You know how some people just can’t let go of the game, even after they hang up their shoes? Sue Bird is totally that person. The WNBA legend retired in 2022, but she’s still all about the WNBA, chiming in with her thoughts on the game. Well, this time Bird found herself in a tough spot when she had a difficult call to make among some of the league’s biggest stars. And guess what, her choice was a quite shocker!

Recently, Sue Bird joined the podcast 7PM in Brooklyn and participated in a fun game called “Start, Cut, and Bench.” In this game, Bird had to make the tough call of deciding which of three well-known basketball players would start, which would be benched, and which would be cut from her lineup. The hosts presented the choices as Maya Moore, Nykesha Sales, and Diana Taurasi and as soon Bird heard those names, she knew it was going to be a tricky one. She said on the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, “So you’re trying to make me go viral.”

Despite that pressure, Sue Bird went on to complete that game as she answered, “I mean, this is just what it is. I’m starting D (Diana Taurasi), I’m benching Maya and I’m cutting Nykesha (Nykesha Sales).” She also explained, “It’s tough (cutting Kesha). I don’t like it. Kesha, you know how I feel? She knows how I feel.” 

However, choosing five-time Olympic gold medalist Taurasi as a starter looked like a decent pick, but cutting Sales who has made it to WNBA All-Star on eight occasions came as a surprising move from Bird. Let’s take a closer look at these players’ stats and analyze how perfect Sue Bird did there.

Sue Bird really had a tough decision to make

To begin with, Diana Taurasi is undoubtedly a massive name in basketball who has featured a whopping 11 times in WNBA All-Star games. The 3x WNBA champion has averaged 19 points per game in a 20-season-long career until now. And not to ignore, the Phoenix Mercury guard has also been influential in her national team winning five consecutive gold medals on the grand stage of the Olympics.

And if we talk about player-turned-coach Nykesha Sales, this player may not be a front runner in the points board as she averaged 14.2 points per game in her career, but the fact can’t be overlooked that she is only the second player in the league to score 3,000 points, 500 assists, and 400 steals.

Now, lastly talking about Maya Moore, the Minnesota Lynx forward who was benched by Sue Bird is a three-time WNBA All-Star MVP and has helped her team to win four league titles. The forward has amassed 18.4 points along with 5.9 rebounds per game in her WNBA career.

So, it’s pretty evident that Sue Bird must have been on a hot seat when these three legends were proposed for the Start, Cut, Bench game. But eventually, the former Seattle Storm player had to make a call irrespective of how big the dilemma it might have been, and that’s what she did.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host, BG12, sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.