One of the biggest power couples in sports has secured a few more rings. Early on Friday evening, Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird posted a photo to Instagram that captured the moment her long-time partner, soccer star Megan Rapinoe, proposed to her.
There's no caption on the picture, but it's not as if one's necessary for something like this.
Bird made headlines a few years ago when she announced in an interview with ESPN that she was gay and dating Rapinoe. "I'm gay," Bird said. "Megan's my girlfriend... These aren't secrets to people who know me. I don't feel like I've not lived my life. I think people have this assumption that if you're not talking about it, you must be hiding it, like it's this secret. That was never the case for me."
Despite playing professionally in the same city for many years, the two first met during the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where Bird helped Team USA take home the gold medal. Rapinoe and the USWNT team crashed out of the event without a medal, though the early exit allowed Rapinoe to catch some of Bird's games, and a mutual agent led to a connection. The rest, as they say, is history.
While known primarily for their achievements on the court and field -- Bird recently won her fourth WNBA championship with the Storm and has four Olympic gold medals, while Rapinoe has a gold medal and has won two World Cups -- the couple's celebrity status has transcended sports. Both have been vocal about social justice, and Rapinoe's decision to kneel during the national anthem prior to a game against Spain in 2019 even drew the ire of President Trump, who said her protest was not appropriate. (Bird responded with an article in The Players' Tribune entitled, "So the President F---ing Hates My Girlfriend.")
Bird just finished her 19th professional season with the Storm, where she helped them win their fourth championship in franchise history, and second in three years. She hasn't confirmed whether or not she'll be back for a 20th season, though she said after the title-clinching game she wants to return if she still feels good after her offseason program.
Rapinoe currently plays for the NWSL's OL Reign, who are also based in Seattle. Their 2020 season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, though the league put together a few mini events, including the Challenge Cup in the summer, and the Fall Series, which just concluded earlier this month.
