20 years ago, a UConn sophomore named Diana Taurasi saw her senior point guard Sue Bird finish her college career. Now, with both players’ status as WNBA legends more than cemented, they’re doing the same with Bird’s professional career.
Taurasi and Bird took the court for the final time in the regular season on Friday, with Bird’s Seattle Storm visiting the Phoenix Mercury, and you better believe Taurasi and the Mercury had a gift ready.
The gift: a pair of custom Air Jordans.
The game itself was a little less friendly to Bird, as Taurasi dropped 28 points to lead a 94-78 win over the Storm. Bird finished with two points and five assists, shooting 1-for-1 from the field.
While Friday had the pageantry of a finale, Bird and Taurasi could still play against each other should their teams make the playoffs. The Storm are still sitting pretty at 17-10, but the 12-16 Mercury are on the bubble with eight games to go after Friday.
The former UConn pair weren’t the only storyline on Friday though. There was also Storm center Tina Charles making her return to the Mercury after parting ways and signing with the Storm and former Arizona State and former Mercury sharpshooter Briann January visiting her old state.