Sue Bird makes Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark comparison with subtle dig at one WNBA star

WNBA legend Sue Bird likened her own rookie season to Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark’s but made a thinly-veiled dig at the former after she was unable to lead the Chicago Sky to the playoffs

Sue Bird took aim at Angel Reese when comparing her to Caitlin Clark, highlighting how she failed to make the playoffs with the Chicago Sky in her rookie season unlike Bird and Clark.

Bird spent the entirety of her two decades in the WNBA with the Seattle Storm, retiring in 2022. The American-Israeli, 44, was selected as the first overall pick in the 2002 draft, much like Clark’s 2024 selection by the Indiana Fever.

Clark proved a revelation in her first season in the league this year, winning the Rookie of the Year award while Reese fell short after picking up a season-ending injury. Aside from both WNBA stars enjoying strong debut seasons, however, the pair also both recently saw their teams fire their respective head coaches.

Sharing her thoughts with Megan Rapinoe on A Touch More, Bird delved into the dramatic offseason currently being witnessed in the WNBA where several teams have dismissed their head coaches. She drew similarities between her own situation as a rookie with Seattle and Clark and Reese’s.

Bird began by saying: “2002, my rookie year, not that different from both Angel and Caitlin,” before pointing out how that Storm team and last season’s Fever differ from the Sky in a cheeky dig.

She continued: “A little more similar to Caitlin because we made the playoffs.” Bird added: “So we were a team that had young talent, and also expectation because of myself and Lauren [Jackson], back to back No. 1 picks.

WNBA legend Sue Bird likened her rookie season to Caitlin Clark’s ( 
Image:
Getty Images for Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit)
“But also, who knows how we’re gonna do? The season was totally up and down…made the playoffs, lost in the first round to eventual champions, the LA Sparks.

Fever’s playoff hopes also ended early with a first-round exit. Meanwhile, Chicago losing Reese to a wrist injury proved a huge blow as the Sky lost a streak of five successive games in her absence and ultimately failed to clinch a playoff spot.

Stephanie White has since been appointed as the Fever’s head coach after leading the Connecticut Sun for two seasons. She takes over the exciting franchise from Christie Sides, who led Fever to a 20-20 record last season and their first playoffs since 2016.

The Sky on Saturday named Tyler Marsh as Teresa Weatherspoon’s successor, having finished 13-27 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018. Marsh is the team’s fourth coach since the Sky won the WNBA championship in 2021.