Sue Bird embracing ‘newish' version of herself after Megan Rapinoe split

The last few years have been filled with change for Sue Bird.

The Hall of Famer retired from basketball four years ago, ending a legendary career across college, WNBA and Olympic basketball.

Bird has also undergone some dramatic changes in her personal life over the last few months. In April, she and Megan Rapinoe announced they were separating after nearly 10 years together. Bird and Rapinoe, a two-time Women’s World Cup champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist with the U.S. women’s national team, were one of sport’s preeminent power couples before they jointly announced their split.

“We definitely planned on being together forever,” Bird said in a cover story for Women’s Health. “It’s like anything. It’s like, you grow, you change, you start having conversations about that in your relationship, and it just got to a point where we realized it might not be working anymore.”

Before Rapinoe, Bird said she kept much of her life — not just her relationship — private.

“I was actively hiding” she said. “It’s not just that you’re hiding who you’re dating. You end up hiding so much more.” 

A decade later, Bird credits Rapinoe for shaping who she is today and says she embraces the freedom that comes with being her true self.

“There’s no way I am who I am without being with Megan,” she said. “I get to take this kind of, like, newish, grown-ish, healed-ish version of myself and be out in the world again. It’s exciting, it’s scary, it’s all of it.”

Bird, 45, spent nearly half her life in the WNBA, becoming one of the most decorated basketball players of all time in the process. She is still plenty involved in basketball, as she holds leadership roles for the Storm and USA Basketball, hosts the “Bird’s Eye View” podcast and recently joined NBC as a WNBA analyst.

She uses many skills from her playing days — vision, consistency and knowing when to make a pass — to excel in her latest endeavors.

“How I approached my life, how I approached business ventures, was really similar to how I played the game. It’s not about influence; it’s like it’s who I was,” she said. “I wasn’t playing a part. I was the part.”

While Bird’s mind is still in the game, she says it’s the potential injury risk at her age that is keeping her on the sidelines.

“I’m never going to play a basketball game again,” she said. “I did it my whole life, for 42 years, and I’m just never going to do it again. But that’s the reality. I’m okay with it. Just sad sometimes. I’ll be sad about it forever, and that’s okay.”

A self-proclaimed “Robin” to others’ “Batman,” Bird said she is juggling her positions of power with her core identity as a point guard.

“I know I have different titles now, and I know that can be a dance that I have to do — but also probably a dance that other people feel like they have to do around me, which is just kind of my new life,” she said. “I’m getting used to it. That’s not easy.”

As she continues to grow and embrace her new gigs, Bird said she is also excited to grow the women’s game while covering the next generation of WNBA stars for NBC.

“There was this fine line that I think, or a tight rope really, that a lot of commentators and analysts had to walk, which is we’re trying to promote this game, we’re trying to get people to enjoy it, to like it, to pull them in, so we don’t want to be, like, too critical about it because that just gives the haters ammo,” she said.

“I think where we’ve gotten know is a lot of people try to just speak honestly … For me, it’s a line that I think about because some of these players are my friends … If I’m critical one day people are going to think that has anything to do with how I view a player overall.” 

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