Report: Sue Bird, Seattle Storm Agree to New Contract After Winning WNBA Title

WNBA star Sue Bird is staying in Seattle.

The 40-year-old has agreed in principle to re-sign with the Seattle Storm, with whom she won her fourth WNBA title last season, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. She has played all 17 years of her career with the franchise.

Since being drafted No. 1 overall of Connecticut in 2002, Bird has gone on to collect 11 All-Star nods and four Olympic gold medals. She is a five-time All-WNBA First Team selection. 

After a quieter regular-season campaign in which she tallied 9.8 points in 23.4 minutes per game—career lows in both—Bird broke out in the WNBA Finals as the Storm defeated the Las Vegas Aces in three games. She dished 16 assists in Game 1, a championship series record, and then recorded a double-double (16 points, 10 assists) in Game 2. 

Bird has appeared in 519 games, the most by any player in league history. Her 2,888 career assists are also a league record. She ranks eighth all-time in points scored with 6,262. 

While Bird is returning, the Storm will be operating without Alysha Clark, who is headed to the Washington Mystics after nine seasons in Seattle. 

WNBA free agency opened Jan. 15, and teams can officially sign players Monday.