Phoenix Mercury's Diana Taurasi on rivalry with Sue Bird: 'Been an incredible ride'

Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi faced off for the 59th time in their esteemed WNBA careers on Saturday.
The league legends and longtime BFFs got tied up and wrestled for the ball while they were mic'd upwardly.
They squabbled over who had possession and whether or non the refs missed a foul.

Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi know each other'due south games ameliorate than anyone else.

The WNBA legends and longtime best friends started out as teammates for Geno Auriemma'south UConn Huskies and continued to play side-by-side with Team USA, with whom they won a record five Olympic gold medals. But in one case they graduated to the pros, the pair sparked a fierce rivalry between Bird's Seattle Storm and Taurasi'due south Phoenix Mercury.

Taurasi (left) and Bird pose with their fifth Olympic aureate medal.

Eighteen seasons and 59 head-to-caput matchups after, they're still trying to effigy out how to finish the other. Bird has become the WNBA's all-fourth dimension leader in assists en route to iv titles, while Taurasi has assumed the league's unofficial GOAT title as its all-fourth dimension points leader and a 3-time champion.

The most recent iteration of their friendly rivalry — which took place Saturday at Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena — was a back-and-along thriller that came downwards to the wire. With only under five minutes remaining in the contest and 1 point separating their two teams, the women's basketball icons found themselves tied upwards while going subsequently the ball.

As the refs blew the whistle for a spring brawl, a mic'd up Bird could be heard shouting, "No!" She wanted the steal, while Taurasi conspicuously wanted a foul phone call. Moments later, the superstars squabbled as each claimed with confidence that "I had the ball!"

"So you fouled me, and you got the brawl," Taurasi said.

"No," Bird insisted, then pointed at her friend of more 20 years. "You grabbed me and fouled my arm."

"No way!" Taurasi said, shaking her caput.

Taurasi (left) and Bird squabble after getting tangled up over the ball.

Taurasi — who boasts a 3-inch height advantage over Bird — went on to win the spring brawl, and her Mercury later won the game 69-64. And even though there are countless incredible moments borne out of their longtime rivalry, Bird's and Taurasi'due south on-court bantering may be amongst the well-nigh hilarious captured on camera.

Check out the version featured on the broadcast: