Mohegan Sun shows love for Bird
UNCASVILLE — While the Seattle Storm headed down the tunnel from the court to their locker room an hour before tipoff Friday night, Cali Durham charged up the Mohegan Sun Arena stairs, waving precious cargo. “I asked her to sign this,” Durham, 10, said, holding a small Pride Month poster she’d made, “and my friend, too, and she did.” Durham was wearing one of several green-andyellow Seattle No. 10 jerseys dotting the stands Friday night as Sue Bird, UConn legend turned WNBA legend, came to town for the second-to-last time as a pro to play the Connecticut Sun. Bird announced Thursday that this season would be her last. The Storm, also featuring UConn alumnae Breanna Stewart and Gabby Williams, drew a solid hand as they came out for the pregame shootaround from a crowd that stretched into the upper tier of the arena. All three Huskies products were starters. All three got applause when they were announced. Bird, called out last, drew a roar as most of the crowd jumped to their feet. She drained a left-side 3-pointer in the first minute that got another roar. “I think it’s special because it’s her last season,” said Durham, from Stonington. “I thought it would be pretty cool to see her in her last season.” Bird, 41, and the Storm visit the New York Liberty on Sunday at noon at Barclays Center (ESPN). It’ll be the last visit home as a pro for Bird, a Long Island native, which is one of the reasons she made her announcement Thursday. On July 28, she’ll come back here for her last trip to another home. Bird won two NCAA championships at UConn. She has won five Olympic gold medals, four WNBA championships, four World Cups. The Storm came into the game fourth in the league, a game and a half behind the second-place Sun.