Sue Bird says her breakup with Megan Rapinoe wasn’t about a sudden catastrophe, but about two people changing over time—despite years of plans to stay together forever. Bird, 45, spoke in an interview published Tuesday, June 9, and shared that couples therapy
Sue Bird didn’t treat the end of her relationship with Megan Rapinoe like a mystery—more like a moment that arrived after years of trying, growing, and talking.
The retired basketball star, 45, spoke to Women’s Health in an interview published Tuesday, June 9, opening up about her split from the 40-year-old soccer icon. Bird and Rapinoe had been together for 10 years, and the couple announced their breakup in April through a joint statement.
Bird described how it shifted from something assumed would last forever to something they couldn’t keep working.
“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. ” she said. adding that the separation came with a surprising sting since she and Megan “planned on being together forever.”.
Their relationship began long before the public announcements. Bird and Rapinoe first met during the 2016 Rio Olympics. They later announced their engagement in October 2020.
Now that they’re no longer together, Bird stressed that the split hasn’t soured their connection. She said they’re on “great terms,” and there is no “bad blood” between them.
One detail that’s stuck with her is how open they were about working through conflict and communication. Bird and Rapinoe talked about going to couples therapy on their joint podcast, A Touch More, and she says that experience has made coping with the breakup feel more manageable.
“It’s made it a lot more, for me, easier and calmer,” she shared. “Otherwise, sometimes it can feel like you’re set in stone on something, and that can bring an anxiety, but it hasn’t felt like that.”
As the relationship changed, so did their shared creative plans. In the same April announcement where they said they were no longer together, Megan and Sue also said they would end their podcast. The final episode was released on May 28.
Sue Bird Megan Rapinoe breakup 10 years together A Touch More couples therapy Women’s Health April announcement May 28 final episode