SI LifeStyle

6 Photos of Sue Bird in St. Thomas That Will Make You Feel Empowered

The retired WNBA star posed for the SI Swimsuit Issue with photographer Laretta Houston last year.

Ananya Panchal

Sue Bird was photographed by Laretta Houston in St. Thomas.

Sue Bird was photographed by Laretta Houston in St. Thomas.

Sue Bird made her powerful SI Swimsuit debut last year alongside fellow WNBA athletes Breanna Stewart, DiDi Richards, Nneka Ogwumike and Te’a Cooper. The Storm star was drafted No. 1 in 2002 and spent two super impressive decades with the team, resulting in four WNBA championships.

The five-time Olympic gold medalist, whose partner is USWNT player and 2019 SI Swimsuit model Megan Rapinoe, retired last September.

“To actually be invited, to know what they’re celebrating, it’s amazing. I feel like I was lucky in that we did the group shots first, so it was kind of like a good way to be around other people to get used to being in front of the camera in your suit,” the 42-year-old said while on location in St. Thomas with photographer Laretta Houston. “So now that it’s the individual day, I feel like a little more relaxed and kind of ready for it.”

Below are six of our favorite photos from Bird’s 2022 SI Swimsuit feature.

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Ananya Panchal
ANANYA PANCHAL

Ananya Panchal is a writer on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit, where she covers fashion, beauty, pop culture and the internet’s favorite personalities and trends. She joined the brand in 2022 after roles at Bustle, the San Francisco Chronicle and the TODAY Show. Panchal loves to write about fashion in all its forms—from standout runway moments and evolving street style to the best accessories to elevate each season’s wardrobe (she rarely goes anywhere without a stack of jewelry and a coffee in hand). A self-proclaimed beauty fanatic, she’s always on the hunt for must-have products and loves breaking down viral trends. Her favorite series at the moment is spotlighting female founders and the stories behind the brands they’ve built—especially those shaping the future of fashion, wellness and tech. She is based between New York City and San Francisco and, when she’s not writing, can be found rewatching One Tree Hill, playing sudoku, trying new restaurants or ranking her favorite Disney Channel Original Movies. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and journalism with a minor in criminal justice from Boston University.

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