FanNation - The Republic of Sport

I first interviewed Sue Bird when she was a junior at UConn. Since then she's always been one of my favorite athletes to speak with because she thinks about questions before answering them. Bird, who plays for the WNBA's Storm, will be in China in two weeks as a member of the U.S. women's basketball team. Below, she checks in with SI.com on the eve of her second Olympics.

You want to guarantee a gold medal right now?
I'm not much of the guaranteeing kind. The last time I was on a team where something was guaranteed was in college and it didn't work out. Ever since then, I'm ixnay on the guarantee-ay.

You'll be playing on a team that everyone in the world outside of the United States wants to see lose. What's that like?
It's interesting. I remember when we lost in Brazil at the 2006 World Championships. We were playing against Russia and by the time they had taken a lead and the game was kind of over, I looked around the gym and you had Brazilians, Lithuanians, Czechs, everybody in that gym was chanting for Russia. It was crazy. On the one hand I'm like, "Damn, why they gotta be like that toward us?" On the other side, it does make it more exciting and a challenge, and more fun when we do win.

When we do win, eh?
Ha. No guarantee. No guarantee.

Do you ever think of the dollars you would be paid if you were a 27-year-old male point guard representing Team USA?
No, I don't. But I know it would be a lot. I try not to depress myself (laughs).

When do you leave for Beijing?
Not until August 1. We have our last WNBA game on July 27 and then I leave for Stanford to train.

What team will give you the toughest test in Beijing?
Definitely Australia and Russia, and I also think China because they are the host team. Russia and Australia are very good and they have had a lot more time to practice than we have. I still think we are the more talented team but the lack of practice time is where our disadvantage lies.

Have you been to China?
Never to Beijing. I flew there once. The 2002 World Championships were in China in three different cities, two of which I can't come close to pronouncing. Nanjing was were the last two games played. I've been to Taiwan, too.

What were your general impressions of China?
A lot of people, a lot of scooters, crazy driving, and cheap DVDs. We were playing so I didn't get to sightsee too much. When I went to Moscow I thought that the driving was bad. But the driving in China is unbelievable. I was in a cab and we hit a man in a scooter. And I swear to God, everyone I have talked to who has been to China has some sort of traffic story to tell. Some sort of accident. When [her Storm teammate] Lauren [Jackson] went to China, she was in a similar situation where she was in a cab and they hit somebody.

Did the guy live?
I mean, the cab hit him and we were screaming but when we got out, the guy got up. His bike was a little mangled. He walked away. I think he was okay. The cab driver was like: You can leave now.  

You've obviously read the news coming out of China, from pollution to the political climate?
I know it's going to be interesting. But the one thing I learned from Athens, in regard to the politics and pollution, people have asked me if I am going to wear a mask over there and stuff like that, well, you don't what it is going to be like until you get there. I remember people were talking about Athens like that. Some of my friends had plans to go and they backed out and people changed their travel plans. But when I got to Athens, you did not feel in danger at all. You felt 100 percent safe at all times. So I don't want to judge anything until I get there. I know China is different than Athens, but I'll wait and see.

Have you been told by either USA Basketball or government officials to specifically avoid talking about politics?
No. Of course just like any governing body they give you little talking points and really just warnings about what you might get asked. But I think everyone is entitled to their opinion and is free to voice it. Personally, that's not my style. Even if I had a strong opinion, I'm not so sure I would voice it. I'm not really a politician. But I don't think they are against people speaking their mind.

What do you want to see in China away from the arena?
The Great Wall. I've been to China but I never got to see it. I was talking to some of my friends and they are like, "Dude, it's just a wall." I'm like. Yeah, but it's a big wall, with great in the title (laughs). Seriously, I really want to see it. I've heard amazing things about it and I really am looking forward to checking out the Chinese architecture

Where is your gold medal from 2004?
It's in a safe place. And that's all you need to know. No, it's in a safety deposit box.

You’ve spent the last four offseasons playing in Russia. An ESPN.com writer described the house you and Diana Taurasi shared there as "a six bedroom villa only slightly smaller than the Kremlin." Is that a fair description?
I don't know about the Kremlin comparison but that's fairly accurate. We had a house and it was bigger than we needed but at the same time a lot of our teammates would come over so it was the place to be. It was a perfect size. It was me and Diana, and then last year Lauren was on our team so she stayed there.

How much Russian do you know?
I can get by. I can't necessarily hold a conversation but when I listen, I can understand a lot. Speaking it is really hard. I have had a tutor every now and then and I think I will invest in a Rosetta Stone pretty soon but they literally have 10 different ways to one thing. It's a tough language

Do you run into many Russians in Seattle?
Not too many in Seattle but I was in Israel not too long ago. I was there for a couple of days on a vacation and I was in the hair salon and the lady doing my hair was speaking Russian and totally talking trash about somebody. I could totally understand what they were saying and by the end of the conversation I kind of just said something in Russian. She said, "Do you like it? And I said, I did, in Russian. She kind of laughed like, "Damn, you just listened to my whole conversation." But I really don't know enough where I can hold full conversations.

Will you play in Russia next year?
Definitely. And Diana is going back and Lauren is going back.

The one television show you can't live without?
Grey's Anatomy

The most famous person in your cell phone?
Mike Bibby

Obama or McCain?
Obama

The best women's player in the world is…
You are asking me to choose between my two best friends here. It's impossible. Lauren or Dee.

What is getting the most play on your I-Pod right now?
I love, and I would love to see in concert, Citizen Cope. I am obsessed. I really like Lupe Fiasco, Usher, Lil Wayne. It's not just how he says it but what Lupe says is cool.

How closely do you follow UConn?
As close as I can. It is hard when you are overseas because you don't get to see anything. But since Diana and I live together there, I think Lauren is now a UConn fan just by osmosis. We talk about all the time. And we have her convinced that if she would have ever gone to college here, she would have gone to UConn.

Could [UConn sophomore] Maya Moore start for a WNBA team today?
Yeah, I think she could for a WNBA team.  A lot of times the thing that separates the college kids from the WNBA players is the physical-ness of the league. But her body is already ready.

Candace Parker? Better than you expected, same as you expected, not as good as you expected?
I was lucky enough to play with Candace with USA Basketball so I have seen what she can do. She is just as good as I expected if not better. She's 6-5 with guard skills, it's impressive.

Is there any city that you have always wanted to go to?
I haven't been to London and I have not been to Amsterdam – and not for reasons that you would think. I feel like Amsterdam is one of those places you have to go once. [Blogger note: Sue made it very clear that she is high on Amsterdam -- and not looking to get high in Amsterdam].

The best international city for….

Food?
Rome. All the food is delicious, everything is so fresh, and it's just that good, from the wine to bread to the oil to fish dishes. No matter what restaurant you stop it, Rome is delicious.

Architecture?
Sometimes when we are driving in Moscow to go to a restaurant or shopping or a club, I literally will say: "Damn, look at the building." The reason why I say Moscow and I don't think a lot of people would say it is just because it is so different than what we are used to seeing as Americans. The Red Square, and St. Petersburg cathedral looks like a circus is on the top. Russian culture is always in your face. There is no middle class. You are either extremely rich or poor and the extremely rich people know how to flaunt it, and that is represented in the architecture. They go all out. It's a sight to see.

Attractive-Looking People?
Tel-Aviv. They are just very good looking people. It's the Middle East area, and they are always in the sun and they have darker skin. It's a cool culture with some good-looking people.

Shopping?
I'm going to have to go with Rome but Moscow is a close second. I'm telling you I can name Moscow for all of these. This is a sleeper city. People give Russia a bad name but they have some good stuff.

Nightlife?
You're going to laugh, but Moscow again.

Okay, Mayor of Moscow, I need a why?
You can find any type of club there on any night of the week and it never closes. Let's say you are going out with a group of 10 people. In Moscow you can call ahead, or when you get there you say, "I want to get a table." They'll say the table will cost you $1,000 or so in American dollars. So you have 10 people and that is $100 a person. So you are getting that table but with that $1000 you are also getting $1,000 of food, drink, hookahs and anything else you can think of. So you go with 10 people and you sit there from like midnight to seven in the morning. For $100, you come out a winner. The music is good and people go hard,. You will literally come out of club and the sun hits your face and you're like, "Oh, my, God, what did I do for the last seven hours." It's great.