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For many years, Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird were the face of women’s basketball in the U.S. The two combine for seven WNBA titles, 24 All-Star appearances, 15 All-WNBA First Team honors, 11 Olympic gold medals, and 11 EuroLeague championships. They are WNBA legends.
Sue Bird retired after the 2022 WNBA season, her nineteenth with the franchise. Diana Taurasi just announced her retirement after twenty seasons in the WNBA. Taurasi’s retirement marks the end of an era and not just for the Phoenix Mercury.
Ever since Taurasi announced her retirement, current and former players have been reminiscing about her career and accomplishments. Bird, who shared so much of her basketball journey with Taurasi, had to pitch in as well. On her podcast A Touch More, Bird told her favorite Taurasi stories, shared some memories, and made a surprising revelation.
Sue Bird reveals she and Diana Taurasi considered teaming up in New York
Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi played together in college, overseas, and on the U.S. national team. They never joined forces in the WNBA, however, as both stayed loyal to their respective franchise.
As it turns out, the two did briefly consider playing together in the WNBA, though. When Megan Rapinoe asked Bird on A Touch More whether she and Taurasi ever considered teaming up in the WNBA, Bird revealed their plans to do so and win the Liberty their first championship.
“Probably in the 2012, 2013 range, we were like, ‘what are we doing? Why don’t we play together in the WNBA?’” Bird said.
She added, “We got to the point where we knew it would be New York…because let’s be honest, I’m not going to Phoenix, and she’s not going to Seattle.”
While Bird further revealed that they even texted their agent that night, the idea never made it past that one conversation over dinner. Ultimately, Bird and Taurasi both decided that they were not ready to leave their respective franchises.
If Taurasi and Bird had teamed up, it certainly would have changed the landscape of the WNBA. The Liberty likely would not have had to wait until 2024 to secure their first championship. Bird and Taurasi even could have secured the franchise several titles, given their success with the Storm and Mercury. The duo also would have attracted other great players, which immediately would have turned the Liberty into a super team.
WNBA fans may have missed out on a great opportunity to see two legends team up but in exchange, they got to see the two have great battles on the court for several years. If there is one thing that is better than seeing two greats team up, it is seeing them play against each other with everything they have.
