Revisiting Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird's Relationship Timeline
Olympic gold medalists Sue Bird andMegan Rapinoewere together for nearly a decade.
The pair met while backstage at a photo shoot for the 2016 Rio Olympics. "She was in her basketball uniform and she had her hair down," Rapinoe told NBC in 2021.
"We kinda crossed [paths] and she was like, ‘Oh, hey! Ready for your game?'" Bird added. "I was like, haha … funny."
The soccer star revealed that she kicked herself at the time for making "such a bad impression."
"So dorky," Bird teased. "I walked away like, ‘I thought you were supposed to be cool?' We joke about it now 'cause she was a total dork."
Theathletes got engaged in October 2020 after three years of dating but eventually called off their engagement in April 2026.
Scroll through for a timeline of their relationship:
2016
The two athletes met for the first time while backstage at a photoshoot for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Bird told NBC that Rapinoe was a "total dork" the first time they met.
2017
Bird announced that she is gay and in a relationship with Rapinoe in an interview with ESPNW. "I'm gay. Megan's my girlfriend … these aren't secrets to people who know me," the Olympic gold medalist told the outlet.
2018
The couple posed in the nude together for ESPN's Body Issue. "I mean, the Body Issue is just cool," Rapinoe said at the time. "I've done it once before. But even just looking through the magazine every year, it's a celebration of athletes in the way that we look, the muscles, the scars."
2020
The couple announced their engagement via Instagram with a captionless photo of Rapinoe down on one knee.
2021
Rapinoe congratulated her fiancé for winning her 5th Olympic Gold Medal in Tokyo. "I am so proud of you @sbird10 . As if I could love you any more . Congrats baby!" Rapinoe captioned an Instagram photo of her and Bird sharing an intimate moment courtside.
2022
Bird told E! That she hopes she and Rapinoe can be an inspiration to LGBTQ+ youth.
"I think it's so important that when Megan and I are walking down the street, there could be a little gay kid that says, ‘Oh! They're not the weird ones. They're just happy and they're living their lives,' and I feel like that's just so important," she said. "For me in middle school, high school, even in college, the gay one was the weird one and I just feel really passionately that we're able to change that."
2023
Rapinoe announced in July 2023 that she would retire after the current season. "It is with a deep sense of peace and gratitude that I have decided this will be my final season playing this beautiful game," she captioned a childhood photo via Instagram. "I never could have imagined the ways in which soccer would shape and change my life forever, but by the look on this little girl's face, I think she knew all along ."
Bird shared a supportive comment: "Congrats, baby!! That little girl is going to continue to do so much good in this world (but she sure did kill it on the field ). I love you ."
2024
The pair attended the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics together, sharing a kiss on Sunday, August 11, as they sat on the sideline at the Team USA women's basketball gold medal game against France at the Bercy Arena.
Bird and Rapinoe also attended the women's football gold medal match on Saturday, August 10, making the most of their time in the City of Love.
2026
Bird and Rapinoe called off their engagement after six years.
"There really is no smooth or easy way to share this news. After a lot of thought, we've made the decision to separate as a couple," they wrote in a joint Instagram statement in April 2026. "This hasn't been an easy decision, but it's one we've made together with so much love, respect and care for each other."
Bird and Rapinoe also confirmed that their joint podcast, "A Touch More," would also end.
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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 2:31 PM.