[link]

• David L. Porter, ed. (2005). Basketball: A Biographical Dictionary. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-30952-6. 

External links[link]

• Tina Thompson at WNBA.com
• USA Basketball Profile
• Tina Thompson's U.S. Olympic Team bio