Sue Bird Talks About Life in the WNBA Bubble With Megan Rapinoe and What She Learned About Protesting

Sue Bird and her fiancée Megan Rapinoe shared a closet for over two months in the WNBA bubble this summer. “We share a lot of our clothes,” the Seattle Storm point guard told me over Zoom recently, “just not our shoes.” The newly engaged couple have a work-around, though: “She's double-socked it to get in some of mine, and I've taken the soles out of her shoes, but you know that's only if it's the perfect shoe, and you need it to complete the fit.” Fits during the playoffs, of course, were more than just a means of self-expression—Bird and other WNBA players also used clothes to send messages highlighting and protesting police violence.

Following the killing of Jacob Blake by Kenosha, Wisconsin police in late August, the Milwaukee Bucks refused to take the court for Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Orlando Magic, setting off a movement that halted the NBA playoffs. The WNBA immediately followed suit by rescheduling games: "My room became like a New York City bodega. I was handing out T-shirts [that said “Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor”] to anyone that needed one," Bird recalls as she points in different directions to reenact the moment. "We want to continue the conversation," assures Bird. "I learned about myself from this experience too. I like being organized and organizing. I thrive in these situations."

Sue Bird caught up with GQ about life in the bubble, comparisons between her and LeBron James, and what she learned about protest movements.

GQ: You started this season with some pretty severe injuries. What was it like to experience injuries while in the bubble?

Sue Bird: I think being injured is always hard. You still go to practice, games, cheer your team on, even though you're not playing. And then on top of that, you have to add in all the working out and rehab. Your days get full and hectic.

In the bubble, you have even less of an escape. It was, wake up, find time to lift, find time to swim, swim, make sure I could practice, then find someplace in there to eat. And then before I knew it, I was going to bed. The days got monotonous, and not having any additional outlet made it even more intense.

Athletes have come forward about how tough the bubble was for their mental health. Was it harder on your mental health to be injured in such a confining environment?

I just think everybody needs an outlet. I was lucky that I had Megan with me. I was the only one on the team with their significant other. I understand how lucky I was, and I still struggled with [my mental health in the bubble]. Megan wasn't even playing, and she even had her moments.

Megan was by your side for all but two weeks in the bubble. Was it ever challenging to share your only alone time with someone?

Megan and I have been inseparable since March because of quarantine. In that way, the bubble was actually kind of nice because at least it was COVID-19 "safe." Even though we had to wear masks when we were indoors, for the most part, you could roam freely and grab dinner with a friend or hang out with your teammates. There was this flip side to the bubble. And to be honest, I miss some of it. I never thought I would say it, but I miss the freedom of not worrying.

What do you think Megan has taught you the most about athleticism?

She's just so confident. I think watching her go through her career, whether it's when we first started dating, when she had something to prove, to now. Megan has always been confident and attacked [life].

When she was in GQ, she shared a similar sentiment about you. Do you share a closet?

Yeah, we do. We share a lot of our clothes, just not our shoes. We are a size and a half apart. She's double socked it to get in some of mine, and I've taken the soles out of her shoes, but you know that's only if it's the perfect shoe, and you need it to complete the fit. Otherwise, we share everything except maybe jeans.

Our styles are totally different. She's way more of a risk-taker. I'm more sporty. She'll throw something on, and I'm like, "what the hell is that?" And then 20 minutes later, I get it. It's rubbed off on me. Now, I can't step out the door without Megan's approval.

Clothes were a means of protest this season. What was most powerful about that experience?

We wanted to continue the conversation. We all learned that it's a fast and efficient way to get a message out. Words can be taken out of context in an interview [or press appearance], but with clothes, it's the powerful message. A mask that says “vote,” a t-shirt that says, "say her name." Black players wore shirts that said “we are Breonna Taylor.” It was really special to see how we could all have impact.

I learned about myself from this experience. I like being organized and organizing. I thrive in these situations. When the Milwaukee Bucks decided not to play and our league followed suit, we all wanted to make sure we continued to get the message out. Some of us went on ESPN to talk with Holly Rowe, but the whole entire league went to the gym that was on the IMG campus. We were like, "Okay, I think we can all wear the same t-shirt. Let's wear arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor t-shirts." I started sending texts out, seeing if anybody needed a t-shirt. My room became like a New York City bodega. I was handing out T-shirts to anyone that needed one. I had 20-30 extras.

You've talked about how Black and queer athletes in the WNBA get far less praise than other professional athletes. How do you think this season changed that?

I feel like we had a lot of momentum heading towards our season, but we also dedicated our season to something bigger than ourselves. I definitely made some broad stroke comments about a nuanced topic, which took a life of its own. That was my first [experience with] clickbait. I think a lot of people out there, particularly men, thought I was referring to actual looks when I said “cute,” but that's a whole different story.

The coverage this season felt bigger. I even did a takeover for GQSports! Even something like scrolling on Twitter was nice to see so much WNBA [on my timeline]. The hoodies were another way that we were more visible. We saw how many more people were starting to support. It was great to see us have that kind of visibility.

How do you think Kobe played a part in that?

Kobe was genuinely interested in our league. He was always paying attention to the WNBA. His daughter turned it up a couple of notches, but he's still Kobe Bryant. His support moved the needle. Him wearing that hoodie meant a lot to our league.

How has this season changed your definition of success?

This summer was a lot to process. It was a shortened season too. What made this season successful was not even just the championship itself. It's that we moved the needle.

People ask about legacy all the time. The one thing I've learned about that question is that they probably aren't asking you about your legacy if you haven't already done a lot of cool shit. I feel like my basketball legacy will take care of itself. I'm not worried about it, but this is a different kind of legacy. This is about having an impact on how the game grows and how players can prosper in it.

There is so much that sports could be doing better right now to push for equality. A recent meme that compared your accomplishments and salary to LeBron James' went viral for a reason. Where are you focusing your attention right now?

That meme is a compliment. LeBron is arguably the best player to have ever played and to see some of my accomplishments be the "same" is incredible. Hopefully from an athlete standpoint, one of the most desired things would be for LeBron to look at me, Diana Taurasi, or Maya Moore, and feel the same way about us.

The money part is the hot take. I don't think we should be getting the same money as the men. Many people push that narrative on female athletes and get equal pay confused with what it means and what we're actually asking. Nobody in the WNBA is sitting here saying I should be making the same as LeBron. I'm not one of those people. I understand business. I understand how it works.

What we fight for is opportunity. We would love for equal opportunity in terms of media coverage and corporate sponsorships so we can grow and be where the NBA is, but nobody is sitting here asking to make what LeBron makes. We're also fighting to change the perception of our league. I've had people say to me like, "Oh, maybe if you guys wore skimpy jerseys, people would watch. Maybe if you guys didn't look like men, people would watch." This is my reality. Then I'll be like, "Have you seen a game? And they'll be like, "No."

I'm happy with where I am professionally right now. I'm lucky to be still playing. I'm just trying to soak as much as I can out of that. I know I don't have a lot of time.

Why do you so many people are fixated on the idea of you retiring?

I was getting these questions when I was 30. I think [women] probably get asked more, but I'm sure Tom Brady and Lebron still get asked all the time too.

Why would I want to stop when I'm playing a sport and I’m making a good living? When people are like, "Don't you want to do something else with your life?" I'm like, "Why would I want to do that? This is amazing."

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Originally Appeared on GQ