UConn in the WNBA: Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart are champions, again

On Tuesday night, the Seattle Storm completed their sweep of the Las Vegas in the WNBA Finals to win the franchise’s fourth championship. The Storm’s championship run was once again anchored by their two former UConn greats, Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart. Stewart was also unanimously named the 2020 WNBA Finals MVP, becoming the fifth player in league history to win the award multiple times.

Bird, wrapping up her 17th season in the league with another trophy, has been a part of all four of Seattle’s championships. Despite being a seasoned veteran, Bird continues to elevate her game at age 39.

The Huskies’ former point guard broke the record for the most assists in a single playoff game with 16 in the first game of the series, which also set a new career high for Bird. She followed it up with a 16-point and 10-assist double-double in Game 2, which puts her in sole possession of the record for playoff points/assists double-doubles with five (a record she previously shared with Diana Taurasi).

After missing the 2019 season with an Achilles injury, Stewart led Seattle right back to where they ended the season during her 2018 MVP and Finals MVP campaign. She’s now an impressive 6-0 in WNBA finals games and has already won two championships in just four seasons.

Stewart made a statement in game one, scoring 37 points and collecting 15 rebounds — reminding everyone (especially the one voter that did not include her on their All-WNBA first team ballot) why she’s widely considered the best player in the world. She became the first player in WNBA history to record 35+ points and 15 boards in a playoff game.

Despite a slow start in game two, Stewart still finished with 22 points. In game three, Stewart scored 26 points (in just 25 minutes) to set a new WNBA record, with six consecutive WNBA Finals games scoring 20 or more points.

Former Husky great Morgan Tuck also added a championship ring to her WNBA resume. Tuck, who was traded to the Storm from the Connecticut Sun this offseason, has now appeared in the WNBA finals in back to back years.