The opportunity to play for Team USA is an honor, not many players experience in their lifetimes. However, legendary point guard Sue Bird has been part of Team USA since 2000 when she suited up for the U.S. team that competed in the 2000 Jones Cup. Four years later, she was named to the squad representing the Stars and Stripes in the 2004 Athens Olympics.
The 5-foot-9 guard anchored five straight gold-medal-winning Team USA squads before retiring from the sport in 2022. As tremendous an honor it is to don the navy and white digs of Team USA, Sue clarified that it isn’t all fun and games. Bird said the ultimate challenge is being comfortable with the role the team is asking you to fill.
Uncomfortable basketball
Team USA is a collection of the best of the best. The team is stacked with talent, from iconic players like Diana Taurasi and Candace Parker to stars like Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson. And that's what makes it so challenging for players who make it to the squad.
As she explained in an interview on “7PM in Brooklyn,” players must be comfortable being uncomfortable if they’re fortunate enough to be selected for the team. Bird knows firsthand that this challenge often drives superstars up the wall.
“This is my blanket statement for USA Basketball: it is the most uncomfortable basketball I've ever played. You're never comfortable,” Bird told fellow Olympian Carmelo Anthony and The Kid Mero.
Sue said people have to understand that individually, the players on Team USA are superstars who carry the load of their respective franchises on their backs. However, with the U.S. squad loaded with players of the same ilk, it’s all about sacrificing individual accolades for the greater good of representing their country.
“I'd argue there are maybe one or two players max on a team who get to do exactly what they normally do. It's usually your best scorer or best player who gets to be who they are, no matter what. Everybody else is uncomfortable the whole time,” she shared.
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Players struggle a lot of times
In the WNBA, Bird averaged 31 minutes per game and was tasked with making all the plays for herself and her teammates. However, on Team USA, she had to make do with 20 minutes and five attempts per game. This adjustment can be challenging for players who are used to being the star of their team.
“You're trying to be this, you're trying to do that, you're trying to get yourself going, but this is your role. It's just like this dance where you're just... And I tell people who join the team, like newbies, ‘Listen, if you're uncomfortable, you're doing it right.’ You're doing it right because it's going to be uncomfortable,” Sue expressed.
The 13-time WNBA All-Star also disclosed that if you see a superstar who’s struggling to make shots that are typically automatic in the WNBA, it’s not that they’re playing badly; it might be a case of them trying to get comfortable in a role she isn’t familiar with.
“You're just going to be uncomfortable, and I think from the outside looking in, people don't understand that. So, you might see a player turn the ball over in a weird way or miss a shot they normally make, and it's just because everybody's trying to get comfortable, and they're not there yet,” Bird explained.
The U.S. women’s team is on track to win an eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal. After breezing through the group stage in dominant fashion, they will face Nigeria in the quarterfinals.
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