Retired Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird collected multiple gold medals with Team USA and WNBA All-Star selections over her career. Along with the accolades, her aim to inspire future generations of WNBA players still stands.
On Tuesday, doll manufacturer Mattel announced that Bird would get her own Barbie doll as part of the company’s 65th anniversary celebration and Summer of Sports campaign, which is dedicated to highlighting women athletes.
Bird will become the first WNBA player with a Barbie doll, and will join Alexa Moreno, Mary Fowler, Christine Sinclair, Estelle Mossely, Federica Pellegrini, Susana Rodriguez, Ewa Swoboda and Venus Williams as athletes who are part of the initiative. Bird’s doll is the only one available for purchase.
“I grew up playing with Barbies so it’s kind of a surreal moment when something like this happens,” Bird told People.
Bird noted that there weren’t any dolls that represented athletes when she was a child and hopes that the doll will inspire children who aspire to be athletes.
“This is going to have that impact of ‘seeing it and being it,'” Bird said. “You want to leave an impact that isn’t just defined by winning and losing.
“Now little girls and boys are going to see a professional women’s basketball player in the form of a Barbie and they’re going to tap into that story, they’re going to tap into that career and they’re going to think ‘Oh, this is something I could do,'” Bird continued.
The five-time gold medalist was also involved in creating the doll.
“The one characteristic that probably is most represented on the doll is just how meticulous and careful I was with my hair. It’s just a simple ponytail, but I took a lot of pride in making sure there were no flyaways. Because for me, when I played, it was really important that I didn’t have to worry about anything else but playing,” Bird said.
Bird played 22 seasons in the WNBA before retiring in 2022.