Sue Bird understands Caitlin Clark’s losing predicament, expects brighter days in WNBA

Sue Bird can relate to Caitlin Clark’s early frustrations about losing in the WNBA.

But Bird knows from experience how things could change for the much-talked about rookie.

Now 43, Bird came out of UConn where she won two NCAA titles and only lost four games. Clark led her Iowa team to consecutive NCAA Championship games while becoming the NCAA Division I career scoring leader.

Both were No. 1 picks in the WNBA draft — 22 years apart — and landed on last-place teams.

Clark’s Indiana Fever have just one win in their first seven games. Bird, who eventually won four WNBA titles with Seattle, recommends patience for Clark. She recently watched courtside when New York beat Clark and Indiana before more than 17,000 fans at the Barclays Center.

Now a part-owner of the Storm, Bird joins Lisa Leslie (LA Sparks) and Renee Montgomery (Atlanta Dream) as former WNBA players turned owners.

Bird thinks more lucrative broadcast rights contracts and an improved collective bargaining agreement will “dramatically” change the WNBA landscape in the next few years. That may include better salaries, more teams and more players on a roster.