Sue Bird, a five-time Olympic gold medalist, is filling the new role of U.S. women’s national basketball team managing director and will identify players and coaches for the 2026 FIBA World Cup in Germany and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“Retirement was boring, so I had to add something else,” Bird quipped on TODAY.
Bird’s role is expected to be similar to that of men’s national team managing director Grant Hill.
For the men in the last Olympic cycle, Hill, with input from coaches, recommended the 12 players for the Olympic roster that were then submitted to the USA Basketball Board of Directors for approval.
Hill also recommended head coach and assistant coach candidates to the USA Basketball board for approval.
For the women in the last Olympic cycle, a six-person committee selected the Olympic roster that was approved by the board. A committee also recommended a national team head coach and assistant coaches to the board for approval.
Cheryl Reeve of the Minnesota Lynx was the head coach in the last Olympic cycle. A head coach for this Olympic cycle has not been announced.
The next major competition is the September 2026 FIBA World Cup in Germany. The U.S. won the last four editions of the World Cup, which is quadrennial and the most prestigious tournament outside of the Olympics.
The U.S. could return each of the last two Olympic MVPs — A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart — and 11 of the 12 players from Paris overall. Only Diana Taurasi, a six-time gold medalist, has retired.
Bird was a point guard on every Olympic team from 2004 through 2021 as part of the U.S.’ current 61-game Olympic win streak that has run from the 1992 bronze-medal game through the 2024 Paris Games.
In the Paris final, the Americans had their closest win of that streak, 67-66 over France, their first single-digit victory in an Olympic knockout game since 2004.
New title, same mission: winning gold. 🥇@S10Bird is taking on a new challenge as the first managing director of the 🇺🇸 USA Basketball Women's National Team! pic.twitter.com/YasbgPDNd3
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) May 8, 2025
