Sue Bird hoists the inaugural WNBA Commissioner's Cup.
Sue Bird hoists the inaugural WNBA Commissioner's Cup.
AP Photo/Matt York
  • The Seattle Storm beat the Connecticut Sun 79-57 to win the inaugural WNBA Commissioner's Cup.
  • Star Sue Bird held the trophy and joked it weighed "the same amount of pounds as our bonus money!"
  • The legendary point guard and her Storm teammates each took home $30,000 after the big win.
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Sue Bird and the Seattle Storm have brand new hardware to add to their trophy cabinet.

And players now have fuller wallets, too.

Seattle Storm players huddle up.
Seattle Storm players huddle up.
AP Photo/Ben Margot

With their 79-57 rout of WNBA MVP frontrunner Jonquel Jones and her Connecticut Sun Thursday night, the Storm won the innaugural WNBA Commissioner's Cup title and earned the bulk of the mid-season tournament's $500,000 pot.

Bird and her teammates earned $30,000 each for the win, and Seattle superstar Breanna Stewart took home an extra $5,000 after recording 17 points, four rebounds, and three assists to win Commissioner's Cup MVP honors.

Breanna Stewart (right) holds her Commissioner's Cup MVP trophy while posing alongside WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
Breanna Stewart (right) holds her Commissioner's Cup MVP trophy while posing alongside WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Following the lopsided victory, Bird – a WNBA legend and the league's all-time assists leader – hoisted the shiny Commissioner's Cup trophy in front of a vocal crowd at Phoenix's Footprint Center. When asked how much she thought it weighed, the point guard had some jokes for her teammates and the audience cheering them on.

"It actually weighs the same amount of pounds as our bonus money!" Bird shouted with a smirk.

@wnba

Just Commissioner’s Cup things 😂🏆 ##WNBA

♬ original sound - WNBA

She and the Storm players aren't the only ones leaving Arizona with extra money in their pockets. The Sun players will each receive $10,000 for their efforts to reach the Commissioner's Cup - which featured the teams from each conference with the best "Cup games" records from the first half of the WNBA season.

Connecticut Sun star Jonquel Jones.
Connecticut Sun star Jonquel Jones.
AP Photo/Stew Milne

The second leg of the 2021 season will kick off on Sunday, officially ending the five-week hiatus the league took during the Tokyo Olympics. Seattle currently leads the WNBA with a 16-5 record, while Connecticut sits atop the Eastern Conference at 14-6, but there are still plenty of games remaining before the playoffs begin on September 23.

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