Bird is the winningest player in WNBA history.

With the Seattle Storm pulling away on Wednesday night to defeat the WNBA-leading Las Vegas Aces 88-78, Seattle’s point guard, Sue Birdposted her 324th career win and became the winningest player in league history, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

Bird, who announced earlier this month that this will be his last season in the WNBA, outplayed the retired point guard Lindsay Whalen (323). Bird and Whalen are the only two players in league history to play to at least 300 wins. Rebecca Brunson Y SwinCashthe last of whom played four seasons in Seattle with Bird, are tied for third with 294.

Because all of those players split their careers between multiple teams, Bird has an even bigger advantage over Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury (279) for the most wins with a single WNBA franchise.

“It’s amazing,” said Storm’s coach, Noelle Quinn, who played with Bird before retiring and joining the team’s coaching staff. “She would probably say it’s because she’s older. That’s always the answer. Just the longevity of an incredible player to have such an impact on the game.”

“It’s not just the assists with Sue, it’s making big plays, big shots. I think she played great defense tonight. Those intangibles that she brings, but also: She’s the GOAT, an amazing player with a long career and deserving of every record he’s about to break because he’s played for 20 years.

In fact, Bird downplayed the achievement, as she did when she became the WNBA’s all-time leader in games and minutes played, joining the record for assists she broke in 2017, as a product of the 19 seasons she has played since. that she was drafted by No. 1 Seattle from Connecticut in 2002. She noted that Whalen achieved the record in fewest games (480 to Bird’s 564).

Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon, who was playing for the opposing New York Liberty in Bird’s WNBA debut (a Storm loss), gave Bird more credit.

“He says he’s been on a lot of good teams for a long time,” Hammon said. “She’s always the head of the snake, I mean that in a good way. She’s who she is for a reason. She just makes the right play repeatedly, whatever she is.”

Seattle’s solid fourth quarter, fueled by 11 points from Jewell Lloyd and eight of Breanna Stewart, eclipsed the Storm debut of the former WNBA MVP, Tina Charles. Charles, who signed with Seattle as a free agent on Tuesday after reaching a buyout with the Mercury, came off the bench for the first time in her WNBA career.

According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Charles had started more games to start her career (373) than any other player in league history before coming off the bench for the first time. Charles outplayed Whalen’s former teammate Seimone Augustus, who started her first 363 games before coming off the bench in 2019.

Charles had 4 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in 16 minutes in his debut.

Ultimately, the night belonged to Bird, whose milestone was far greater than his 13 points and six assists in 25 minutes.

“She’s a winner,” Loyd summed up.