Former WNBA superstar Sue Bird and American soccer legend Megan Rapinoe are two of the biggest names in the women’s sports world around the country.
Bird played 19 years in the WNBA, all of which came with the Seattle Storm after they selected her first overall in the 2002 WNBA Draft. Across 580 games in the regular season, Bird scored 11.7 points per contest to go along with 5.6 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals.
She was selected to 13 WNBA All-Star Games, eight All-WNBA teams, won four WNBA championships and was a first-ballot inductee into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe at the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games.© Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
As for Rapinoe, she spent her soccer career as one of the most impactful players in the history of the United States Women’s National Team. She helped the USWNT win a pair of World Cups in 2015 and 2019. In 203 international appearances, she scored 63 goals and had 73 assists.
She also spent all 10 of her years in the NWSL with the OL Reign. She had an unbelievable 2019 year, as she won The Best FIFA Women’s Player, the World Cup Golden Ball and Golden Boot and she took home the France Football Ballon d’Or.
Bird and Rapinoe began their relationship after they met at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. In 2020, the couple announced they were engaged, but they had not gotten married yet. On Friday, they announced in a collaborative Instagram post that they were separating.
“There really is no smooth or easy way to share this news. After a lot of thought, we’ve made the decision to separate as a couple,” the post said in part.
The athletic power couple has been together for nearly a decade and has been co-hosting the podcast, “A Touch More.” Bird and Rapinoe have also been pillars in the sports world and the LGBTQ+ community throughout their careers.
Related: WNBA Legend Sue Bird Achieves a Career-Defining Global Honor
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Apr 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
