Megan Rapinoe will play in her last world cup in 2023 yet, her love life with long-time girlfriend turned fiancee, Sue Bird is just taking off. Importantly, Bird would be one of those cheering for her from the sidelines. Aside from being a great support to Rapinoe, Bird is a successful athlete in her own right. The 42-year-old played professional basketball for the Seattle Storm of the WNBA between 2002 and 2022. Throughout her career, Bird won three titles across different decades.
Away from Megan’s love life, she comes from a supportive family made up of her parents, Jim and Denise. Also, the Ballon d’Or Féminin winner is one of five siblings including an older brother named Brian and a fraternal twin sister, Rachael Rapinoe.
Who is Megan Rapinoe’s Wife?
According to available information, Megan Rapinoe is not yet married but has been in a long time relationship with Sue Bird. Bird is a retired professional basketball player who was drafted as the first overall pick by the Seattle Storm in the WNBA draft of 2002. Since then, she played as a point guard for the team for two decades.
Prior, Bird who was born on October 16, 1980, to Herschel and Nancy Bird in Syosset started playing basketball at Christ the King high school, her alma mater. Subsequently, she made an impression as the New York Player of the Year while still a high school student. Unsurprisingly, her impressive record landed her a spot on the University of Connecticut(UConn) women’s basketball team. Her stellar performance earned her accolades including the Wade Trophy and Naismith Award. In one of her iconic plays which is regarded as the Best women’s basketball game ever played, she is said to have shot at the buzzer to win the game. As a result, the match has been immortalized in the book, Bird at the Buzzer.
Bird was picked first in the WNBA 2002 draft by the Seattle Stormers. The 5ft 9 inches tall player was with the team for two decades and helped push the team to its first WNBA championship in 2004 and several others over the years.
Also, she played for three Russian teams during the WNBA offseason between 2004 and 2014. Away from the WNBA, she also represented the US women’s basketball team at different times and helped secure many accolades and titles including;
- 5 Olympic Gold Medals
- 4 World Championship Gold Medals
- 1 World Championship Bronze Medal
Sue Bird Openly Came Out as Gay in 2017
Considering her career of many decades that attracted the attention and admiration of many, Bird’s s*xual orientation remained a downplayed detail till 2017. Reportedly, she came out as gay on July 20 of that year. According to her, she had been in a relationship with Megan Rapinoe since 2016. Apparently, they met at the Rio Olympics and shortly after, they started dating.
Though this is Bird’s first publicized relationship, we cannot say the same for Rapinoe. Rapinoe had been out since 2012 and dated several women including Sarah Walsh whom she dated for five years and Sera Cahoone. Rapinoe’s relationship with Cahoone was so serious that they got engaged in August 2017. However, things did not go well and they later parted ways.
Though the details of their breakup remain unclear, many speculations have linked Bird’s relationship with Rapinoe to part of the issue. They are said to have started dating in 2016 while Cahoone and Rapinoe canceled their wedding plans in 2017.
Let’s Megan Rapinoe’s Parents
Jim Rapinoe
Megan’s father is a US vet and a building contractor. Though he is not in the limelight like his daughter, he and other members of the family sacrificed so much to see her reach the height she is now enjoying.
From a young age, Jim was one of her coaches and he encouraged her to join the boy’s team because not many girls were into the game.
Years later, 75-year-old Jim has shown that his commitment to being a great dad has never stopped even though he does not always agree with some of her remarks.
Who is Denise Rapinoe, Megan’s Mother?
Denise Rapinoe is one of the greatest supporters of her daughters’ soccer dreams. Born in Texas, Denise who is the second among eight siblings, moved to San Bernardino when she was just 7 years old.
Her life was quite an eventful one as she left home at the age of 18 to marry her first husband in San Diego. By the time, she was 23, the marriage had failed and she was once again single with two children, Michael and Jenny. It was at this point that Denise met Jim, a fisherman at the time. Like her husband, she also supported the family by working as a waitress.
See Also: Who is Jana Kramer’s New Boyfriend, Allan Russell? All We Know
Megan Rapinoe is One of Five Siblings
While she is the most famous member of her family, Rapinoe is not the only child born to her parents. According to Wikipedia, she is one of five siblings including Michael and Jenny.
During her parent’s marriage, her older brother, Brian was born in 1980 while Megan and her Fraternal twin sister, Rachael were born on July 5, 1985. Their youngest brother, Austin Rapinoe was born on April 12, 2001.
Though the siblings all grew up together, Megan and her twin sister were very close with Brian whom they admired. Unsurprisingly, he influenced them to start playing soccer. Notably, Brian’s dream of playing soccer was cut short due to drug issues and clashes with the law that even led to imprisonment.
Like Brian, Rachael’s soccer dream was also cut short by injuries. Over time she became dependent on the painkillers which in itself contributed to her problems. Thankfully, she realized that she could encourage others even if her career had ended. This led to Rachael founding Mendi, a wellness brand that promotes the use of plants to relieve stress, aid sleep, and boost energy.
