Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi were the first to win five Olympic gold medals as basketball players. They also led the U.S. women's team to a historic seventh consecutive gold on the final day of the Tokyo Games.Geno Auriemma, UConn's Geno Auriemma, said that "they are two of the most important teammates in the history sports,". "Even if only UConn or the Olympics or Europe were used. All three are better than any other."If this is their last Olympics together [for U.S women's basketball], winning a gold-medal just got harder."The qualifier "if" may seem redundant considering that Bird will be 41 and Taurasi 39 in October. Although Bird says this will be Bird's last Olympics, it is hard to imagine Team USA without the backcourt duo.Taurasi stated, "We always say that we're fortunate we get to do it together." "There's this trust factor and confidence you have."They may have another chance next year at the FIBA Women's World Cup. Bird and Taurasi would be proud of this, since they consider their national team commitment to be a sacred oath. They were together for two seasons at UConn, as well as several years in Russia. Their most memorable pairing was the one that wore the red, white, and blue of their senior national team to five Olympics and four World Cups.Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi have won five Olympic gold medals, helping the U.S. women to win their seventh consecutive Summer Games gold. Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesBird, who won Saturday's victory over Japan 90-75, has 10 medals between Olympics and World Cup. This is more than any other men's or woman's basketball player. All medals are gold, except for the bronze at the 2006 World Cup. One medal is behind Taurasi. Bird won her first medal in 2002 World Cup as a rookie with Seattle Storm. Taurasi was a UConn junior."They've done so many things for USA Basketball that all of us players are continuing to try to return the favor and make them realize how much they appreciate us," stated Breanna Stewart, a U.S. forward and Bird's teammate with Storm.ResultsThe United States won nine out of 11 Olympic women's tournaments. Their seven-year streak of gold medal wins is the longest in Olympic team sports. Bird and Taurasi have been the most important players in the U.S.'s gold haul: 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020.Leslie stated, "They're an important part of the glue that holds the whole system together." They were once the babies who came in. They were respectful of the older players and open to learning. This is the culture."I believe they have carried the torch beautifully."Many famous pro-sport duos include Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan. Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier. Misty Maytreanor and Kerry Walsh Jennings. Kareem AbdulJabbar, Magic Johnson. Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird were best friends and teammates in college, Russia, and at the Olympics. Terrence Vaccaro/NBAE/Getty ImagesBird and Taurasi will both one day be in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. But they are not the same. How likely is it that two players from different coasts, 20 months apart, end up at the same college and then go on to become both good enough, and healthy enough, to remain at the top of their respective sports through five Olympic cycles. They complement each other well. Taurasi, the WNBA's greatest scorer, is also an expert passer and Bird, the league's career assistance leader, is known for her dagger-like shooting.It was a remarkable confluence in athletic talent, ambitions, personality, and commitment. Bill Russell and KC Jones are two of the most closely related basketball players. They led the University of San Francisco in winning two NCAA titles and won gold at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Then, they won eight NBA titles with the Boston Celtics.Edwards and Katrina McClain were Georgia teammates, who reached the 1985 NCAA championship and played in three Olympics.In the fall 2000, Bird and Taurasi met at UConn: Taurasi, a California recruit, and Bird, a Long Island junior who had previously won a national championship with UConn Huskies. Although they lost in the 2001 Final Four to Tennessee, nothing was going to stop them from winning the following season. They beat Tennessee so well in the 2002 National Semifinals, that Pat Summitt, Lady Vols coach, went to UConn's locker room to tell them that they were the best team she'd ever seen.Bird was the No. Bird was the No. 1 pick in 2002 WNBA Draft and the understudy at guard for current U.S. coach Dawn Staley during the FIBA World Cup later that same year. Taurasi was also a No.1 NCAA pick and won two more NCAA titles. Taurasi was a No. 1 draft pick by Phoenix and joined Bird and Staley in the 2004 Olympic team. Their only loss was to Russia in the semifinals of the 2006 World Cup.Each of them has been the face of the WNBA for many years. In her 18th WNBA season, Bird has won four titles in Seattle. Taurasi has three in Phoenix. Bird was unable to play due to knee injuries for two seasons; Taurasi had to sit out the third season after years of playing non-stop between the WNBA in Australia and abroad.Their overseas careers were far away from the spotlight in Russia's frigid winters. Although they were disappointed to miss important milestones with their family and friends back home it was so rewarding that they decided to continue. They were part of three Russian teams and each won five EuroLeague championships.Bird stated that the quarrels they have had were not when they were playing with USA Basketball or UConn.She said, "It was while we were in Russia." "Sometimes you just get sick of people or an argument that gets a little too outlandish. Perhaps you have had a bit too much wine. You take your space, and you then wake up the next morning and play. We've both had to make amends before.Taurasi stated that she could count the number of times they have truly been mad at one another.She said, "And it's probably the dumbest stupid s--- ever." "We can have differing opinions, but we always come to an understanding about how to work through them. That attitude is what we bring to all of the teams that we have been in."UConn went 39-0 in 2001/02 with the help of Sue Bird, Tamika Williams, Asjha Jones and Swin Cash. This is widely considered to be the greatest women's college basketball team ever. Max Becherer/NCAA photos via Getty ImagesAuriemma was a coach for Bird and Taurasi at two Olympics and two World Cups. He said that he is proud of their perseverance and the mental toughness required to keep going year after year.Staley is proud of their maturity and dependability. They have seen everything. They have seen everything.They want to play perfect. They want to be coached. That's an amazing thing when their intelligence is top-notch.Bird stated that wearing the Team USA jersey is still important to her regardless of how many medals she has. Bird, then 15, went along with AAU colleagues to witness the 1995 exhibition of the national team while she was preparing for the Atlanta Olympics. Bird was inspired by Jennifer Azzi, U.S. point guard, and described it as her first "see it, do it" moment.Bird stated, "I was like, "Here's a player who's kind of the same height as me, same build and can do this." Remember, there wasn't a WNBA at the time. For us, the Olympics was the ultimate goal in that generation.Bird wouldn't have believed that 26 years later she would be sharing a fifth Olympic medal with one her closest friends. Taurasi and Bird have been "see, be it," inspirations to countless children.Taurasi says that she copes with the weight of the past, her place in the game, and all the things she and Bird share by "not doing a lot more thinking." I am very focused on what I have to do.They have achieved remarkable results.Over the past two decades, so much has happened in basketball and the world. The bond between Birds and Taurasi is unchanging. They bring a sense confidence and purpose to the national basketball team, something that everyone who has played with them has appreciated.Taurasi spoke of Bird's friendship, saying that "there are certain people in your life that you get along with really well and you have so much shared experiences that it is easy to relate a little more." "That's how the past 20 years have been."
