Everything We Know About Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird's Love Story
Few athletic couples are as prolific as Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird. The soccer icon and basketball star have been dating since 2016, and together they've made waves both on and off their global platforms. After getting engaged in 2020, the two have been hard at work planning their wedding while simultaneously breaking records and collecting athletic accolades.
Here, we break down Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe's complete relationship timeline, which began—appropriately—at the 2016 Olympics. We also share the latest on the couple's highly-anticipated wedding plans, which fans are anxiously awaiting.
- Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird met at the 2016 Olympics and began dating shortly after. They publicly announced their relationship the following year.
- Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe got engaged in October 2020 after dating for four years.
- Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird aren't married yet, and have said their plans are dependent upon Rapinoe's busy soccer schedule. Bird previously revealed that they were considering having a destination wedding in Mexico.
In this article:
- Are Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe Married?
- Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird's Complete Relationship Timeline
- Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe's Wedding Predictions
Are Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe Married?
Does Megan Rapinoe have a wife? Are she and Sue Bird married yet? The answer is no. Although Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe have been wedding planning since 2020, they haven't walked down the aisle just yet. A few months after getting engaged, Bird told People Magazine that they were planning on taking their time throughout the wedding planning process. "I think we are both totally okay with the fact that this might not happen for a year, maybe two," she said. "We've always kind of known that this was forever, so we aren't necessarily in a rush."
As of summer 2023, the fiancées are still looking for the perfect date—something Bird told The Seattle Times in May 2022 was dependent upon their busy sports seasons. "We're on Megan's schedule," she explained. "My schedule is open in the offseason. I got time. WNBA is only in the summer. I got time. We're basically waiting to see what Megan's soccer future holds and then we'll go on that. The soccer schedule is a nightmare. They literally play all year."
Fans who are anxiously awaiting this celebrity wedding might not have to wait much longer, though. "If I had to guess a year, I think the World Cup is 2023 for them. It'll probably be after that," Bird predicted. "It's purely based on schedule. It's not even what we want. If it was up to us, we would have done it a year ago."
Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird's Complete Relationship Timeline
Before they became one of the biggest athletic power couples, well, ever, Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird were preparing for their respective events at one of the biggest sporting competitions in the world. Relive their complete relationship timeline here.
Summer 2016: Megan and Sue Meet at the Olympics
We couldn't think of a better place for this celebrity love story to begin. Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird met while doing press interviews at the 2016 Summer Olympics—and their meet-cute was totally worthy of a rom-com. "She was in her basketball uniform and she had her hair down," Rapinoe later recalled to NBC Sports.
Bird added, "We kinda crossed and she was like, 'Oh, hey! Ready for your game?' I was like, 'Ha-ha … funny.'" Although Rapinoe was convinced she made "such a bad impression," Bird confirmed that she was smitten by the "dorky" encounter.
July 2017: Sue Publicly Comes Out and Confirms She's Dating Megan
Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird began dating shortly after their Olympics run-in, though they didn't go public with their romance until the following year. While Rapinoe publicly came out as gay in 2012 through an OUT Magazine story, Bird did so in a 2017 interview with ESPNW. "I'm gay. Megan's my girlfriend…These aren't secrets to people who know me," she said. "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."
She continued, "It's happening when it's happening because that's what feels right. So even though I understand there are people who think I should have done it sooner, it wasn't right for me at the time. I have to be true to that. It's my journey."
June 2018: Megan and Sue Appear in ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue
The next summer, Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe made history as the first same-sex couple to be featured in ESPN The Magazine as they posed nude on the cover of the publication's Body Issue. "I think it's important to do these things first. It's important for people to come out. Visibility is important," Rapinoe shared in the feature. "I feel like [there are] a lot of negative ideas that hopefully I can break down just by being myself."
She added, "Not only are we female athletes, but we're dating as well. It's kind of badass."
Bird chimed in, saying, "Yeah, I think it'll probably be even more badass later. A year, five years, 10 years, 20 years, to look back and be like, 'Oh, they were the first openly gay couple to be in the issue.'"
July 2019: Sue Defends Megan Against Donald Trump
Megan Rapinoe made headlines in July 2019 when she said she wouldn't go "to the f—ing White House" if the US women's national soccer team won the World Cup that season. President Donald Trump responded to Rapinoe's comments in a series of degrading tweets about Rapinoe and the soccer team.
Bird supported her girlfriend by penning a powerful essay for The Players' Tribune titled "So the President F------ Hates My Girlfriend." In the piece, she praised Rapinoe's strength and resilience, writing, "Megan, man…I'll tell you what. You just cannot shake that girl. She's going to do her thing, at her own damn speed, to her own damn rhythm, and she's going to apologize to exactly NO ONE for it."
She finished the essay by illustrating what it was like watching Rapinoe take the soccer field after experiencing harsh comments and vitriol online. "I was happy. I was crazy. I was PROUD," she mused. "I was pretending to know about soccer. I was a little overwhelmed. I was pretty damn American. And I was in love with Megan Rapinoe."
July 2019: Sue Celebrates Megan's World Cup Win
That same month, Megan Rapinoe and the US Womens Soccer team went on to win the World Cup against the Netherlands. Bird was cheering her girlfriend on from the stands, and ran onto the field to give her a celebratory kiss when the match ended.
June 2020: Megan and Sue Host the 2020 ESPY Awards
In June 2020, Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird had the honor of hosting the 2020 ESPY Awards, an annual event that celebrates the top athletes and sport achievements of the year. The couple hosted the ceremony alongside NFL star Russell Wilson. Together, they used their platform to speak about how sports can be used to promote positive social change. They encouraged viewers to support the Black Lives Matter movement and to stand up against racial injustice.
October 2020: Megan and Sue Get Engaged
After four years of dating, Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird got engaged in October 2020. The basketball star confirmed the happy news on Instagram by posting a caption-less picture of Rapinoe down on one knee placing a ring on Bird's finger while she was in a pool.
December 2020: Sue and Megan Open Up About Wedding Planning
Before the end of the year, Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe gave People an update on their wedding timeline. "It's been great to be engaged, but we actually haven't planned or talked about much of anything," Bird told the outlet, noting that the pandemic encouraged them to slow their timeline. "I think the one thing we do agree on is that we would love to have our wedding once things have settled down in terms of COVID-19 because we want to have a stress-free environment where we are not having to worry about testing and this and that, which is kind of the life that we are living now."
August 2021: Megan Supports Sue at the Summer Olympics
Sue Bird was a flag bearer for the United States at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and, unsurprisingly, Rapinoe couldn't have been prouder of her fiancée. "She told me on text, she heard at practice," Rapinoe said during NBC's opening ceremony broadcast. "In typical Sue fashion, she was very low-key about it but I did see the video when [Diana Taurasi] told her and I think that says it all. Unlike me, she doesn't like a lot of the attention but I think you could tell at that moment just how much it meant to her."
A few weeks later, Bird won her fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal against Japan. Rapinoe was in the crowd cheering her on the whole time and was photographed giving her a kiss after the winning game. "[I'm] honestly inspired, and I told her the other day, it feels, like, corny to say but it's like everything you would want in someone that you would look up to," Rapinoe said in an interview with NBC. "Obviously, I get to be with her and I love her, that's the most special part."
She continued, "She just does things the right way. She plays with a sense of joy, she makes everyone else around her better on and off the court. She's just an amazing person. I'm gonna start tearing up. You're gonna make me cry on national TV."
March 2022: Sue Teases Plans for a Destination Wedding
Despite their demanding schedules, Sue Bird told People that she and Megan did make some progress on their wedding planning checklist. "We're kind of toying with having a wedding in Mexico, maybe," she revealed. "So there'll definitely be Coronas on deck. I can count on that for sure."
June 2022: Megan Supports Sue Amid Her Retirement
On June 16, 2022, Sue Bird announced her intention to retire from the WNBA. "I've decided this will be my final year," she wrote on Instagram. "I have loved every single minute, and still do, so gonna play my last year just like this little girl played her first ☺️ #TheFinalYear."
Ever her fiercest supporter, Rapinoe left an encouraging message on the emotional post: "I love you baby ❤️ Congrats on the greatest career the @wnba has ever seen!"
After Bird's last WNBA home game, Rapinoe posted a sweet tribute on Instagram. "The Greatest to ever do it," Rapinoe captioned a childhood picture of Bird in her basketball uniform. "I am so proud of you❤️."
December 2022: Megan and Sue Launch a Production Company
Before the turn of the new year, Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird announced the launch of their joint production company A Touch More, which was created to share stories about identity, activism and underrepresented communities, including LGBTQ people, people of color, and women. "As athletes, we know how powerful our platforms are and the impact we can have on the world," the couple said in a statement. "A Touch More is a manifestation of our values, and our desire to bring to the surface stories of those who shape and move culture forward. We're incredibly excited for some of the projects we have in the works and can't wait to share more about this next chapter."
Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe's Wedding Predictions
Although we don't know an exact date for Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe's wedding quite yet, we can daydream about what their nuptials might look like—especially amid buzz for the 2023 World Cup. For starters, there's a good chance we'll see a lot of familiar faces in attendance. We predict fellow teammates and sports stars like Alex Morgan, Julie and Zach Ertz, Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris, Diana Taurasi and Breanna Stewart will be included on the guest list. And, considering Bird's wishes to have "Coronas on deck," we think the couple will get married in a tropical destination wedding.
Given their dedication to activism, we also wouldn't be surprised if Megan and Sue use their wedding to give back. Perhaps they'll encourage their guests to donate to a charity in lieu of gifts, or they'll use the attention from their nuptials to advocate for a cause close to their hearts.