DENVER — A household with Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird in it is always going to be in the news. But women’s sports’ most famous power couple has been especially atop the headlines lately.
Rapinoe’s return to the U.S. women’s soccer team was announced June 13. Three days later, Bird announced that this WNBA season will be her last. From there, Bird played two road games with major emotional significance: at Connecticut, the state where she became a college superstar; and at New York, with Brooklyn a few miles from her Long Island hometown.
To no one’s surprise, fans and media piled into both games. The Liberty’s attendance was their highest of the season, and the home players wore “Thank You Sue” shirts during warmups. Bird hit a big late 3-pointer to help the Storm earn an 81-72 win, and she got a standing ovation as she left the court for the final time.
