Sue Bird Traded Her Basketball Uniform For Sleek Black Swimsuits in St. Thomas

The retired WNBA star and five-time Olympic medalist stunned during her 2022 SI Swimsuit feature.

Ananya Panchal | Jan 6, 2024

Sue Bird was photographed by Laretta Houston in St. Thomas.

Laretta Houston/Sports Illustrated

Retired WNBA star Sue Bird is a four-time consecutive Olympic gold medalist and undeniably one of the most talented female basketball players ever. The former Seattle Storm point guard, who was the team’s No. 1 draft pick in 2002, spent her entire stacked and legendary career there, and lead the team to four WNBA championships.

The 12-time WNBA All-Star retired from the sport in 2022, the same year she posed for the SI Swimsuit Issue in St. Thomas alongside fellow powerful female athletes, including Breanna Stewart, DiDi Richards, Nneka Ogwumike and Te’a Cooper.

“I don’t know if [my accomplishments have] sunk in. I think it’s one of those things you’ll appreciate more when you’re done. I definitely have moments where I can look back and be proud of certain moments or proud of certain achievements, but also it’s about who you do it with and the journey of that. I’ve been really fortunate … to play with the players I’ve played with, some of the all-time greats. It’s hard to pick what I’m most proud of, sometimes I think it’s some of the things I’ve done toward the end of my career because I didn’t expect to still be playing,” Bird said about the most rewarding part of her 20-plus-year career. “I joke that I’m on borrowed time. I think back to some of the earlier moments, when I was proving myself, when I hadn’t done anything [yet] and getting over the hump of actually winning for the first time. There’s all kinds of stuff sprinkled in between. Maybe what I’m most proud of is I’ve done it in different decades—not many people can say they stayed on the top of their game for this long.”

Today, the 43-year-old is engaged to retired USWNT soccer star Megan Rapinoe, 38. The two run production company A Touch More together.

Below are five fierce photos from Bird’s 2022 SI Swimsuit photoshoot with Laretta Houston in St. Thomas.

Sue Bird was photographed by Laretta Houston in St. Thomas. Swimsuit by SKATIE. Top by Natalia Fedner.

Sue Bird was photographed by Laretta Houston in St. Thomas. Swimsuit by Thaikila.

Sue Bird was photographed by Laretta Houston in St. Thomas. Swimsuit by SKATIE. Necklaces by Sahira Jewelry Design and Child of Wild.

Sue Bird was photographed by Laretta Houston in St. Thomas. Swimsuit by Antoninias. Earrings by Eklexic.

Sue Bird was photographed by Laretta Houston in St. Thomas. Swimsuit by SKATIE. Top by Natalia Fedner.

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Published Jan 6, 2024

ANANYA PANCHAL

Ananya Panchal is a writer on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Before joining SI Swimsuit in 2022, she worked at Bustle, the San Francisco Chronicle and the TODAY Show. When she is not writing or doom-scrolling on social media, Panchal can be found playing sudoku, rewatching One Tree Hill or trying new restaurants. She's also a coffee and chocolate (separately) enthusiast. Panchal has a bachelor’s in communications and journalism from Boston University.