Sue Bird, 41, becomes oldest player in WNBA history to record a playoff double-double in Game 2

SEATTLE — In her final postseason, Seattle Storm point guard Sue Bird became the oldest player in WNBA history — at age 41 — to record a playoff double-double with 18 points and 10 assists in Sunday's 97-84 victory over the Washington Mystics.

Bird previously held the record of oldest WNBA player with a double-double in the postseason, having done so at age 39 during the Storm's 2020 WNBA Finals win over the Las Vegas Aces. According to stathead.com, just three NBA players have had a playoff double-double in their 40s, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (the only player to do older than Bird is now), Karl Malone and John Stockton.

After handing out just two assists in Thursday's narrow 86-83 Game 1 victory, when she frequently played off the ball, Bird had one in the first quarter Sunday while scoring nine points — her most in an opening period this season. Bird's playmaking took center stage the rest of the game, as she handed out seven assists in the second and third periods combined en route to leading Seattle to the sweep.

The 10th assist for Bird came on a drop-off to Tina Charles in the paint with 2:17 remaining that pushed Seattle's lead to 11 points. Washington would never seriously threaten the rest of the game.

With the win, the Storm advanced to the semifinals round for the third time since 2018. The previous two trips have resulted in championships in 2018 and 2020. In fact, Seattle is unbeaten in the semifinals and WNBA Finals during Bird's career, winning titles all four times the team has advanced that far.

The Storm will face the Las Vegas Aces, who completed a sweep over the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday, in a rematch of Seattle's 2020 Finals sweep.