The one thing you learn is when you can step out of your comfort zone and be uncomfortable, you see what you're made of and who you are.
Sue Bird
Be kind. Be nice to yourself. You miss a shot, it's OK.
I think when you're a kid coming out of college, you're just kinda going with the flow. You don't really understand what's happening around you - you're just out there playing basketball - but now that I'm older and I see where the league has come in my 15 years, it's pretty cool to have witnessed it.
Usually men, usually a guy, a casual fan of maybe the NBA and somebody who then watches the WNBA, their instinct is quick to kind of size us up or put themselves against us.
The only thing that I've really noticed in my own experience is just people kind of saying that a woman, when they react to something exciting, 'Oh, that's a masculine way of reacting.' And to me, that's absurd. It's like, that's how humans - they get excited, and you yell, and you jump, and you flex. That's what you do.
All of the teams in this league that have won multiple championships, they didn't come out the gate winning. Sometimes you have to take those hits to understand what it takes to win.
I'm a big proponent of taking care of yourself.
As for Seattle, we are rebuilding - no doubt about it. And in the WNBA, it's not easy to rebuild. You can't dangle millions in front of quality free agents.
I'm a worrier, an overthinker, and - if it's your type of thing - a 3x WNBA champion.
I think, generally speaking as a player, when I hear the word 'scout,' it's usually, 'The Seattle Storm are playing the L.A. Sparks tomorrow; the assistant coaches are scouting the L.A. Sparks.' And then they come to us and give a scouting report on the players and the team.
I'm gay. Megan's my girlfriend... These aren't secrets to people who know me. I don't feel like I've not lived my life. I think people have this assumption that if you're not talking about it, you must be hiding it, like it's this secret. That was never the case for me.
I'm a big fan of the Kyrie shoe.
I think, overall, the name 'The Storm' in Seattle has just continued to grow. It has now become not just an afterthought that we have a WNBA team here: it has become a part of the 'fabric' of our sports society.
Soccer was actually my first love, but eventually, basketball took that over.
Basketball is a short period of time, and you've got to take advantage of it.
Jay-Z, for a lot of reasons, will always be my favorite. But actually, in terms of what I listen to, it bends towards hip-hop, but I like everything. The only thing I don't really love is country, but everything else I'm a huge fan of.
You kinda say, 'Well, straight people don't have to come out.' I understand now that's not necessarily the right way to look at it.
Basketball is basketball, so from a strategic standpoint, having a players' perspective is valuable.
Every great team has had to fail at some point in order to be successful.
New York is like a melting pot: so many different people, so many different cultures.
I thought that basketball and soccer were hard. And then I went to track practice. It's just running and running and running. And my event was the 400 hurdles. I ended up qualifying for state. But looking back on it, track was hard.
I am thrilled to be re-signing with the Storm. This franchise and city have been incredibly supportive throughout my career, and I am looking forward to getting back to work with my teammates.
I've been really fortunate to go, and it's exciting. You're going to the White House. I remember first walking into the room to meet President Obama and the aura... It's insane.
For a lot of players, it's not that they don't want to play anymore or that they get tired of it or bored of it. It's that their bodies give out.
I was probably 7 or 8 when I went to see the Bulls play and was able to see Michael Jordan.
There's something about dominant teams that draws fans in. People like to see this; they like to witness dominance.
'The Body Issue' is celebrating athletes' bodies, different sizes, different shapes... For me it's a celebration, and it's an honor to be in it.
I stick with all anti-inflammatory foods: tons of veggies, eggs, chicken, and fish. I will have some red meat, but only every now and then.
I don't really see myself as a sneakerhead. I think I'm someone that likes to have a nice pair of shoes on when they're playing.
I'm probably, like, the nosiest person you'll ever meet. Not in a rude way, but I like to be in the know.
I can take care of myself. You're probably never going to know if something bad is happening in my life. I think I was just made that way.
I really subscribe to the 'look good, feel good' mantra in terms of playing, in terms of getting out there.
I don't know that I'm as conservative as portrayed.
I don't feel this overwhelming pressure to play or to 'make money.' That's not my driving goal.
Going into your rookie year, whatever team does take you, and you get to camp, there's going to be a lot of talent in that gym. You're going to walk in a gym - and no matter what - there's going to be a lot of talent.
A lot of us players, if you were to ask them, feel like they have to play overseas. Why? 'Why not? Might as well do it while I can.' For a while, I felt that way - I've got to make the most money that I can. Now, do I feel like I could still play overseas? Absolutely. But I don't feel that pressure anymore.
I've become really strict in a lot of ways, but I'm also very lenient. I'm kind to myself.
That's how the WNBA is a lot of times. It's being in the right place at the right time and fulfilling a role. All of us in some way, shape, or form are role players. We have to do what our teams need of us.
I think I'd really like to live in Israel. Even for someone like myself who is not that into religion, you go to Israel, and it's breathtaking in a lot of ways.
When you're losing, and you're losing again, and you're losing 3... 4... 5 games in a row, it can be frustrating.
My high school class was the first one to know, during the college recruiting process, to know there was the option to play professional basketball, to know that the WNBA was there, and to know I better pick a school that is going to help me get to the next level.
As quickly as you can go 4-1, you can go 1-4. And the whole objective is not to get too high and not to get too low. It's one thing to tell somebody that and explain it, but it's another thing to really buy in, to have felt that and understand what it means to stay even-keel. That's what you have to be in this league.
I like knowing where my teammates are without having to look.
When I turned 30, the first question I got was, 'How much longer do you want to play?' And I don't see why that can't be when you turn 40. I really don't.
A young basketball player has people to look up to an emulate. We are a pro league, and we're on television. It makes a difference. It's shows what's possible.
I'm New York-born and raised.
At some high schools, you're the star player, and everything revolves around you.
Whether I retire tomorrow or in 20 years, I just want to get as much out as I can. But with that, I have an understanding that basketball's not forever.
My best vacations have been in Hawaii.
I think just by the nature of getting older, I hope that I'm a smarter basketball player than I was at 23.
