It’s an end of an era for Sue Bird, who is considered by many to be one of the greatest players in WNBA history.
On Sept. 6, after Bird and her Seattle Storm were eliminated from the WNBA playoffs, the basketball star officially hung up her sneakers and retired from the league.
In a tough Game 4 during their semifinal series against the Las Vegas Aces, the Storm lost 97-92, bringing an end to the 40-year-old Bird’s epic career. She initially walked with her team off the court in Seattle, before changing course and going back.
“I didn’t really want to leave the court,” Bird said in her postgame press conference, ESPN reported. “It felt like that’s where everybody was going, so I just followed at first. But I also wanted to kind of have one last moment to say thank you, to soak it all in, because in some ways it is a happy thing.”
Speaking not long after the loss, Bird said she’s still figuring out how she feels about the end of her career.
“I think initially I felt sad about the season and the game,” she said. “I then think, as the emotions started to come to the surface, that’s also what I know deep down in that, that was my last game. So it was a combination of those two things, but overall it just feels kind of weird.”
Bird and the Storm had hoped to end her final season with another WNBA title, which would’ve been her fifth, but couldn’t overcome the Aces. The Seattle crowd chanted and cheered for Bird after the loss.
“I’m proud of everything we’ve accomplished here,” she said. “Of course I’m sad, but there’s happiness too, to be able to have a moment like that with the fans, to have them chant the way they did. I know the tears don’t look like happy tears, but there’s a lot of happiness.”
Bird, a native of New York, first made her name known at the University of Connecticut when she entered as a student-athlete in 1998. After recovering from an ACL injury, she helped lead the Huskies to a 2000 championship and capped her undefeated senior year with a 2002 championship.
In 2002, Bird was the first overall pick in the WNBA draft and was selected by the Storm. Throughout her close to two decades in the league, she became a four-time WNBA champion, the league’s all-time assist leader, a 12-time WNBA All-Star, five-time All-WNBA First Team member and was recently named to the W25 greatest of all time.
Outside of the WNBA, Bird collected a medley of international accolades, including her fifth Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics alongside fellow five-time gold medalist Taurasi. Bird is also a five-time EuroLeague Champion and two-time Europe SuperCup winner.
Off the court, Bird publicly came out as gay in 2017, sharing in the same ESPN article that she was in a relationship with soccer star Megan Rapinoe, whom she started dating after meeting at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The couple got engaged four years later in October 2020.
Though her basketball career has come to a close, Bird is continuing to be a pioneer.
In March, she teamed up with fellow Olympians Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel and Alex Morgan to create TOGETHXR, a new media and commerce company focused on giving a platform to women and women’s sports.
2023 has kicked off with a couple of big cancelations, which signals a potentially rough year coming up, which many other players throughout Hollywood will share. Here’s a look at the 2023 cancelations!
1899
The big-budget series from the creators of DARK had big expectations and big shoes to fill.
The mystery sci-fi show was one of Netflix’s most ambitious shows in years, using state-of-the-art technology and featuring an impressive ensemble cast.
Why was 1899 canceled?
Data provided to What’s on Netflix from European SVOD analytics company Digital i suggests that the completion rate was ultimately too low and likely wasn’t growing substantially. Their data suggests only around a third of people who started the show went onto finish the title.
Inside Job
The animated series Inside Job had been initially given a season 2 renewal order back in June 2022. Still, in January 2023, the creator confirmed rumors that Netflix had reversed the decision to renew.
In a statement on Twitter, the show’s creator Shion Takeuchi said:
I’m heartbroken to confirm that Netflix has decided to cancel season 2 of Inside Job. Over the years, these characters have become real people to me, and I am devastated not to be able to watch them grow up. Reagan and Brett deserved to get their ending and finally find happiness. And I would have loved to been able to share what was in store with you all.
He added, “To everyone who watched, thank you for coming along on the ride. Even though I’m sad, it helps to know that there’s people out there who cared just as much about these characters as me.”
This weekend is going to be quite the eventful one for Netflix subscribers! Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, Tudum officially returns this Saturday with a day that promises to bring with it a lot of exciting new reveals about Netflix’s biggest shows and movies!
The 24-hour event will bring fans the scoop on over 120 fan-favorite shows and movies including Bridgerton, Emily in Paris, Shadow and Bone, Wednesday, Manifest, You, Outer Banks, The Witcher, Heartstopper and more!
From first looks at upcoming titles, casting news, renewals and release date confirmations, there’s no telling what could be coming our way this weekend. The only thing that is certain? Fans won’t want to miss the event, but how exactly can you follow along from home?
Where to watch Tudum 2022
If you’re hoping to be able to watch this year’s Tudum event online, you’re in luck! While some events such as San Diego Comic-Con and D23 take place in-person with only select presentations from the event available to stream online, Tudum takes place exclusively online as a virtual event.
This Saturday, fans across the globe will be able to head to Netflix’s official YouTube account to watch the event online with the event set to be made available in 29 languages worldwide!
Do you have to pay for Tudum?
If you’re hoping to watch Tudum this weekend, don’t worry about having to break out your wallet or credit cards to pay for the event. The virtual event is free to Netflix fans worldwide as there is no cost to stream the event which can be viewed free of cost on the Netflix YouTube channel!
Allison Janney and Jurnee Smollett are the main attraction of the Netflix movie Lou as the two leading ladies. Janney plays a John Wick-esque character (complete with a beloved dog, but don’t worry, Jax makes it out alive!) while Smollett plays her neighbor, Hannah.
Lou is a hardened recluse living on the fringes of their secluded island, while Hannah is a single mother struggling to make ends meet to take care of her daughter, Vee.
A horrible storm hits the island, and someone kidnaps Hannah’s daughter in the midst of it, forcing her to turn to Lou for help. While searching for Vee, the two women are forced to confront some of the dark secrets from their past.
Even though Smollett and Janney are the stars, Lou has a great cast of actors that also includes Logan Marshall-Green and Greyston Holt (remember him as one of the hot werewolves from Bitten?).
Netflix movie Lou cast list
For those unfamiliar with Allison Janney, the powerhouse actress is a Hollywood staple. Throughout her many decades in the business, Janney has won countless accolades, including seven Primetime Emmy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award. She has also secured two Tony nominations.
Janney first rose to prominence playing C.J. Cregg on The West Wing. More recently, she starred as Bonnie Plunkett for nine seasons in the CBS sitcom Mom. Janney won her Oscar for I, Tonya, and has also appeared in projects like Masters of Sex, The Help, Juno, and many others. Next, she’ll star in the comedy miniseries Mrs. American Pie, the comedy film The People We Hate at the Wedding, and the sci-fi drama True Love.
Jurnee Smollett has been acting since she was a kid, with recurring roles in shows like Full House and On Our Own. But most people probably know her as Jess Merriweather in Friday Night Lights. The last few years have really helped cement Smollet’s status as a superstar. She played Dinah Lance/Black Canary in Birds of Prey and is reportedly going to reprise her role in a spinoff standalone movie at HBO Max.
Smollett also delivered an incredible performance in the short-lived but acclaimed HBO series Lovecraft Country and she recently starred opposite Miles Teller and Chris Hemsworth in the Netflix thriller Spiderhead. Next, she’ll star in the courtroom drama film The Burial with Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones.
Completing the cast trifecta is Logan Marshall-Green, who plays the film’s primary antagonist, Philip. You might recall Marshall-Green playing Trey Atwood in The O.C. He also recently completed a stint on the ABC series Big Sky.
Here’s the complete cast list for the Netflix movie:
Allison Janney as Lou
Jurnee Smollett as Hannah
Logan Marshall-Green as Philip
Ridley Asha Bateman as Vee
Matt Craven as Sheriff Rankin
Greyston Holt as Chris
Daniel Bernhardt as Tony
RJ Fetherstonhaugh as Gerry
Andres Collantes as Deputy Torres
Marci T. House as Agent Lee
Toby Levins as Agent Hampton
Netflix movie Lou starts streaming on Friday, September 23.