The Potential Point GOAT

What if I told you that there is a basketball player so game changingly dominant that they won at every single stage of the sport? This player has competed against the most skilled opponents in the world year-in and year-out, and their career is old enough to buy a lottery ticket. They’ve won four league championships, five Olympic gold medals, two NCAA championships, and four FIBA World Cups. They are a 12-time All-Star, appearing among the league’s best players for over a decade and well over half their career. Who could this hooper be, and why can’t you put your finger on who it is?

This generational talent is Sue Bird, and she goes unsung because she’s a woman in the WNBA. That’s the honest truth. Bird almost never gets the respect that she deserves because she happened to be born with ovaries. But she has somehow combined LeBron’s endurance and Steve Nash’s pure point skills. She has dished out more assists than anyone in WNBA history by a HUGE margin, and she’s currently fourth all-time in steals. Oh, and she’s seventh all-time in scoring, second in made threes, and first in minutes played. But very few ever even talk about her. Don’t worry, readers, I’m here to give you what you need to know about the farm animal that is point GOAT Sue Bird.

In a past life, Sue was probably a midwife or a mail professional, because she always delivers. More specifically, she puts the ball exactly where it needs to go. I made the comparison to Steve Nash, and the similarities are unnerving. Bird’s quickness causes defenses to break down and scramble, but it’s really her patience that sets her apart. Rather than always making the first available pass or the “most conventional” one, Bird holds onto the ball for a touch longer than most, really waiting for the best play rather than a good one. Combine that with her ability to use head fakes and throw one-handed bullets, and she’s the ultimate quarterback.

There’s also no pass in existence that she can’t throw. She has the full repertoire, from no-looks, to wrap-arounds, to drop-offs, full courters. If you can think of it, she can do it. With all of these options at her disposal, there is virtually no situation in which she cannot find an open teammate. While passing is certainly generational, make no mistake: she can go get a bucket too.

The Steve Nash comparison is perhaps a bit reductive, but apt nonetheless. Bird’s previously mentioned bursts of quickness are still impressive at her age. In the 2020 WNBA Finals, Bird proved her prowess not only with dimes galore, but stout defense and timely buckets. That quickness leads to penetrating drives that suck in the defense, but Bird’s passing ability opens up her scoring options because defenses have to respect it. If they don’t double her or if the help never comes, she will find a way to score. She’s also a stalwart shooter. Her stroke is buttery smooth and lightning quick, and she’s lethal from any distance. For her career, she’s averaging 85% from the charity stripe and 39.3% from deep.

But Sue Bird will go unsung by many. Most basketball fans have never even seen her play. Even looking for her highlights is difficult, as the footage just isn’t readily available. How can we, as a hoops loving fanbase, let this generational talent go unheralded? Well I won’t stand for it.

Dear Sue,

In the event that you read this, know that I am a huge fan. Also know that I think you belong among basketball’s immortals. You are destined for the Hall of Fame whenever you decide to finally hang up the jersey. Even with a place in the Naismith Hall of Fame, people will gloss over your name as someone who must’ve been good, but they’ve never heard of. But not me. This site will forever remember just how good you were and continue to be. The combination of production and longevity is exceedingly uncommon in sports, and you should be celebrated for that alone. Whenever someone brings up the age old argument of the game’s best point guards, know that I’m throwing your name into the ring every. Single. Time. Welcome to FDC’s Hallowed Hall of Hoops. Congratulations on your enshrinement, Ms. Bird. You are not forgotten.