Storm retire Sue Bird's No. 10 in postgame ceremony following loss to Mystics

Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

For more than two hours, Sue Bird was back commanding the middle of the court.

At times funny, at times emotional, Bird’s 21-year career received a ceremony that matched the longevity of her basketball exploits when the Seattle Storm retired the No. 10 she wore during her WNBA career on Sunday.

The event pushed nearly three hours in total length, with Bird’s speech taking up more than half that amount. But it was the comprehensive closure that never materialized after Bird’s career ended in the 2022 WNBA playoffs.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Former Seattle Storm player Sue Bird, in green, watches with her family as her jersey number is retired and lifted into the rafters during a ceremony following a WNBA basketball game between the Seattle Storm and the Washington Mystics, Sunday, June 11, 2023, in Seattle.  (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

"I didn’t anticipate it being that long, but the truth is I don’t know that I could have taken anything out," Bird said afterward. "That’s what this has meant to me. It was just so important for me to say names and to point people out and to tell them what they’ve meant."

From Bird’s fiancée Megan Rapinoe and hip-hop star Macklemore serving as emcee’s, to former teammates Swin Cash and Lauren Jackson giving heartfelt speeches, the event was Seattle’s opportunity to embrace Bird once more.

And for Bird to share her thanks to former coaches, teammates, family, friends and fans who watched her win four WNBA titles and five Olympic gold medals and become the standard by which all other point guards are judged.

BRITTNEY GRINER'S AGENT SAYS AIRPORT INCIDENT 'CLEAR REMINDER' WNBA