Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe have broken up, the two sports icons announced in statement on Friday.
The WNBA legend and USWNT star have been dating for nearly a decade and got engaged back in 2020, forming one of the sports world’s early definitions of “power couple.” Bird and Rapinoe announced their separation in a joint statement on their podcast, A Touch More, and on Instagram.
“This hasn't been an easy decision, but it's one we've made together with so much love, respect, and care for each other," Bird and Rapinoe’s joint Instagram post read. “We've shared a whole life over the last decade, through big moments and in quiet ones, and that is something we'll always carry with us.
"We are so grateful to this incredible community that has held us up, welcomed us in, and supported us exactly how we are. So many of you have reminded us, again and again, why loving out loud matters. ... While the chapter of doing the podcast together is ending, what we’ve built with you isn’t. Thank you for being with us through all of it... it means the world to us.”
With so much love 🫶 pic.twitter.com/Kd9iomFykI
— A Touch More (@atouchmore) April 17, 2026
A Touch More
As for their media futures, Rapinoe said she intends to launch her own individual podcast later this year. Bird, who currently serves in a management role for Team USA Basketball, will contribute to NBC’s coverage of the WNBA this season as well as continue to host her other podcast, Bird’s Eye View.
Bird and Rapinoe met in Seattle, where Bird played for the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and Rapinoe played for the NWSL’s Seattle Reign. Their relationship reportedly began in 2016, when they were both representing Team USA (on the basketball and soccer teams, respectively) at the Rio Summer Olympics. The two officially went public with their relationship a year later and announced their engagement in October 2020; they never ended up getting married.
“I'm gay. Megan's my girlfriend. ... These aren't secrets to people who know me,” Bird said in an interview with ESPN in 2017. “I don't feel like I've not lived my life. I think people have this assumption that if you're not talking about it, you must be hiding it, like it's this secret. That was never the case for me.”
Brid, 45, and Rapinoe, 40, are considered two of the greatest players of all time in their respective sports. Bird, a Hall of Fame point guard, won four WNBA titles during her two-decade stint with the Storm and clinched five Olympic gold medals during her glittering run with Team USA; Rapinoe won two World Cups, one Olympic gold medal and one Olympic bronze medal with the USWNT before retiring from international soccer in 2023. She is tied with USWNT legend Abby Wambach for third all-time in assists, and is one of only eight players in USWNT history with 50-plus career goals and 50-plus career assists.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe Announce Split After Nearly a Decade Together.
