Sue Bird's 17-year Olympic journey will come to an end Sunday. Tokyo2020 TeamUSA
Taurasi hasn’t officially said she’s finished playing with USA Basketball, but it would be hard to imagine the 39-year-old guard competing on the world's biggest stage without Bird.
“It ends an incredible legacy here at the Games,” said U.S. coach Dawn Staley, who was part of the 1996 team that began the program’s current streak of six straight golds.Bird has been “the top point guard in the world for a very long time. To see that end, it’s hard for us as her teammates, her coaches," Staley said."And it’s extremely hard for the game of basketball, because she’s played it unlike any other guard across the world.
Bird, 40, and Taurasi first played together at UConn, winning an NCAA title in Bird's senior year. Taurasi won two more after Bird graduated. They have deflected any talk about this Olympics being about them, but know with the history they are potentially making that it is tough to avoid the conversation. While they both are a step or two slower than their first few Olympics in 2004, the leadership they show on and off the court is unparalleled and most likely will never be matched.
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