“Congratulations on … arguably the best career that anyone has ever had in the history of any sport ever,” Rapinoe told Bird
Sue Bird is “simply the best.”
That’s what U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe said – or sang, rather – to Bird, her fiancée, during the longtime WNBA star’s jersey retirement ceremony on Sunday in Seattle.
Bird, 42, had her No. 10 jersey retired in the rafters of the Climate Pledge Arena in front of the Seattle Storm’s largest crowd ever, during a ceremony that was co-hosted by Rapinoe, 37, and rapper Macklemore, a Seattle native and a noted fan of the Storm.
The three-hour ceremony included an emotional, hour-and-a-half speech by Bird, which was teed up by speeches from former teammates and those by Macklemore and Rapinoe, according to ESPN.
Bird won four WNBA championships with the Storm during her career. She also won two NCAA Championships with the University of Connecticut, five Olympic gold medals with the United States Women’s Basketball team, and was selected to the WNBA All-Star team 13 times on her way to becoming the league’s all-time assist leader.
“It’s crazy!” Macklemore said while listing her accomplishments on the court, as Rapinoe stood next to him.
When Rapinoe took center stage, all Bird could do was smile. Bird, who has been engaged to Rapinoe since 2020, was laughing along as her fiancée serenaded her with the late Tina Turner’s “The Best,” urging the crowd of more than 13,000 fans to sing along.
Rapinoe’s voice began to shake with emotion as she delivered her speech honoring her fiancée, telling Bird: “There’s no one like you.”
“You’re everything on the court that everybody could ever wish to be, all of the dreams that little kids have, you’ve done it all,” Rapinoe said. “And I think the thing that everybody knows in here and certainly the people closest to you is you’re so much better off of it. You’ve given everybody this beacon for all of these years, how to be, how to carry yourself, how to treat people.”
Bird’s retirement last season, following a 20-year career, ended one of the greatest basketball careers in the history of the game. Aside from her accolades in the U.S., Bird also was a five-time EuroLeague Champion and two-time Europe SuperCup winner.
She met Rapinoe at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the two athletes began dating shortly afterwards, announcing their engagement four years later.
“I love you so much,” Rapinoe told Bird on Sunday. “Congratulations on … arguably the best career that anyone has ever had in the history of any sport, ever.”