Paris 2024: Team USA Basketball lived up to its billing, claiming gold on both men’s and women’s sides. For the Men’s side, the responsibility was on Grant Hill to create the right team. On the other hand, a committee decided the women’s team, which also brought home the gold. Now, Sue Bird shoulders the mission of steering Team USA Women to the next Olympic summit. And it was Hill who had a private conversation that helped her make the decision.

Sue Bird doesn’t lack pedigree when it comes to leading the women’s game. With five Olympic gold medals and four World Cup titles for USA Basketball, her accolades also extend to the franchise level. In the WNBA, she led the Seattle Storm to four championships throughout her 20-year career. Let’s not forget her contribution towards helping the UConn Huskies win two NCAA championships in college. Yet, for the new role, Grant Hill shared some valuable advice since he has assumed the post of the managing director for the USA Men’s National Team since 2021.

While speaking to the Olympics.com podcast, Bird called Hill “an annoying big brother” in jest. Later, she shed some light on the conversation that transpired regarding her being the first-ever managing director of the US women’s national team. “He just really spoke about his experience in a very authentic, real way. … The good, the bad, the ugly, all of it. He just gave it to me real.” Wins are straightforward—the architect gets the accolades. The bad part results in a team not winning, but the ugly part could relate to the selection debacle of not choosing the right players.

In Hill’s case, the scrutiny came to him after not choosing Jaylen Brown, the Finals MVP of the Celtics’ championship-winning squad. Even on the women’s side, critics noted Caitlin Clark’s exclusion after her record‑breaking rookie season, reminding Bird that women’s selections face equal scrutiny. But Sue Bird is ready.

“And there was something about that and about hearing the excitement in his voice, just how much he enjoyed the experience, even, you know, even some of the harder parts, right?” She continued, “Like that’s what makes sports great. It’s not always rosy. There’s, of course, hard parts to iat, but that’s what makes you appreciate it when it’s all done and you have that gold medal on your neck.”

Retiring in 2022, Bird earned first‑ballot Hall of Fame induction in April 2025—a capstone before assuming her new post. Being the first ever Managing Director also became another accolade which she deserved.

Why Grant Hill co-signed on the role for Sue Bird to take

Only 12 months before Paris, Grant Hill faced one of the toughest moments in USA Basketball history: a fourth‑place finish at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, the team’s worst global result since 2002. Germany stunned the Americans 113–111 in the semifinals, and Canada then prevailed 127–118 in OT, handing the U.S. its first non‑medal finish since 2006.

Critics derided the roster as a “C‑Team,” pointing to missing superstars and an overreliance on youth. Determined to prevent history from repeating itself, Hill overhauled his approach, luring veteran titans LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant back into the fold, and blending them with rising talents like Tyrese Haliburton and Anthony Edwards. The strategy paid off: Team USA reclaimed gold in Paris, reflecting Hill’s “jigsaw puzzle” method of assembling complementary skill sets

Having navigated that redemption arc, Hill saw in Sue Bird a kindred strategist. Bird’s résumé mirrors Hill’s own: both won multiple NCAA, WNBA/ NBA, and Olympic crowns, and both have served as informal advisors to USA Basketball’s committees. On the Olympics.com podcast, he explained:

“I just felt like she was the perfect person,” Hill adds in the Olympics.com podcast. “Her experience as an Olympic athlete, gold medal athlete, her stature, her reputation… the credibility and respect that she brings to the table, obviously her intelligence, her ability to problem-solve, I mean just every box – I felt, was checked – with Sue Bird, in this particular role.”

Just as Hill inherited a Men’s Managing Director role dating to 2005 (formerly held by Jerry Colangelo), Bird becomes the inaugural Women’s MD, charged with selecting coaches and rosters for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup and 2028 LA Olympics. Hill’s successes—and missteps—in Men’s competitions provided a blueprint: prioritize experience, enforce clear roles, and maintain flexibility to adapt to international rule differences. “Everybody who takes this job is in a no-win (situation). The pressure is always there for USA Basketball.” But with Grant Hill’s positive words and her own pedigree, she seems more than ready.