I hadn’t actually seen Climate Pledge Arena (CPA) until the first Storm preseason game at the end of April. I used to live in Lower Queen Anne and was used to the “old” Key Arena: dark, cavernous, sterile, and cold from the outside.
Sue Bird was used to it, too.
The first time she walked into CPA for a Kraken game, “there was a little part of me that was sad,” she said. Sad because Key Arena had been Bird’s home court since she was drafted into the WNBA two decades ago.
Thousands of people lined the streets around Seattle Center for a parade and filled Key Arena for a rally Sunday, September 16, for the WNBA Champion Seattle Storm. The team traveled a short distance around the Seattle Center in trolley cars to the Key Arena, where they were greeted by the adoring fans and a few dignitaries including Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best, and Washington Senator Maria Cantwell. Six-thousand people filled Key Arena and heard from the players and owners, watched highlights from the season, and cheered wildly when veteran Sue Bird said that she would be back next year for her 17th season.
