WNBA star Sue Bird is going public with her sexuality for the first time ... revealing she's dating U.S. women's soccer player Megan Rapinoe!!
The 36-year-old All-Star opened up about her relationship with Rapinoe ... saying she's never purposely kept her relationship with the 32-year-old Seattle Reign star a secret to her close friends, but explains why it was time to finally go public.
"It's happening when it's happening because that's what feels right," Bird told ESPNW.
"So even though I understand there are people who think I should have done it sooner, it wasn't right for me at the time. I have to be true to that. It's my journey."
Bird -- who's played in the WNBA for 14 years -- says she realized she was gay while playing at UConn, but considered it a "non-issue."