Megan Rapinoe Supports Fiancée Sue Bird at Her Emotional Jersey Retirement Ceremony

Getty / Steph Chambers

Megan Rapinoe was at Sue Bird’s side for her fiancée’s bittersweet jersey retirement ceremony in Seattle on June 11. Following Bird’s retirement from the WNBA, the soccer player paid tribute to her partner’s athletic legacy and impressive basketball career. “I love you so much, congratulations on arguably the best career that anyone has ever had in the history of any sport ever,” Rapinoe said to a smiling Bird. “Let’s get this party started.”

Bird announced her retirement plans last June and played her final game with the Seattle Storm the following September. “I didn’t really want to leave the court,” she said after her team lost the playoffs, and the same sentiment rang true at her jersey retirement. “I will forever miss it, and that’s OK,” Bird said in her 90-minute-long speech at the event. “I think some people try to avoid missing it when they’re in my seat up here, and the reality is I’m always going to miss it.”

An accomplished athlete in her own right, Rapinoe has proven to be one of Bird’s biggest supporters through the years, attending her games and sharing encouraging messages on social media. “The Greatest to ever do it. I am so proud of you,” Rapinoe captioned a September 2022 Instagram post after Bird’s last game. The pair initially met in 2016 at an event for the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and got engaged four years later. More recently, they launched their own production company called “A Touch More.”