An honor worthy of her name: Sue Bird will be Connecticut's co-state bird each March

Five-time Olympic gold medalist. And now — Connecticut state bird? Basketball legend Sue Bird has another title coming her way, one that no other human has achieved before.

Under a bill approved by the Connecticut legislature and headed to Gov. Ned Lamont's desk, she will share the state bird designation every March with the longtime titleholder, the American robin, starting next year. “I think it’s a great honor,” state House Speaker Matt Ritter recently told reporters.

“When this bill is adopted, if the governor signs it, the month of March we will have two state birds. ” Bird is beloved in the Constitution State, where she led the University of Connecticut to two national titles as the Huskies' star point guard, including an undefeated season in her final year in 2002. A native of Syosset, New York, on Long Island, she went on to a 19-year career with the Seattle Storm, earning 13 All-Star selections and becoming the league’s all-time leader in assists, starts and minutes played before retiring in 2022.

She was enshrined into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame last year. Messages to Bird and her representatives were not immediately returned Thursday. She posted the news of her state bird designation on some of her social media sites.