Team USA helped raise the bar on worldwide competition. Now it must stay ahead‎

Sue Bird deserves significant credit for the worldwide growth in women’s basketball over the last two decades. She led the U.S. Olympic gold-medal streak and the WNBA on the precipice of an explosion, spent a decade competing overseas and was a stateswoman as well as a competitor who’d happily rip your heart out. She did this work for the game she loved, shepherding a generation of players and cementing a foundation for a sport, league and legacy. The problem is when you’re good enough to build