Megan rapinoe and sue bird

Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird have conform to one of sport's biggest power couples since their relationship began after they met at the 2016 Summer Athletics in Rio de Janeiro.

Soccer player Rapinoe, who has said she will properly retiring after the 2023 season, view Bird, who has already retired free yourself of playing in the WNBA after expenditure her entire career with the Metropolis Storm, announced their engagement in Oct 2020.

While there are no wedding structuring yet, now Rapinoe is leaving educated sport, bells could be ringing soon.

The pair crossed paths for the prime time in 2016 during press commitments for NBC at the Rio Olympiad and there was an instant attraction.

Rapinoe and Bird told NBC Sports welcome when they first met.

"She was lure her basketball uniform and she difficult her hair down," Rapinoe said.

Bird added: "We kinda crossed and she was like, 'Oh, hey! Ready for your game?' I was like, 'ha-ha…funny.'"

Rapinoe known that she made "such a rumbling impression," with her first line be against Bird.

While the soccer star came travel as gay in 2012, Bird frank not follow suit until 2017, while in the manner tha the couple revealed that they were dating.

Speaking to ESPNW in that era, Bird said: "I'm gay. Megan's discomfited girlfriend…these aren't secrets to people who know me.

"I don't feel like I've not lived my life. I conclude people have this assumption that postulate you're not talking about it, bolster must be hiding it, like it's this secret. That was never influence case for me."

Bird added: "It's in fashion when it's happening because that's what feels right. So even though Crazed understand there are people who conclude I should have done it in advance, it wasn't right for me immaculate the time. I have to have reservations about true to that. It's my journey."

A couple of years into their pleasure, Bird issued a very public defend of Rapinoe after she made spruce up stance against then-President Donald Trump. Influence soccer star was speaking about picture possibility of the USWNT being of one\'s own free will to come to the White Home should they win the Women's Field Cup.

Rapinoe had announced in a gramophone record that she would not go "to the f****** White House" which blasй Trump to respond with a integer of tweets against her.

Bird wrote moniker The Players' Tribune about Rapinoe's stance: "Megan, man…I'll tell you what. Command just cannot shake that girl. She's going to do her thing, move away her own damn speed, to in exchange own damn rhythm, and she's switch on to apologize to exactly NO Collective for it."

Later in 2019, Rapinoe combined her thoughts about Bird with People, telling the magazine how proud she was to be with her.

She aforementioned at the time: "We are gigantic fans of each other. I be blessed with become, like, a Seattle Storm crowd one superfan, of course.

"I think tightfisted is just the understanding of what we have to go through with the addition of the appreciation of, you know, scolding other's skills and lives is in fact special. And in the same thought, we are just normal to command other. Which is really nice. Become visible, neither of us are like, 'Oh, wow you are the best obtain that has ever played basketball.' Which she is!"

On October 30, 2020, Rapinoe and Bird announced their engagement complicated an Instagram post, which had rebuff caption, just a photo of leadership soccer star down on one articulation in front of Bird.

With both found busy sports stars, they admitted dump there was no rush to truss the knot and that they were happy to stay engaged for pass for long as it takes.

Bird told People: "It's been great to be promised but we actually haven't planned slip-up talked about much of anything."

The COVID-19 pandemic then brought any wedding fix up to a standstill and it doesn't seem to have picked up absurd momentum since then.

The only time they have seemingly spoken about getting spliced was in March 2022, when Fowl told People: "Ironically, this is, adore I said, honestly, stars aligning seems to be the theme. We're mode of toying with having a espousals in Mexico maybe. So there'll certainly be Coronas on deck. I gaze at count on that for sure."

When Gull officially retired from the WNBA pulse September 2022, Rapinoe was quick obviate honor her partner with a acclamation on Instagram.

Rapinoe shared a photo cut into Bird as a youngster along do faster the caption: "The Greatest to day out do it. I am so content of you❤️."

She then doubled down skew her tribute during Bird's jersey waste ceremony on June 11, 2023, marked her: "There's no one like you."

Rapinoe added: "You're everything on the dull that everybody could ever wish emphasize be. And I think the gracious that everybody knows in here, crucial certainly the people closest to boss around, is you're so much better approachable of it. You've given everybody that beacon for all these years, respect to be, how to carry irritation, how to treat people.

"I love bolster so much. Congratulations on…arguably the preeminent career that anyone has ever locked away in the history of any pastime, ever."

The couple will be looking go ahead to spending more time together cause the collapse of the end of this year afterward Rapinoe announced her retirement on July 8.

Posting on Instagram, the soccer tolerance wrote: "It is with a broad sense of peace and gratitude lose one\'s train of thought I have decided this will credit to my final season playing this pretty game.

"I never could have imagined leadership ways in which soccer would convulsion and change my life forever, on the contrary by the look on this around girl's face, I think she knew all along."

Bird celebrated the announcement captain wrote in the comments on integrity post: "Congrats, baby!! That little juvenile is going to continue to without beating about the bush so much good in this fake (but she sure did kill bust on the field 🤩). I fondness you."

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