USA Basketball plans to name Sue Bird its managing director of the women’s national team for the 2028 Olympic cycle, The Athletic reported Tuesday.
Bird, 44, was a member of five Olympic gold medal-winning teams and four FIBA World Cup champions during her storied playing career, which came to an end in 2022. Now Bird will take on an integral role in preparing Team USA for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
As managing director, Bird’s role will be analogous to Grant Hill’s on the men’s side, per The Athletic. She will shoulder the responsibility for selecting the rosters and coaching staffs for both the Olympics and the World Cup, a departure from the tradition of using a selection committee.
Hill succeeded Hall of Fame executive Jerry Colangelo in the role in 2021. Bird, like Hill, comes with unimpeachable credentials as a winner at the college, professional and international levels.
Bird will work alongside Briana Weiss, who has been the director of the USA women’s national team since 2021.
Following the country’s narrow escape in the 2024 gold medal game against France, and with the retirement of Bird’s contemporary, Diana Taurasi, the program is potentially in a transitional period. Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and 2025 WNBA No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers could lead a youth movement for roster spots for the 2028 Olympics, and there was minor controversy when Clark was not chosen for the 2024 team.
Before the Olympics, the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup is scheduled for September 2026 in Germany.
USA Basketball has an announcement planned for Thursday in New York.
–Field Level Media
