Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird appear prior to the NWSL Championship 2025 final between the Washington Spirit and NJ/NY Gotham FC at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., on Nov. 22, 2025. 

One of the sports world’s most recognizable power couples is splitting up.

In a shared post on Instagram, former U.S. women’s national soccer team star Megan Rapinoe — who was born and raised in Redding, California — and WNBA legend Sue Bird announced their separation after nearly a decade together. The couple first met at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil and began dating later that year. They announced their engagement in late 2020.

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“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,” their dual statement read. “We’ve shared a whole life over the last decade, through big moments and in quiet ones,........

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