Sue Bird Gives Strong Advice to WNBA Rookies Before 2025 Season

Sue Bird sent a clear message to WNBA rookies about their first season of professional basketball.

Sue Bird attends a ceremony to honor the Gotham FC 2023 NWSL Championship team on September 23, 2024. | IMAGO / Newscom World

May 2 marks the official start of the 2025 WNBA preseason, as the Chicago Sky are facing off against the Brazilian National Team in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the Dallas Wings are taking on the Las Vegas Aces.

This means that arguably the two biggest names in the 2025 WNBA Draft class (Wings star guard Paige Bueckers and Sky standout Hailey Van Lith) will be making their professional debuts on Friday. While it's easy to expect both players to immediately recreate their college success once they hit the floor, it would be foolish to expect them to transition to the WNBA so easily.

There's a major learning curve that comes during every rookie's first season. And WNBA icon Sue Bird detailed the key components to this learning curve during her appearance on a May 1 episode of Flau'jae Johnson's Best of Both Worlds podcast.

"In college, you don't lose a lot... so you've kind of got to adjust to the losing, if I'm being honest," Bird said when Flau'jae asked her advice about handling a rookie WNBA season. "This is so cliché, don't get too high with the highs, too low with the lows, all that stuff. But it's really true when it comes to the losing, because you're going to lose more than you ever have in your life. This is just a part of it."

She later added, "The margin of error is much smaller, so I think mentally, preparing for every game... there's no mid-majors that you're going up against, like 'Oh, I know we're going to win by 40.' It doesn't exist."

While Flau'jae still has one more college season before she needs to take this wisdom to heart, hopefully other rookies will hear Bird's advice before their WNBA debuts.