Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird and Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi will play against each other for the final time on Friday. After 22 years of impacting the game of women's basketball, one of the greatest duos will be on the court together one last time, with Bird set to retire at the end of the 2022 WNBA season.
Their careers began in college as teammates on the UConn women's basketball team. Bird played for the Lady Huskies from 1998-2002, while Taurasi did so from 2000-04. As teammates, they secured two NCAA national championships (2000 and 2002). In 2002, the squad went undefeated, winning all 39 games of the season.
Bird went on to be the No. 1 pick by the Storm in the 2002 WNBA Draft, and Taurasi garnered the same honor in 2004 and was drafted by Phoenix. They both have continued their careers with the same team they were drafted by.
They went from being college teammates to competing against each other in the WNBA. Over the course of regular season and playoff games where the two faced off head-to-head, Bird and the Storm have come out on top 31 times, while Taurasi and the Mercury have won 28 times.
These two first overall picks went on to change the game of women's basketball for the better, becoming an inspiration for so many and developing some lengthy player résumés.
Throughout their professional careers, the duo has won a total of seven WNBA Championship titles. Bird has four WNBA rings (2004, 2010, 2018, 2020), while Taurasi has three (2007, 2009, 2014).
Bird is the WNBA's all-time assist leader, finishing last season with 3,048 total assists and also is the only WNBA player to make an appearance in 500 games.
Aside from the WNBA, Bird and Taurasi have been a part of USA basketball. The two of them are the only athletes to have five Olympic gold medals in basketball (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020).
Bird was the sixth player to win an NCAA Championship, a WNBA Championship as well as an Olympic gold medal. Taurasi has won six ESPY awards including Best WNBA Player three times, Best Female College Athlete twice and Best Female Athlete once.
This season, the 41-year-old Bird is averaging 7.9 points per game and 5.9 assists, good for fifth across the league. The 40-year-old Taurasi is averaging 16.6 points per game and four assists this year.
One could go on and on about the greatest duo and everything they have accomplished in their 22 years of what has become an unbreakable friendship.
ESPN put together a video ahead of Friday's game highlighting some of the things Bird and Taurasi have accomplished in their careers.
"We're family. Gonna go beyond basketball," Taurasi said in the video.
"And I think our longevity that we're still here now, it speaks a little bit to that but also just wanting to be the best at all times," Bird added.
The two have both had amazing careers, and the mark they have left on women's basketball will never be forgotten.
