Sue Chicken was photographed by Laretta Houston in St. Thomas.
Sue Chicken, one particular of the greatest basketball gamers of all time, is a single of five WNBA gamers featured in the 2022 Sports activities Illustrated Swimsuit challenge.
In the course of her photograph shoot in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, the four-time WNBA champ and 5-time Olympic gold medal winner talked to SI Swim about her profession, and how she handles worries on and off the court docket.
The 2022 Swimsuit Problem will be accessible at newsstands setting up May well 19. You can reserve your copy now.
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[Editor’s note: This interview was edited for length and clarity.]
SI Swim: We know psychological well being is seriously essential to you. Through accidents more than the years and studying how to function with your teammates—just the ups and downs of daily life and taking part in skillfully. How do you just take care of on your own?
Sue Bird: The most important factor I have realized, and this is extra current than you could possibly think—it’s only been possibly the previous 5, 6 many years of my 20-yr career—you genuinely have to be form to by yourself … you’re not often likely to be best. You’re not going to get it appropriate each time, you’re heading to make faults. It can be when you defeat by yourself up in all those moments that can trigger a lot. So, I have really gone out of my way [to work on this] since it can be not my powerful match to just be great to myself, clearly show myself some grace, be kind, whatsoever you want to contact it.
Other points I’ve added to my regimen is meditation. I have a occupied [life], matters are just frequently like ping-pong. So, if I can just silent that and give it a crack, even for just 10 minutes … I get to silent my mind.
SI Swim: What is some guidance you would give to anyone who is battling with how they’re emotion about themselves or their growing old? We live in a environment where almost everything on social media is tainted and folks are [putting themselves through] a ton of surgeries.
Bird: The fact that I’m 41 [and in the Swimsuit issue], it’s kinda great to be in below. I’ll discuss for myself with this shoot— if I look self-confident, that took a great deal of time. It’s not like I wasn’t born with that. It can sense overwhelming to [feel like you have to] climb a mountain in a single working day, but that’s not what it is. … If you can only get 10 minutes in [for a workout], which is great. Don’t like beat by yourself up since you didn’t get the total-hour work out or simply because you had some pizza. Whichever it is. Do not beat yourself up if it’s been a 7 days or two the place you were not equipped to do it. All those smaller exercises all include up. What ever it is that you have in your life … will not price reduction [them].
SI Swim: You and [Megan Rapinoe] are this kind of a electrical power pair and use your platforms to converse out on difficulties. Speak us through the significance and consciousness of being aware of your effects and what you do with that.
Hen: Megan has taught me a good deal and the two of us figure out the importance of illustration. I experienced been out to my spouse and children and mates, truly everybody in my life, other than the general public and, you know, like telling a reporter or that form of factor. My teammates, my franchise, my brokers all knew [around 2003]. So it was appealing when we met in 2016, we started out dating, Megan was publicly out. Technically, I wasn’t. So, we talked a whole lot and I was [in the frame of mind] of, “I don’t conceal it, everyone understands. I am absolutely sure even the media and fans knew—I just hadn’t said it [publicly]. That was when I understood, “OK, there is a distinction. There is a big difference for the reason that you might be heading to assist someone else.”
For everyone who’s arrive out, there is constantly a tale and development of factors and you go as a result of it. So I experienced my personal encounter, and just simply because I got to the other facet won’t mean [I couldn’t help] individuals who are going by way of identical issues. So, I came out publicly. It was like 2017 at this point—and I am utilizing the dates for a reason for the reason that, what is actually interesting is, when I arrived out, it was not a major deal, which was wonderful.
Individuals of course included it, but it wasn’t the similar as it was 10, 20 several years back. Really, the people’s whose shoulders we’re basically standing on is the Martina Navratilovas [of the world].
SI Swim: Escalating up, did you struggle with any securities or the journey to learning to take your body and understand to love yourself?
Bird: When I was increasing up, I was a overall tomboy. Then, at some point, you get to center faculty and you begin to realize, “Oh, I will not gown girly,” and “Oh, I am staying judged for not dressing girlier.” “Do I have to gown far more girly?” I was just a full athlete. It kind of ongoing via high university and you might be just attempting to locate out who you are.
I think again to my early skilled days, even 10 years in the past. It really is been a wrestle mainly because there was what I understood I felt snug in and then what I assumed [was beautiful] when I looked in the mirror. I knew that didn’t match up with, I guess, what culture was telling a female or girl what was beautiful, what society was indicating you required to don. If I went to a picture shoot, possibly my eyes went to, I do not know, the sportier outfit. And [the people organizing the shoot would say], “Oh, the attire are above listed here,” but that under no circumstances was tremendous-at ease for me. What’s been really pleasurable for me the last five, six several years is genuinely locating myself from a manner sense. I would significantly instead put on like some dope go well with and sneakers. In a match … that’s like talking to my femininity, the essence of my femininity.
SI Swim: Initially all round decide on of the 2002 WNBA Draft. You’ve gained 5 Olympic gold medals, 4 WNBA titles, a 12-time WNBA All-Star, a person of the WNBA’s top rated 15 gamers of all time … just some of your accomplishments! Is there nearly anything you’re most happy of?
Chook: I do not know if it is really sunk in. I imagine it is a single of people issues you will take pleasure in far more when you happen to be performed. I absolutely have times in which I can glimpse back and be happy of selected times or very pleased of certain achievements, but also it really is about who you do it with and the journey of that. I have been seriously privileged … to enjoy with the players I’ve played with, some of the all-time greats. It truly is challenging to decide what I’m most very pleased of, in some cases I imagine it is some of the matters I have finished towards the stop of my vocation for the reason that I did not hope to even now be actively playing.
I joke that I am on borrowed time. I imagine again to some of the earlier moments, when I was proving myself, when I hadn’t carried out nearly anything [yet] and having over the hump of essentially profitable for the initial time. There is all kinds of stuff sprinkled in between. Probably what I am most happy of is I’ve finished it in various decades—not several men and women can say they stayed on the top of their video game for this prolonged. That may be what I’m most happy of, which is so great.
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