Camille Naredo

Article (news)

Sue Bird

Reuters Wires

Five-time Olympic basketball champion Sue Bird said she would draw on experience to help the U.S. women&#x27;s national team maintain their dominance amid growing talent worldwide, as she becomes their first-ever managing director.The most decorated FIBA athlete ever with four World Cup golds to match her Olympic haul, Bird will step into a newly created role that comes with sweeping authority to help select coaches and players for the national team.&quot;I&#x27;ve never been in the seat but I have a ton of experience in other ways that other people who could have been in the seat might not have had so just trying to really bring that,&quot; Bird told reporters on Thursday (May 8) at Nike&#x27;s New York headquarters.She steps into the job at a critical moment for the long-dominant team that claimed a historic eighth consecutive Olympic crown in Paris by beating France 67-66 in the final, a nail-biting contest to which few U.S. fans were accustomed.Bird, who won four WNBA titles and was named an All-Star a record 13 times in her 19 seasons with the Seattle Storm, said she had a front-row seat to the growth of the international game in her Olympic career that spanned from 2004 to the Tokyo Games in 2021.&quot;We have amazing talent, amazing players,&quot; she said. &quot;Yes, the gold medal game was close, yes we were all sweating a little bit - that&#x27;s not new.&quot;Three of the top 10 picks in last month&#x27;s WNBA Draft came from outside the U.S. collegiate system - second pick Dominique Malonga of France, fifth selection Juste Jocyte of Lithuania and Slovenian Ajsa Sivka - a sign of the growing global influence on the top-flight North American league.&quot;It&#x27;s great for the game. Iron sharpens iron - it&#x27;s the only way to do it,&quot; said Bird. &quot;It speaks to the world changing in so many ways.&quot;<div>(Production: David Grip)</div>

Sue Bird, the most decorated FIBA athlete ever, steps into a newly created role that comes with sweeping authority to help select coaches and players for the national team.

Sue Bird, the most decorated FIBA athlete ever, steps into a newly created role that comes with sweeping authority to help select coaches and players for the national team.

Sue Bird embraces global growth in new U.S. leadership role

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Basketball

Sue Bird embraces global growth in new U.S. leadership role

Reuters

Published May 09, 2025 01:17 PM PHT

Read More:

abssports

women's basketball

WNBA

USA Basketball

Sue Bird

FIBA

Seattle Storm

Olympics

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.