Sue Bird Could Miss Most Or All Of 2019 WNBA Season

Update #1, 1:13 pm: The Storm have formally confirmed the initial report in a press release and clarified that Bird will undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove a loose body in her left knee. They have ruled her out indefinitely.

The Seattle Storm will be without star guard Sue Bird for much if not all of the 2019 WNBA season, Arielle Chambers of High Post Hoops reports. The 38-year-old veteran injured her knee and will undergo surgery.

The estimated recovery for the procedure is 8-to-10 weeks although that’s dependent upon the success of the rehabilitation and Bird may or may not return this summer.

This isn’t Bird’s first run-in with knee issues, she missed the 2013 campaign after having cysts removed and sat out for other stretches in the 2016 Olympics and 2017 WNBA season.

Bird was just days away from tip-off in her 17th WNBA season. She averaged 10.1 points and 7.1 assists for the WNBA champions in 2018.

Bird isn’t Seattle first building block to be ruled out for much of the season. We wrote last month about Breanna Stewart’s Achilles injury that will cost her all of 2019.