"In 20 years, I hope I’m pissed": Q&A with Sue Bird on her new role with Nuggets, WNBA's momentum and what she values in a player

Instead of celebrating her third WNBA championship with offseason R&R, Sue Bird got a second job. Less than two months after Bird helped steer the Seattle Storm to a three-game sweep of the Washington Mystics, she agreed to work for the Denver Nuggets as a basketball operations associate. Bird has no plans to hang her sneakers up yet, but her role with the Nuggets has given her a taste of what a career in an NBA front office is like.

Sunday, Bird spoke to local media about her first few weeks with the Nuggets, Denver’s point guard play, Seattle’s championship run and the WNBA Players Association’s decision to opt out of it current collective bargaining agreement. Here were the highlights, which have been edited and condensed for clarity.

Q: What was the initial conversation like and how did this come about? 

Bird: It was pretty casual. Just kind of talking. (Nuggets president of basketball operations) Tim (Connelly) asking me some questions about what do you want to do when you’re done. That kind of thing. The one thing he said that really made that conversation go was, ‘Listen, I know you’re still a player. I know you want to continue your career. So this could be a way for you to do both.’ I was like, ‘Oh.’ I always thought about front office work, coaching, being with a team day in and day out. I thought that wasn’t something I was going to get to until I was done playing. That’s like you’re all in. You have to really commit. When he put it in a way where I could do both, it became extremely attractive.

What are your impressions about the two point guards on this team, Jamal Murray and Monte Morris? 

Bird: I think the best thing is that they’re different. They compliment each other. When Jamal’s in the game, he’s a guy who can put up big numbers in terms of scoring. Then you have Monte. It’s well documented that his assist-to-turnover ratio is insane. He’s less of a risk taker, but he can make plays as well. What I like most I think is they can play together. I’ve been impressed.

Q: What’s the end game for you?

Bird: I’m a player. I’m still focused on my playing career. I want to get the most out of that as possible whether I retire tomorrow or in 20 years. I just want to squeeze that, get as much out of it as I can. But with that, I have an understanding that basketball is not forever. You’ve got to do something. else. You’ve got to find your way. I don’t necessarily have an answer for what the end game is. Hopefully with this process I can find out if I’m any good at this, if this is for me and see what happens.

Q: The WNBA playoffs this year generated record ratings and created a lot more attention. There’s a lot more buzz now than ever. Did this playoff run with the Storm stand out to you? 

Bird: I think there are a couple ways to look at it. … This was the first major playoff run where social media was involved. It’s just this different type of hype. Obviously you guys know social media — it’s good, it’s bad. The whole nine yards. It definitely created a different kind of hype. The WNBA recently went to a balanced schedule, so everything’s even. What you get is the best two teams at the end. I think that made for exciting playoff rounds. It’s been three years in a row now where the semis and the Finals have been epic. And at the end of the day, it’s just good basketball.

Q: Are you optimistic you will be able to reach an agreement? (Editor’s note: The WNBA Players Association announced it was opting out of its collective bargaining agreement Nov. 1.) 

Bird: I think the good news about this CBA negotiation is you have players and you have people at the league office, we all want this to work. We all want what’s best. Obviously there is going to be some back and forth. That’s how negotiations work. We might say some things they don’t like, and they might say some things we don’t like. It’s all because we do want what’s best. We want this league to succeed.

Q: A lot of people look at you and other women in the NBA as trailblazers and paving a path for younger women to look up to. Is that the way you want yourself viewed? Or do you just kind of want to go about your business? 

Bird: There’s something nice about being part of a trailblazing crew. It’s hard to view myself that way because I look at Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes and Dawn Staley in that way. I also have an awareness that hopefully in 20 years, I’m the old disgruntled player that’s pissed they’re not making $5 million. I think that happens in the NBA. I hope I’m that person. I know that 20 years from now, I know I will be looked as part of that group that I just named, which is pretty crazy for me to be honest.

There is a responsibility. I want this league to succeed. The best part is we have such a great product right now. I’ve been in the league for 16, 17 years. This product — by far the best it’s ever been. With that, it is a little bit of a responsibility I’m welcoming of. Again in 20 years, I hope I’m pissed.

Q: What do you value most in a player? 

Bird: I think an understanding of who you are is by far the best quality you can have as a player. That means if you’re a star player and your job is to get us 30 every night, you need to embrace that and understand it. If it’s your job to guard the opposing team’s best player and come in for five minutes and work your butt off, you need to be OK with that and understand it. Sometimes people get outside of that, and it can be tough. If a player knows who they are, I want them on my team.