Sue Bird aims to please. That can mean hitting a teammate in a preferred spot with a pass, crisply delivered. That can mean satisfying as many colleagues as possible when playing the equivalent of point guard for the WNBA Players Association. That can mean accommodating all manner of requests for selfies, for autographs (yes, for interviews), as well as a Netflix entreaty to feature her in a forthcoming documentary. That can mean serving dutifully in her role as a daughter, sister, aunt and fiancé.
In Bird’s most recent WNBA appearance last fall, she was asked to take part in a postgame jersey swap with Diana Taurasi, a close friend since the 1990s at UConn.