There’s No Finer Recliner Than This Collaboration Chair From Sue Bird and Corona

Sue Bird is barely a year into her retirement, but she’s already finding new and innovative ways to pass the time, thanks to her partnership with Corona. 

The four-time WNBA champion, 13-time All Star and five-time Olympic gold medalist—who spent her entire storied 20-year career with the Seattle Storm—announced her latest collaboration with the beer brand: the “Finer Recliner,” a beachy-keen, limited-edition, fully tricked-out Adirondack chair perfect for watching games and living one’s best laid-back life. 

Notable features of the snazzy seat include a six pack-accommodating cooler built into the footrest, a magnetic bottle opener under the arm rest, a “hoop inspired” cup holder, a wireless speaker and an engraved nameplate with the future Hall of Famer’s signature and edition number.

Fans and Corona connoisseurs hoping to get their hands on one of the five exclusive seats have until June 14 to enter for a chance to win by commenting on @CoronaUSA’s sweepstakes post on Instagram tagging @SBird10 and using #CoronaFinerRecliner and #Giveaway.

“The Corona brand champions the mindset to live ‘La Vida Más Fina,’ or the fine life, and we couldn’t wait to help Sue embrace her next chapter off the court in a truly unique way,” said Alex Schultz, vp of brand marketing at Corona, in a statement. “We’re thrilled to help make her transition to retirement a little sweeter by working together to create the best seat in the house, celebrating Sue’s impressive career with the Corona Finer Recliner.”

Bird told Adweek that working with the brand on the Corona Finer Recliner—and last year’s Corona Fine Life Fridge—have been just two of the many ways she’s enjoyed partnering with the brand, which happened organically after she posted a photo of Corona bottles on a beach while on vacation with fiancée and fellow star athlete Megan Rapinoe, and friends.

“What’s fun [about the partnership] is when things align in a way where it’s just, like, super organic,” said Bird, who noted how collaborative the brand has been. “Last year it was the mini fridge that had a connection to my love for sneakers. This year, it’s my celebrating my retirement with the Finer Recliner and just kinda having the little details that are personal to me. For Corona to see me in that way and see the things I like and just try to use that in the partnership, it just makes it fun.”

Bird also told Adweek that since she has “a lot of time on my hands,” she’s already thinking about the next potential brand collaboration. As she explores the idea of ownership and other opportunities, she pondered, “Maybe the next chair is my business chair. Or, if I become a commentator, maybe it needs to be a microphone and a headset connected to a Corona … just [put a] straw right in your mouth … that kind of a vibe. We’ll see!”

For now, she admits that after more than 20 years playing hoops, it’s “really nice to taste life without basketball,” and said she’s been “kicking back” and “chillin’ on my Finer Recliner.

“Now I don’t have to worry about how many Coronas I drink,” she said. “I can have as many as I want.”

A roster of newness for Corona

In addition to the collaboration with Bird, the Constellation Brands-owned beer—whose name took an unfortunate reputational hit at the height of the pandemic before recovering in saner times—has been having a busier than usual season with a spate of new product launches and partnerships as they look to capitalize on consumers’ return to outdoor activities and sporting events.  

The brand kicked off Cinco de Mayo with the launch of Corona Non-Alcoholic, its official entry into the red-hot alcohol-free beer category, followed by a Memorial Day-timed team-up with TaskRabbit and Wishbone Kitchen’s Meredith Hayden where sweepstakes participants in select cities won the chance to have a “Tasker” replace unused and unwanted alcohol in their refrigerators with the brand’s light beer offering, Corona Premier, which quietly launched in 2019.  

In March, the “flagship” brand, Corona Extra, kicked off MLB’s 2023 season as “The official Cerveza of Major League Baseball” with the release of a Spanish version of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” performed by Latin artist Sech, as well as upcoming campaigns, partnerships and activations.