Sue Bird says today's WNBA players are more skilled, her era better team players
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The gist
Basketball Hall of Famer Sue Bird said each WNBA player today is more skilled than 15 years ago.
Her comments came as she and Cheryl Miller previewed the Valkyries-Dream WNBA Finals for NBC.
Background
Sue Bird is a Basketball Hall of Famer who now works as an NBC studio analyst for WNBA coverage, hosts the podcast "Bird's Eye View with Sue Bird," is managing director for the USA women's national team for the 2028 Olympic cycle and holds a sports ownership role with the Storm. She made the comparison while speaking on a conference call ahead of the WNBA Finals, which NBC Sports is televising for the first time since 2002. In the same stretch of interviews she also discussed players building their own content brands and praised Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase.
How it unfolded
- Oct 14, 2026Sue Bird joined Cheryl Miller, Reggie Miller, Jamal Crawford and executive producer Sam Flood on a media conference call previewing the WNBA Finals and NBA Tip-Off tripleheader.
- Oct 15, 2026Bird spoke on a conference call with SBJ, saying WNBA players are "really good at being on social media" and that their storytelling "has taken our game to another level."
- Oct 16, 2026Reports carried Bird's comparison of eras: "I think each individual is just more skilled than we were 15 years ago," adding, "I can make an argument that 15 years ago we were better team players."
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- Bird said today's individual players are more skilled than 15 years ago, while arguing her era may have been better at playing as a team.
- Caution
- Bird said players don't like being compared to the NBA but "we definitely can learn from them" on building brands and narrative.
- Support
- Bird praised Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase as "obsessed" with basketball and passionate about making the team successful.
Still unverified
Allisha Gray had a minor procedure on her hand between series and her status for the Finals is considered day-to-day, according to reports.