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Sue Bird discusses the past and future with Kerith Burke, Logan Murdock

By Derek James

USA's guard Diana Taurasi (L) and USA's guard Sue Bird pose with their gold medals after the final of the Women's basketball competition at the Carioca Arena 1 in Rio de Janeiro on August 20, 2016 during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. / AFP / Andrej ISAKOVIC (Photo credit should read ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP via Getty Images)
USA's guard Diana Taurasi (L) and USA's guard Sue Bird pose with their gold medals after the final of the Women's basketball competition at the Carioca Arena 1 in Rio de Janeiro on August 20, 2016 during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. / AFP / Andrej ISAKOVIC (Photo credit should read ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP via Getty Images) /
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A revealing look at the icon, in her own words

You may not expect to hear as much from Sue Bird these days with no season. That hasn’t been the case. You can find Bird making the podcast and media rounds solo or four-hour Instagram live sessions with her girlfriend, Megan Rapinoe.

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Bird’s latest stop was joining Kerith Burke and Logan Murdock on the Runnin’ Plays Podcast. The three went back and forth for just over an hour on topics ranging from the illustrious alumni from her high school, meeting Diana Taurasi, coverage of the WNBA, and so much more. It’s an hour that’s worth your while if you’re a fan.

What makes this conversation great is how candid Bird is whether she was asked about her career, relationship, or even her sneaker collection. Here are some things we learned:

  • Bird and Taurasi considered teaming up. Around 2013, Bird and Taurasi were playing overseas and had the “what if?” conversation about teaming up in New York or Los Angeles. However, Bird said both her and Taurasi enjoyed playing in their respective cities too much to just leave, so the conversation never made it past dinner.
  • Bird knows her career is winding down. In five months, Bird will celebrate her 40th birthday and reach an age few athletes play beyond. Bird didn’t hesitate to say that she’s nearing the end and has thought about retirement for a few years. The first was after 2018 but then she wanted to help the Storm repeat. She also wanted to play in the 2020 Olympics but then she wanted to play in 2021 when the Storm’s Arena-to-be-named-later would have its renovations done. Bird wouldn’t say if 2021 is the end or if she would play past then, but it seems wise to appreciate her while she’s still playing.
  • Bird is high on Satou Sabally, in addition to Sabrina Ionescu. It’s inevitable that Ionescu’s name would come up in this conversation, especially since her and Bird are point guards. Yet, Bird eventually steered the discussion to how blown away with Sabally Team USA was after scrimmaging Oregon. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard high praise from the reigning No.2 overall pick, including Dallas saying Sabally would’ve been first overall in any other draft.

I’ll stop there in the interest of not spoiling the podcast because there’s so much to it that’s worth listening to. The conversation on covering athletes who have or haven’t come out yet was particularly enlightening and how we discuss them as people and players. Give this episode a listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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