Sue Bird sets league record with 11th WNBA All-Star selection

TNS Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird (10) warms up before the game against the Washington Mystics at the Verizon Center in Washington.

TNS Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart (30) puts up a shot against Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud (15).

by TNS
| July 19, 2018 1:00 AM

TNS Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart (30) puts up a shot against Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud (15).

The Storm will send three players to next Saturday’s WNBA All-Star Game, including Sue Bird who will make her league-record 11th appearance.

Third-year forward Breanna Stewart, the WNBA’s leading scorer, will play in her second All-Star Game while fourth-year guard Jewell Loyd is one of two players who will make their first appearance.

The three Storm players will be joined by coach Dan Hughes who will lead one of the teams in the 15th WNBA All-Star Game that will take place July 28 at Target Center in Minneapolis. ABC will televise the game live at 12:30 p.m. PT.

Bird, the league’s oldest player at 37, headlines the 22 All-Stars who were announced Tuesday.

The former University of Connecticut star has appeared in 10 of the 11 All-Star Games played since she was drafted with the No. 1 overall pick by Seattle in 2002.

Bird wasn’t an All-Star in 2013, when she missed the season due to a knee surgery. The 17-year veteran was voted a starter for eight All-Star Games, including last year in Seattle when she dished out an All-Star record 11 assists.

There wasn’t an All-Star Game in 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012 or 2016 because the league condensed the scheduling to accommodate either Summer Olympic Games or FIBA World Championships.

“Seventeen years ago, if you told me I’d be setting a new record with 11 All-Star appearances, I would have called you crazy,” Bird said in a statement released by the Storm. “It’s a testament to my teammates and coaches throughout the years, and an absolute honor given all of the greats who have played in this league.”

Bird is averaging a career-best 7.1 assists, which ranks second in the WNBA, and 9.7 points.

Meanwhile, Stewart is rolling towards possibly her first MVP award while leading the league with a 22.5 scoring average on a career-best 53.9 percent shooting. She’s also fifth in rebounding (8.1), tied for sixth in steals (1.6) and seventh in blocks (1.6).

Last year, Stewart was billed as an early All-Star Game MVP favorite, but the 6-foot-4 burgeoning star forward finished with nine points, six rebounds and six assists for a West team that claimed a 130-121 victory.

Loyd sat courtside during the All-Star Game at KeyArena in 2017 and didn’t hide her desire to be recognized as one of the league’s greatest stars.

“Every player wants to play in this game and be an All-Star,” Loyd said last year. “I’ll never stop pursuing that. And I don’t want to play in just 1 or 2 All-Star Games, I’m trying to get to Sue Bird’s level.”