UConn retires Sue Bird’s No. 10 jersey in emotional ceremony at Gampel Pavilion
Sue Bird received a standing ovation at Gampel Pavilion as her No. 10 jersey was officially retired by UConn. Geno Auriemma stood by her side while calling her “the greatest point guard to play the game of basketball, man or woman.” Once she handed him the mic, Bird joked that he’d never said that in front of her.
She often said UConn felt like family. This weekend, more than all the championships and personal accomplishments, she pointed to Storrs, Connecticut, as helping shape her as a player and as a person.
“This is our home,” she said. “That’s where it all started. So to see what we’re going to see, my number in the rafters, the rafters next to these other legends, it’s an incredible, incredible honor. It’s hard to put into words.”
Bird joined Rebecca Lobo and Swin Cash as the only two other players from the program to achieve the honor thus far. Maya Moore will be next, but that has to happen after her induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, as that is a requirement for jersey retirement at UConn.
“I think it represents how, among a roster of incredible people, some were really unique for a lot of different reasons,” said Auriemma, who coached UConn to 12 national championships. “The amazing thing about these three, and Maya, the fourth, is the incredible success they have had after leaving here. Even though their accomplishments have been here, what they have done since leaving is nothing short of incredible.”
Bird won two national championships during his time at UConn while amassing an impressive 114-4 record. She became the program’s first-ever No. 1 selection in the 2002 WNBA Draft, then went on to win four WNBA championships with the Seattle Storm, as well as five Olympic gold medals with Team USA. Bird officially retired in 2022, but his impact is still felt at UConn and elsewhere.
Bird received video messages from former teammates and other UConn greats, which were played in the arena throughout the game. These included videos from Lobo, Cash, Breanna Stewart and Diana Taurasi.
“That No. 10 is one of the main reasons I went to Connecticut,” Taurasi said. “I’m proud to call you a teammate, a sister and a fan for life. We love you all. Congratulations.”
The current Huskies were also excited to celebrate Bird. They wore the throwback c-ball uniforms, the same one Bird wore, Sunday in their 102-35 win over DePaul. Earlier this week, UConn shared clips of players thanking Bird for her impact on women’s basketball.
“If you play basketball and you want to play the right way, you want to play like Sue Bird,” Azzi Fudd said. “You want to be a leader like her. You want to be a floor general like her. You want to have that kind of IQ.
“To see what she’s been able to accomplish here, the adversity she’s faced here in the W, and what she’s been able to do, I think the players now need to give her a lot of credit and thank her. Give her all the flowers because she really helped pave the way to make things possible. So thank you Sue for making UConn what it is now, for helping build the W and for helping to grow my love for the basketball.”
