Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird grated on each other in retirement before opting to go their separate ways, a source has told the Daily Mail after their shock split.
The sporting power couple, who had been dating for nearly a decade, announced on Friday that their relationship is over in a bombshell joint statement on social media.
Rapinoe, a two-time World Cup winner with the USA women’s soccer team, and WNBA legend Bird insisted the decision was not an easy one after calling time on their 10-year romance.
‘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,’ the former couple said. ‘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.’
Now an insider has lifted the lid on the story behind Rapinoe and Bird’s sudden split, claiming the pair clashed after spending too much time together in retirement.
‘Though they both have been retired for a few years from their respective sports, they have been able to venture out and do other things along with their podcasts both together and separate,’ the source said. ‘But one thing they couldn’t figure out was seeing each other all the time, which is crazy to say.
Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird grated on each other in retirement before opting to split up
The couple announced on Friday that they are going their separate ways after nearly a decade
‘When they were involved in their careers, they would see each other of course, but it was also the element of absence makes the heart grow fonder.
‘They just couldn’t figure out retirement together. And a small disagreement would turn into a bigger thing, and they started to look to friends like they resented each other. And before it got out of hand, as they realized it was bleeding out to their friends, they made the mutual decision to end it.’
Bird retired from basketball in 2022. However, she didn’t step away from the spotlight and was often seen supporting her partner at soccer games until Rapinoe brought her own career to a close in 2023.
The pair relaunched their podcast, ‘A Touch More,’ in summer 2024, covering women’s sports and the culture around it. They confirmed that, following their split, they will also no longer be recording the show together.
The insider stressed that their relationship is ‘over forever’ with no chance of a reconciliation.
‘With that said, they very much mean what they said in their statement of sharing wonderful memories with each other,’ the source added. ‘But they both realized that they weren’t making new memories, and it was better for them to break up before they tainted their wonderful history forever.’
The ex-couple also released a short, special-edition of their podcast on Friday afternoon, sharing a brief three-minute clip to their socials about the ‘personal news.’
Bird explained that they wanted to be ‘transparent’ about their separation after sharing so much of their relationship with their followers over the years.
Despite a lengthy engagement, Bird and Rapinoe never exchanged vows in their relationship
‘It’s going to look a little bit different going forward,’ Rapinoe admitted, before Bird explained that they plan to release six more limited episodes before closing that chapter of their lives.
‘I hope you all know that we put a lot of thought and care into this,’ Rapinoe added. ‘It’s a decision that we made together. We’re still going to be there for all of you and for each other, it’s just going to look and feel a little bit different.
‘We truly are evolving into something new to each other, to ourselves and to all of you.’
Rapinoe, 40, first came out in 2012 ahead of representing the USWNT on the Olympic stage at the London Games.
However, Bird, 45, was not publicly open about her sexuality until they went public with their relationship.
The basketball great 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.’
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 Olympics, 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.
Rapinoe is a two-time World Cup winner, while Bird has won five Olympic gold medals
The soccer star popped the question to Bird in 2020 (pictured) after four years of dating
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 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 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.
