Sue Bird Talks ‘Special’ 60th Anniversary SI Swimsuit Legends Feature in Florida

The iconic athlete landed on the cover of the 60th anniversary magazine.

Cara O’Bleness | May 18, 2024

Sue Bird was photographed by Yu Tsai in Hollywood, Fla. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

While she’s known for her status as an iconic athlete, retired WNBA star Sue Bird is also a legend where SI Swimsuit is concerned. The 43-year-old first posed for the annual issue in 2022, when she traveled to St. Thomas with a few fellow pro basketball players and photographer Laretta Houston.

Bird returned to the fold this year as a brand legend after taking part in a group photo shoot at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., where she posed in front of visual artist Yu Tsai’s lens.

“It’s an honor to be amongst this group of women,” Bird stated at the time of the photo shoot earlier this spring. “When I participated in the photo shoot two years ago, it was such a wonderful expression of women’s empowerment and celebrating what WNBA players were doing on the court and off the court. To think of all the other women and their stories, and just really understanding that this is about empowerment and showing the differences between all of us, but that’s a good thing. It’s really special to be a part of something like this.”

In addition to the four WNBA championships under her belt, Bird is a gold medal Olympian and cofounder of production company A Touch More, which she created alongside her fiancé, fellow SI Swimsuit legend Megan Rapinoe.

Below are just a few of our favorite photos from Bird’s legendary SI Swimsuit photo shoot.

Sue Bird was photographed by Yu Tsai in Hollywood, Fla. Suit by: Alice + Olivia. Shoes by Nike. Jewelry by Charlie Lapson. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Published May 18, 2024

CARA O’BLENESS

Cara O’Bleness is a writer and editor on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Prior to joining SI Swimsuit in 2022, she worked as a writer and editor across a number of content verticals, including food, lifestyle, health and wellness, and small business and entrepreneurship. In her free time, O’Bleness loves reading, spending time with her family and making her way through Michigan’s many microbreweries. She is a graduate of Michigan State University’s School of Journalism.