PersonJewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Sue Bird

Jewish American basketball great who won five consecutive Olympic gold medals with the United States from 2004 through Tokyo 2020.

United States

WOWyerrr / Wikimedia CommonsSourceCC BY-SA 4.0

Biography

Sue Bird is an American Jewish basketball player whose international career produced one of the most sustained runs of Olympic success in team-sport history. Born Suzanne Brigit Bird in Syosset, New York, on 16 October 1980, she became a leading point guard in college, professional basketball and the United States national team. Bird won Olympic gold at Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, completing five gold medals in five Olympic appearances. Her fifth title came on 8 August 2021. She also built a distinguished WNBA career marked by championships, leadership and longevity. Jewish biographical and sports sources document her Jewish family background. For JWR, Bird’s fifth Olympic gold is the achievement that brought her level with Ágnes Keleti at the verified maximum of five gold medals won by a Jewish woman.

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Records held by Sue Bird

Sue Bird playing for the Seattle Storm in 2017

JWR VerifiedFounding Record

SportsMost

Most Games Played in a WNBA Career

Record holder

Sue Bird

Record value

580 games

Sue Bird established the record for the Most Games Played in a WNBA Career with a final career total of "580 games". This achievement represents the greatest number of regular-season games played by one player. Her career spanned from 2002 to 2022, with all games played for the Seattle team in the United States. The final record total was set at the conclusion of her career in 2022.

Country represented: United States
Achievement location: Seattle, Washington, United States
Achievement date: 2022

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Ágnes Keleti
Sue Bird

JWR VerifiedFounding Record

Sports · Olympic Gamesmost / joint holders

Most Olympic Gold Medals Won by a Jewish Woman

Record holder

Ágnes Keleti&Sue Bird

Record value

5 Olympic gold medals each

Ágnes Keleti and Sue Bird are the joint holders of the JWR record for the most Olympic gold medals won by a Jewish woman, with five gold medals each. Keleti won five Olympic gymnastics golds across the 1952 Helsinki and 1956 Melbourne Games, as part of a ten-medal Olympic career. Bird won five consecutive Olympic basketball gold medals with the United States from Athens 2004 through Tokyo 2020, reaching her fifth on 8 August 2021. JWR’s comparison reviewed documented Jewish women Olympic champions across sports and found no eligible athlete with more than five official Olympic gold medals. Because the two athletes reached the same verified maximum through different sports and eras, the record is held jointly rather than broken by secondary criteria. The record value is therefore five Olympic gold medals each, with Bird’s fifth gold establishing the current tie.

Country represented: Hungary & United States

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