Sheryl Swoopes

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Olympic medalist
Sheryl Swoopes during her visit to the White House with her champion Houston Comets team in 2001
Medal record
Women's Basketball
Gold	1996 Atlanta	United States
Gold	2000 Sydney	United States
Gold	2004 Athens	United States

Sheryl Denise Swoopes (born March 25, 1971) is an American professional basketball player, currently playing for the Houston Comets in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She has won three Olympic Gold Medals and is a three-time WNBA MVP. Frequently referred to as the "female Michael Jordan," Swoopes is famous for both her offensive and defensive skills. In 2005, she averaged 18.6 points, 85% free throws, 4.3 assists, 2.65 steals and 37.1 minutes playing time per game.

Contents 1 Early success 2 College years 3 WNBA career 4 International career 5 Personal 5.1 Coming Out 5.2 Financial problems 6 Vital statistics 7 Notes and references 8 External links

[edit] Early success

Born in Brownfield, Texas, Swoopes was raised by her mother Louise Swoopes, and played basketball with her two older brothers. She began competing at age seven, in a local children's league. Coached under Dickie Faught and Kathey Granger, Swoopes was a member and senior on the 1988's Texas State Championship team.

[edit] College years

In 1993 Swoopes won the NCAA women's basketball championship with the Texas Tech Lady Raiders during her senior season. Her jersey was retired by the school the following year, making her one of only two Lady Raiders to be honored in this way. The other was Carolyn Thompson.

As of 2006, Swoopes was still a part of the NCAA women's basketball record books in many categories, including single-game scoring record (53 points on March 13, 1993 vs. Texas, tied for tenth place), single-season scoring (955 points in the 1993 season, fourth place), highest Championship Tournament scoring average (35.4 in the 1993 tournament, second place), best single-game championship scoring performance (47 points vs. Ohio State, 1993 championship), and scoring record for championship series (177 points, four games).

Swoopes also set several school records at Texas Tech. She scored 955 points in the 1992-93 season, which is a all-time scoring record for a single season (as of 2006). Swoopes' 24.9 points-per-game average for her career is the best in school history; she also boasts three triple-doubles and twenty-three double-doubles, fourteen of which came during her senior year.^[1]

Swoopes was the 1993 winner of the Naismith College Player of the Year award, was selected as that year's WBCA Player of the Year, and was chosen to the Division I All-American squad in both 1992 and 1993.

[edit] WNBA career

Swoopes was recruited for the Houston Comets of the WNBA during the 1997 inaugural season. She came back from giving birth to her son, to play the last third of the WNBA inaugural season and lead the Comets in the 1997 WNBA Championship. As a member of the Houston Comets, she has accumulated over 2,000 career points, 500 career rebounds, 300 career assists and 200 career steals. Her extraordinary scoring and defensive ability have made her the first three-time WNBA MVP (2000, 2002, 2005) and the first three-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2000, 2002, 2003). Swoopes is a four-time WNBA champion (1997–2000).

Because of her contributions to women's basketball, as well as her tough play through injury, Swoopes is widely considered to be one of the best female basketball players of all time. She was part of the "triple threat" offense during the Comet dynasty (1997-2000), along with Cynthia Cooper and Tina Thompson.

Swoopes is the second player in WNBA history to win both the regular season MVP award and the All-Star Game MVP award in the same season. The first player to accomplish this was Lisa Leslie.

Swoopes is also the first player in WNBA history to record a playoff triple-double.

[edit] International career

Swoopes gained national prominence when she won the gold medal with the USA Basketball Women's National Team (WNT) at the 1996 Olympic Games and became a focal point of the fledgling WNBA. She is a three-time Olympic gold medalist (1996, 2000, 2004).

[edit] Personal

Swoopes is the first women's basketball player to have a Nike shoe named after her: the "Air Swoopes". She married her high school sweetheart in June 1995 and had a son, Jordan Eric Jackson, in 1997. Swoopes' divorce, with joint child custody, was final in 1999.

[edit] Coming Out

In October 2005, Swoopes publicly announced that she is a lesbian and became one of the most high profile athletes in a team sport to come out publicly. She and her partner, Alisa Scott (former basketball player and Houston Comets assistant coach), are raising Swoopes' son together. Swoopes told an Associated Press reporter that she would like to marry Scott one day, though it may be impossible in their home state, which banned same-sex marriage the following month.

In an ESPN.com article, Swoopes said "it doesn't change who I am. I can't help who I fall in love with. No one can... Discovering I'm gay just sort of happened much later in life. Being intimate with [Alisa] or any other woman never entered my mind. At the same time, I'm a firm believer that when you fall in love with somebody, you can't control that."ESPN article

On October 26, 2005, according to the The New York Times and USA Today Swoopes became the spokeswoman for Olivia Cruises and Resorts, a cruise line dedicated to lesbian travelers.

[edit] Financial problems

Despite being one of the top players and highest-paid athletes in the WNBA, Swoopes has experienced severe financial difficulties in recent years.

In October 27, 2005, Swoopes told The New York Times that she had struggled with debt and was forced to file for bankruptcy in 2004 because she mismanaged her money. Bankruptcy records from June 2004 revealed that Swoopes owed $711,050, including $275,000 to the Internal Revenue Service.

In June 29, 2006, KHOU-TV, a Houston television station, reported that a storage facility in Lubbock, Texas containing numerous Swoopes memorabilia items and personal effects was scheduled to be sold at auction. It was also reported that payments for the unit reportedly stopped some time earlier. Television reports in Lubbock indicate that among the items available were Swoopes' Olympic medals, her 1993 Naismith Trophy, and Texas Tech basketball uniforms.

[edit] Vital statistics

• Position: Forward
• Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
• College: Texas Tech 1993
• Team(s): Houston Comets (WNBA), Dallas Fury/Lubbock Hawks (NWBL)

[edit] Notes and references

• AP article by Kristie Riechen
• Swoopes compared to Jordan by NBA.com
• Houston Chronicle article on Swoopes memorabilia being auctioned off
• KHOU-TV report on a storage business auctioning Swoopes' items

[edit] External links

• http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9823452/
• http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid21986.asp
• http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/27/sports/basketball/27swoopes.html
• WNBA player profile
• Sheryl Swoopes' U.S. Olympic Team bio

Preceded by Dawn Staley

Naismith College Player of the Year (women's) 1993

Succeeded by Lisa Leslie

Women's National Basketball Association | WNBA's All-Decade Team
Sue Bird | Tamika Catchings | Cynthia Cooper | Yolanda Griffith | Lauren Jackson | Lisa Leslie | Katie Smith | Dawn Staley | Sheryl Swoopes | Tina Thompson Ruthie Bolton | Chamique Holdsclaw | Ticha Penicheiro | Diana Taurasi | Teresa Weatherspoon (Honorable mention)