It has been a very eventful year for Sue Bird. The former WNBA Superstar received grand honor from her franchise with a bronze statue outside the Seattle Storm’s home arena. Her alma Mater, UConn Huskies, also retired her jersey in a grand fashion during the team’s game.
Bird got emotional during UConn jersey retirement and called the arena her real home. Now the level just got higher with FIBA recognizing the WNBA megastar for her contribution to the game and achievements over the years.
Fans React To Sue Bird’s Induction To FIBA Hall Of Fame
During the 2025 WNBA Season, the Seattle Storm legend entered the league’s Hall of Fame along with Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles. The trio helped build women’s basketball into what it is today.
While the league recognized her contribution, FIBA also added her to the Class of 2026 Hall of Fame with other international stars like Dirk Nowitzki, Céline Dumerc, Clarisse Machanguana, Ismenia Pauchard, Hedo Türkoğlu, and Wang Zhizhi. The WNBA star retired after the 2021 Olympics with four gold medals.
Brighter than the bright lights on them ✨
— FIBA Basketball (@FIBA) December 21, 2025
Introducing… the FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2026 🌟#FIBAHallofFame x #WorldBasketballDay pic.twitter.com/HCQLkx1UrB
Fans also reacted to the announcement, showing love for Sue Bird and all the stars.
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A Fan wrote, “Sue Bird on a generational run this year & I love it. Let’s goooo.”
Sue Bird on a generational run this year & I love it. Let’s goooo pic.twitter.com/qrX9MRiKxi
— Bella ♉️🧚🏾 (@delucabishops) December 21, 2025
One fan said, “Congratulations”
Congratulations 👏👏
— Arun Kumar (@arunbwn) December 21, 2025
Another fan wrote, “Yep Looks So Nice.”
Yep Looks So Nice
— Ximena (@Ximena_zoy) December 21, 2025
Another fan wrote, “Congrats to the inductees, inspiring the next generation of basketball stars!”
Congrats to the inductees, inspiring the next generation of basketball stars!
— !ghOstCrypT (@AmanTya83796772) December 21, 2025
One Fan mentioned, “Shining in their way.”
shining in their way ✨
— Corners (@Corners589) December 21, 2025
On the work front, the retired player takes her duties as managing director of USA Basketball seriously following the latest training camp for the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.
Sue Bird Sends Alarming Message Over Young Team USA Members
The FIBA World Cup qualifiers training camp revealed several notable aspects, as the players demonstrated their ability to thrive alongside the top players in the league. Sue Bird, the first managing director of USA Basketball, was happy with the performances. Bird praises Caitlin Clark’s maturity and team engagement ahead of Team USA camp debut.
But still, the veteran guard was critical about one thing: overseas experience. “What I’m noticing is a lot of these young players don’t go overseas, so they don’t have an understanding of what FIBA is like and what it’s like to play on this stage,” Bird said on her A Touch More podcast.
“Because these players don’t play overseas and don’t have that FIBA experience, it’s so important to somehow give them a taste. So, it was actually a really efficient camp, but the emphasis was the aggressiveness with which teams play,” Sue Bird added.
But watching the camp preparations, it’s safe to say that USA Basketball has a bright future with the young stars going toe-to-toe with the veterans. Additionally, with Bird managing the rosters, the team would continue to dominate the world of basketball.