Advertisement

Sue Bird confirms Tokyo is her final Olympics, Diana Taurasi (jokingly?) says 'See you in Paris'

jack baer
Staff writer
·3 min read

Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi's fifth straight Olympic gold medal run ended the only way it could: Domination.

The former UConn teammates and WNBA legends led Team USA to a seventh consecutive gold medal and 55th straight Olympic win in the final day of Olympic action on Sunday, steamrolling an undersized Japan team 90-75.

It was widely assumed — and in Bird's case, confirmed — that Tokyo would be the final Games for the pair of U.S. veterans. Bird again confirmed as much after the game, but then Taurasi made a joke about playing in Paris in the 2024 Olympics. We think.

The end of the interview:

Bird: Couldn't have asked for a better ending. There's really not much else to say. I feel so proud that I've been able to wear this uniform for as long as I have. To play alongside this one as long as I have — we won, and that's obviously the story — I don't think there's anybody else I'd rather do it with because we just have so much fun. I love you homie.

Taurasi: See you in Paris.

Bird: That's what she said.

Now, before you sound the alarms about Taurasi playing Olympic basketball at age 42, be aware that Taurasi a) is notorious for her dry sense of humor and b) earnestly responded to a question about what she will miss about USA basketball in her postgame news conference. This is still probably it for her, Olympics-wise.

Then again, Paris is only three years away rather than four thanks to the pandemic delay and Taurasi is one of the most ageless players in basketball history. It's not likely, but also not impossible.

USA coach Dawn Staley announces she's done at Olympics too

Bird and probably Taurasi weren't the only USA greats saying goodbye after winning in Tokyo.

USA head coach and former player Dawn Staley, 51, told reporters after the game that she too will step away from the team, explaining the gold medal made her decision easier:

Reporter: Did finishing with gold make the decision easier to let someone else take next -

Staley: It is. It is. Again, you don’t have the leadership of these two [Bird and Taurasi]. You’ve got a real good shot, even if they decide to come back, you’ve got a good shot with them being in your locker room, being on your floor. And I think our country has a lot of great coaches that can get the job done. Me being a part of I believe six — I mean, that’s enough. I’m full. It’s something that I’ll miss as well because it’s not duplicated in any other form in team basketball

A three-time gold medalist as a player, Staley has worked as a USA coach since 2006 and took over as head coach in 2017.

More from Yahoo Sports: