most WNBA regular-season games played after she passed Delisha Milton-Jones by playing her 500th game against the Atlanta Dream. By the end of the season, Bird finished with a career-high in assists, field goal shooting and a new career-high in three-point shooting percentage as the Storm finished as the number 1 seed in the league with a 26–8 record, receiving a double-bye to the semi-finals and home court advantage throughout the playoffs. In the semi-finals, the Storm defeated the Phoenix Mercury in a hard-fought five-game series. The Storm had a 2–0 lead, lost two in a row and finished off the series with a win in game 5 at home. Bird scored a season-high 22 points in game 5. With that win, the Storm would advance to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2010. In the Finals, they would sweep the Washington Mystics, winning their first championship in 8 years. During the first week of the 2019 season, Bird was sidelined as she once again underwent left knee surgery and was ruled out indefinitely. By September 2019, it was announced that Bird would not return, causing her to miss the entire season. Without Bird, the Storm were unable to defend their title as they were eliminated in the second round elimination game by the Los Angeles Sparks. In 2020, Bird would be fully healthy and make her return for the Storm. The season was delayed and shortened to 22 games in a bubble at IMG Academy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She had reaggravated her knee during the season, causing her to miss half of the games, with a fully healthy and active roster, the Storm finished 18–4 with the number 2 seed, receiving a double bye to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals they would sweep the Minnesota Lynx in three games, advancing back to the WNBA Finals for the second time in three years. In the Finals, the Storm would win the championship after defeating the Las Vegas Aces in a three-game sweep, earning Bird her fourth WNBA championship, making her the first player in WNBA history to win a championship in three different decades. In 2021, Bird re-signed with the Storm on a one-year deal, which allowed her to play her 18th season in the league, moving her past Milton-Jones for most seasons played in the WNBA. In a July 2021 game against the Los Angeles