Sue Bird On Coming Out As Gay: 'These Aren't Secrets To People Who Know Me'

SEATTLE, WA — Arguably the most accomplished basketball player in UConn's illustrious history revealed Thursday that she is gay and is dating U.S. women's soccer star Megan Rapinoe. In a tell-all interview with ESPNW's Mechelle Voepel, the ever private Bird said that her family and friends have known since she was selected No. 1 overall in the 2002 WNBA Draft.

"I'm gay. Megan's my girlfriend. ... These aren't secrets to people who know me," Bird told ESPNW. "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."

During the interview, Bird talked about her beginnings in basketball and those who helped her along the way. The quiet kid from Long Island managed to avoid controversy en route to becoming one of the best women's basketball players the world has seen.

She said she felt the time was right for her to come out and said that when she told her friends and family, it was a "non-issue." Bird and Rapinoe, a noted LGBT activist, have been dating since last fall.

The two-time national champion point guard at UConn was a catalyst of the school's women's basketball dynasty. She has also led the WNBA's Seattle Storm to two WNBA Championships and led Team USA to four Olympic gold medals.

Now 36, the oldest player in the WNBA, Bird is still among the league's top players. She was recently selected to her 10th All-Star game and remains the face of one of the league's premier organizations.

You can read the complete ESPNW piece on Bird here.

Image: Bird and Rapinoe at an NCAA college basketball game in Seattle on Dec. 11, 2016. (Elaine Thompson/Associated Press)