Sue Bird vs LeBron James: Comparing the stats of the 2 living legends and celebrating their contribution to the game
Since the inception of the NBA, we have seen players go on to contribute immensely to the game of basketball. In its 75 years of existence, there have been dozens of superstar talents who have shaped the league into what it is today and gone on to become legends, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Chris Bosh, Michael Jordan, LeBron James and many others.
The WNBA, which was established more recently (April 22, 1996), has a similar legacy, with the likes of Tamika Catchings, Diana Taurasi, Sheryl Swoopes, Maya Moore, Sue Bird and others playing a huge role in the growth of the game. In this article, we will be taking a closer look at Bird's and James' stats and their contribution to the game we love.
Sue Bird vs LeBron James: Comparing the stats of the 2 living legends and celebrating their contribution to the game
Sue Bird
Sue Bird started her WNBA career in 2002 after being drafted by the Seattle Storm as the No. 1 overall pick and has since played 18 seasons with the Storm. She has made the All-Star team a record 12 times with a historic 4 WNBA championship titles under her belt (2004, 2010, 2018, 2020).
22 All-Star appearances.
7 @WNBA titles.
College teammates.
Lifelong friends.
Two basketball legends.
@S10Bird 🤝 @DianaTaurasi https://t.co/qA7xrkqnLG
Bird ties with US Olympic teammate Diana Taurasi as the only two players in Olympic basketball history to have won five gold medals. She's currently the only player in the history of the WNBA to have won titles in three different decades.
The 40-year-old star has also won four FIBA World Cups and two NCAA Championships with the UConn Huskies, becoming part of an exclusive list of 11 female players to win all four championships (WNBA, Olympics, FIBA and NCAA).
LeBron James
LeBron James, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft as selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers, is one of the greatest players in NBA history. He holds the record of being the only player in the NBA to have won championship titles with three different teams - the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers.
12 YEARS AGO TODAY 👑
24-year-old LeBron James won the first of his four MVP awards (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013) https://t.co/yY5T3zMsHX
James is currently the most decorated active player in the league with 4 championship rings, 2 Olympic gold medals, 8 MVP awards (4 NBA MVPs and 4 Finals MVPs) and 17 All-Star selections.
He is the third all-time leader in scoring in the NBA with 35,367 points in 1,310 games featured, with Karl Malone (36,928 points) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) in second and first place, respectively. He is well on his way to unseating Abdul-Jabbar if he remains fit and continues his good form.