“I was on this nice steady incline and was hoping to peak this summer,” Bird said in an interview with The Seattle Times. “My knee felt great. Obviously, with what’s happening now, every athlete in the world is definitely going to struggle in terms of finding ways to stay in shape and finding ways to train. So, it’s a relief for a lot of us that the Olympics were postponed versus canceled.”
At 39, Bird is currently the oldest active player in the WNBA, which has inspired the usual chatter from casual basketball fans unaware of Bird’s might and power about whether she can still do it. It’s a conversation that older male athletes like Tom Brady (42) or Vince Carter (43) somehow get to avoid, and seems particularly unfair considering Bird has four gold medals and was part of the reason Team USA qualified for Tokyo in the first place. Bird’s take on the skepticism towards her is both humble and pragmatic: “I’ve always believed the best ballplayers should be on the team. If I’m physically able and I’m playing at the top level and the opportunity is there, of course, I’m going to say yes to it. I would feel weird saying otherwise.”
While Bird still has the speed of any player at alma mater UConn, her mind remains in the present moment. During her self isolation, Bird told the Seattle Times she has used her time and her money to donate to those in need and host Instagram live conversations which she and Rapinoe have called The Wine Down. (“You can’t drink with UConn players,” she said in the latest Wine Down, after Rapinoe admitted it was hard to keep up with Bird and fellow basketball star Diana Taurasi.) As for how she’s handling this strange time without basketball or formal training, she told the Times, “I’m informing my friends and family and really anybody who’ll listen that you should stay home for a little bit.”
