Confirming what had long been feared, the Seattle Storm announced on Tuesday that Sue Bird, the team’s superstar point guard, would miss the remainder of the season and the playoffs as she continued to recover from knee surgery.

Bird teamed with Breanna Stewart, the reigning most valuable player, last season to lead the Storm to the franchise’s third W.N.B.A. championship, but injuries have prevented both stars from playing this year. Going into a game on Tuesday, Seattle had a 16-15 record with three games remaining in the regular season; the Storm finished last season at 26-8 for the league’s best record.

In a statement released by the team on Tuesday, Bird, 38 , tried to keep the focus on her teammates, who recently clinched a spot in the 2019 playoffs despite not having the two stars of the franchise.