Diana Taurasi (left) hugs Sue Bird.
Diana Taurasi (left) hugs Sue Bird.
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
  • Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi may have played the final matchup of their legendary WNBA careers.
  • Bird's Storm lost Sunday's playoff contest in overtime to Taurasi and her Phoenix Mercury.
  • The duo – who are best friends and former college teammates – exchanged jerseys after the game.
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Two of the WNBA's greatest ever may have faced off for the final time.

Best friends and former college teammates Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi went head-to-head as the Seattle Storm hosted the Phoenix Mercury for a single-elimination playoff game Sunday night. When the Storm lost in overtime to end their 2021 campaign, reality set in that Bird – who is 40 years old – could be done for good.

Sue Bird plays for the Seattle Storm in 2006 (left) and 2021 (right).
Bird plays for the Seattle Storm in 2006 (left) and 2021 (right).
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson; AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn

"It's been amazing," Bird said, reflecting on her career to ESPN's Holly Rowe after the game. "I will take my time and make the right decision."

After conducting their on-court post-game press conference together – where Taurasi urged the crowd to chant "one more year" at Bird – the WNBA legends hugged, peeled off their uniforms, then posed while holding each other's jerseys.

Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird (right).
Bird (right) chats with Taurasi after their 2021 playoff matchup.
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

Taurasi, the league's all-time scoring leader, hugged her best friend again before running off the court with her fellow five-time Olympic gold medalist's uniform in hand. Bird, who has long led the WNBA in career assists, jogged away in the opposite direction, presumably to her locker room for what could have been the final time.

Check out the pair's emotional jersey swap below:

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