USA Basketball royalty Sue Bird knows a thing or two about taking flight in the world stage.
And in the aftermath of Team USA's shock loss to Germany in the 2023 Fiba World Cup semifinals, her firsthand take on the innate challenge of donning the stars and stripes vividly reflects the young Americans' journey thus far.
READ: Germany stands ground in face of US comeback, makes World Cup final
"I think what makes playing for USA Basketball hard is the combination of having the target on your back, which this team definitely does, and also not having the same amount of practice time," Bird said during her visit to the team's last training session before the semis on Thursday.
"So you really have to take every practice and every game throughout the tournament and use that as preparation," she added.
Bird, 42, stands among the greats of women's basketball in the WNBA, international club basketball, and for the U.S. women's national team.
She herself is no stranger to the global showpiece, having won the women's tournament in 2002 and capped by a historic three-peat in 2010, 2014, and 2018. Moreover, Bird will serve as the global ambassador for the 2026 Fiba Women's Basketball World Cup in Germany,
"You know, it’s not hard to dial in once you get here. It’s not hard to get up for these types of games," Bird said.
"(But) in a lot of ways, what these guys have done, what they’ve shown, they’ve kind of already put in the work (and) they’ve gotten better with each game," she said of the young American squad.
Team USA can still save its World Cup stint with a podium finish, should they beat Canada in the bronze medal game on Sunday.
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