10 Lesbian Athlete Couples We Love
Let’s go, lesbians!
As women’s sports become more mainstream, it is our lesbian duty to tell the stories of queer women athletes, including their real-life romantic relationships. Here are 10 lesbian athlete couples we love whose stories will give you all the feels.
Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird
Soccer champion Megan Rapinoe and WNBA superstar Sue Bird met backstage at a photoshoot during the 2016 Rio Olympics. The two began dating in 2017 and got engaged in 2020. Before they met, they both had groundbreaking careers, but together, the two have become influential athlete activists and role models shaping the future of women’s sports.
Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor
Basketball legends Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor met in 2004 as teammates for the Phoenix Mercury. They married in 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona, and have two children, Leo and Isla. Their teammates-to-lovers timeline is a slam-dunk to our hearts!
Related: WNBA Superstar Diana Taurasi Announces Retirement
Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner
WNBA icons and former Connecticut Sun teammates Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner met by playing against one another in the WNBA. Their first interaction was online, where DeWanna would watch Alyssa’s Instagram stories. But, when a shocking blockbuster trade in 2020 sent them both to the Connecticut Sun, their relationship began to blossom. Thomas proposed to Bonner over WNBA All-Star weekend in 2023, making their love story one for the books.
Sam Kerr and Kristie Mewis
US Women’s National soccer team player Kristie Mewis and Australian soccer captain Sam Kerr broke the internet when they posted a Polaroid picture of a kiss, confirming fans’ speculations of a romantic relationship. They first met playing against each other during a U.S. Women’s National Soccer League tournament. They kept their relationship going online during the COVID-19 pandemic and ended up spending two weeks in quarantine together. They got engaged in 2023, and recently gagged the internet once again in November when they announced they were expecting a child.
Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot
All-Stars and former Chicago Sky teammates Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot became the first married couple to win a professional sports championship in 2021. They first met in 2012, playing in Slovakia on two separate teams. They’ve been married since 2018.
Related: 5 Things To Know About Unrivaled Star Kahleah Copper: Scarlet Knight to Olympic Gold
Madison and Anya Packer
When National Women’s Hockey League player and former general manager for the Metropolitan Riveters, Anya Packer, got a call from NWHL player Madison Packer asking if the league would accept her back if she were to come out of retirement, it was love at first phone call. The fierce competitors on the ice got married in 2019 and have two kids. They also have a podcast together called These Packs Puck where they explore queer family life, parenthood, and their professional sports careers.
Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey
Professional Women’s Hockey League Montreal teammates Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey nearly broke the internet when they announced their engagement in an Instagram post in 2013. For years, the couple kept their relationship private from the public. They officially tied the knot in September, and are officially cemented as iconic queer athletes in our hearts.
Breanna Stewart and Marta Xargay
While playing for the Russian professional women’s basketball team Dynamo Kursk, teammates Breanna Stewart and Marta Xargay rarely talked to each other. But when Stewart ruptured her Achilles tendon and had to fly home to the United States to recover, their relationship blossomed over long distance. The professional basketball players got married in 2021 and now have two children.
Related: Fox News Tried To Go After Natasha Cloud. The WNBA Champ Delivered A Medal-Worthy Clap Back
Amanda Chidester and Anissa Urtez
The iconic softball power couple made history as the first couple to compete against each other for Olympic Medals in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games. Amanda Chidester and Anissa Urtez first met while professionally playing softball together on the same team in Texas in 2012. They recently married in September, and their love story is a home run to us.
Tierna Davidson and Alison Jahansouz
US Women’s soccer players Tierna Davidson and Alison Jahansouz give us goals on Instagram. They met in college, where they were teammates on Stanford Cardinal’s women’s soccer team. Jahansouz was the goalkeeper and Davidson was the center-back. After six years of dating, they were engaged in 2023 and recently announced their marriage in December.
