Sue Bird sidelined with bone bruise in her left knee

SEATTLE - Sue Bird will be sidelined for a bit as she recovers from a bone bruise in her left knee.

Seattle’s star guard felt the injury during the team’s win over Minnesota last week. Bird missed the Storm’s most recent game to rest the knee.

“It’s basically day-to-day. That’s where I’m at,” Bird said in a phone interview Monday from IMG Academy in Florida where all the WNBA teams are playing in a pandemic-shortened season.

“I thought resting that one game would be enough. It needs more time. Sadly bone bruises are the type of thing you can’t continue to play on and it gets better. It needs rest to get to the point where you can play in the schedule we have. I have to give it time to cool down.”

The WNBA’s all-time assist leader, who missed all of last season after having arthroscopic surgery on the same knee said she got tripped in the Minnesota game and her leg got clipped a little bit and her knee got crunched.

“The next day I was like ‘OK this doesn’t feel great.’ I tried to play in the Washington game and something was wrong,” she said.

Bird got an MRI and had her doctor in Seattle and the one in Connecticut who performed the surgery look at it.

“It’s not the worst news in the world. It’s not the worst kind of bone bruise. You don’t want to miss any games. I thought resting that one game would give me enough time. I need more time for it to heal.”

The 39-year-old Bird said that she was “super bummed,” to be missing any time.

“All of us players worked hard to get here and be physically fit and ready. I felt that I was there. Felt great the first two games. To have that happen is disappointing, but a small setback. I’m trying to see the bright side. Keep me rested.”

Jordin Canada will fill in for Bird as she did last year.

“Lucky our team is in position to withstand a player going out,” said Bird, who was averaging 10.7 points and 3.3 assists in this season. “Lucky for that, keep me rested for when we start to peak later in the season.”