USA soccer legend Megan Rapinoe and former WNBA star Sue Bird have announced that they have split after nine years together.
The sporting power couple had been dating for almost a decade after first meeting backstage at a photoshoot for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The athletes, both gold medal winners in their respective sports, got engaged in October 2020 but never tied the knot.
They confirmed that they were going their separate ways in a statement on Friday, insisting that it had not been an ‘easy decision.’
‘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,’ a statement read.
‘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. 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.
USA soccer legend Megan Rapinoe and former WNBA star Sue Bird have split
The couple had been dating for almost a decade after meeting at the 2016 Olympics in Rio
‘We are so grateful to this incredible community that has held us up, welcomed us in, and supported us exactly as we are. So many of you have reminded us, again and again, why loving out loud matters.’
The former couple launched their podcast, ‘A Touch More,’ in summer 2024, covering sports and the culture around it. They confirmed that following their shock split, they will also no longer be recording the show together.
‘Getting to create A Touch More: The Podcast and build a network around it has been a tremendous joy,’ their joint statement added.
‘The conversations, the laughter, the connection – it means more than we can put into words. While this 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.’
Rapinoe, 40, first came out in 2012 ahead of representing the USWNT on the Olympic stage at the London Games.
However, Bird was not publicly open about her sexuality until she and Rapinoe went public with their relationship.
Bird previously explained to the Seattle Times: ‘I think a lot of people who were like me at the time felt: ‘Yes, I was living my life, but I don’t have to come out publicly.’ You kinda say, ‘Well, straight people don’t have to come out.’ I understand now that’s not necessarily the right way to look at it.’
The soccer star popped the question to Bird in 2020 after four years of dating
Despite a lengthy engagement, the sports power couple never exchanged vows
They insisted that their decision to break up had not been an ‘easy decision’
She revealed to the newspaper: ‘Megan and I would have conversations about it, and she opened my eyes to another way of looking at it, which is that in today’s time, in today’s society, it’s still important to kind of say it to make it the norm.’
Despite getting together shortly after the Rio Olympic, where they were both competing for Team USA – Rapinoe in soccer and Brid in basketball – they did not go public with their romance until the following year.
In an interview with People in 2019, Rapinoe gushed over her then-Seattle Storm star girlfriend.
‘We are huge fans of each other. I have become, like, a Seattle Storm number one superfan, of course,’ Rapinoe said.
‘I think it is just the understanding of what we have to go through and the appreciation of, you know, each other’s skills and lives is really special. And in the same sense, we are just normal to each other. Which is really nice. Like, neither of us are like, “Oh wow you are the best person that has ever played basketball.” Which she is!’
Three years later, Rapinoe popped the question to the basketball legend in 2020, shortly after Bird won her fourth WNBA championship with the Seattle Storm.
Between the two of them, the duo have a total of six Olympic gold medals – five for Bird and one for Rapinoe. The soccer star also has a bronze from the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Rapinoe is a two-time World Cup winner, while Bird has won five Olympic gold medals
The USWNT icon passionately embraces her partner after Bird won gold at the Tokyo Olympics
Rapinoe previously got engaged to singer Sera Cahoone in 2015 but they ultimately broke up
Rapinoe previously got engaged to singer Sera Cahoone in 2015 but they ultimately broke up, and she has also dated her fellow soccer star Sarah Walsh.
Rapinoe is widely considered one of the most famous names in women’s soccer, having won two World Cups with the USA in addition to her Olympic success.
Meanwhile, Bird is a WNBA legend, cementing her status with four championships with the Storm, with whom she played her entire career. She also won two NCAA championships during her collegiate career with the UConn Huskies.
Bird retired from the sport in 2022. However, she didn’t step away from the spotlight, often being seen supporting her partner at various soccer games until Rapinoe’s own career in 2023.
