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. Image File history File links Sheryl_Swoopes. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Basketball has been played consistently on the Summer Olympics since 1936, with a demonstration event in 1904. ... The 1996 Summer Olympics, formally known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and informally known as the Centennial Olympics, were held in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. ... The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games held in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, were held in Athens, Greece, from August 13 to August 29, 2004. ... March 25 is the 84th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (85th in leap years). ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005. ... The Houston Comets are a Womens National Basketball Association team. ... The Womens National Basketball Association or WNBA is an organization governing a professional basketball league for women in the United States. ... The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ... WNBA MVP Award The WNBA Most Valuable Player Award is an annual award is given by the Womens National Basketball Association (WNBA) to the WNBA player who is the most valuable league-wide to her individual team in regular season competition. ... For other persons named Michael Jordan, see Michael Jordan (disambiguation). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Wally Szczerbiak at the free throw line. ... Carlos Arroyo of the Utah Jazz (left) passing to a teammate (not shown) for an assist. ... In basketball, a steal occurs when a defensive player legally deflects and controls, catches, or bats to a teammate a pass or dribble of an offensive player. ...

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. Brownfield is a city located in Terry County, Texas. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

College years

In 1993 Swoopes won the NCAA women's basketball title with Texas Tech during her senior season. Her jersey was retired by the school the following year. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, often pronounced N-C-Double-A ) is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States. ... Texas Tech University is a Tier I research university located in Lubbock, Texas, established in 1923 originally as Texas Technological College. ...

Swoopes is still apart of the NCAA women's basketball record books (as of 2006) in many categories, among them is the list of single-game scoring records (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 overall historically), best single-game championship scoring performance (47 points vs. Ohio State, 1993 championship), and scoring record for championship series (177 points, four games).

Swoopes was the 1993 winner of the Naismith award, and 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.

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). The WNBA Most Valuable Player is an annual award is given by the Womens National Basketball Association (WNBA) to the WNBA player who is the most valuable league-wide to her individual team in regular season competition. ... WNBA Defensive Player of the Year ...

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. Cynthia Cooper on the Houston Comets Cynthia Lynne Cooper (born on April 14, 1963 in Chicago, Illinois) is a former basketball player who has played in college, the Olympics, and in professional leagues, most notably with the Womens National Basketball Association (WNBA). ... Tina Marie Thompson (born February 10, 1975 in Los Angeles, California) is a basketball player in the Womens National Basketball Association (WNBA). ...

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. Lisa Leslie (born July 7, 1972) is a Womens National Basketball Association player currently playing for the Los Angeles Sparks. ...

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

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 Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is a three-time Olympic gold medalist (1996, 2000, 2004). The first issue of Sports Illustrated, August 16, 1954, showing Milwaukee Braves star Eddie Mathews at bat in Milwaukee County Stadium. ... Gold Medal is an album by American band The Donnas, released in 2004. ... (Redirected from 1996 Olympic Games) Categories: 1996 Summer Olympics ... The Womens National Basketball Association or WNBA is an organization governing a professional basketball league for women in the United States. ...

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. Nike, Inc. ...

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. A lesbian is a female emotionally and/or sexually attracted only to other females. ... Come Out was composed by Steve Reiche in 1966. ... Official language(s) English (de facto) See also languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 268,581 sq mi (695,622 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... Same-sex marriage is a term for a legally, socially and/or religiously recognized marriage in which two people of the same sex live together as a family. ...

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. October 26 is the 299th day of the year (300th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 66 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is a newspaper published in New York City by Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. ... USA Today is a national American newspaper published by the Gannett Corporation. ... A cruise line is a company that operates cruise ships. ...

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. October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 65 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Seal of the Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the United States government agency that collects taxes and enforces the internal revenue laws. ...

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 an 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 are Swoopes' Olympic medals, her 1993 Naismith Trophy and Texas Tech basketball uniforms. June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 185 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... KHOU-TV is the local CBS affiliate in Houston, Texas, owned by Belo Corporation (which purchased the station, along with the rest of Corinthian Broadcasting, from Dun & Bradstreet in 1984). ... Houston redirects here. ... A television station is a type of broadcast station that broadcasts both audio and video to television receivers in a particular area. ... Look up storage in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Nickname: Hub City Location within the state of Texas Coordinates: County Lubbock County Mayor David Miller Area    - City 297. ... The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... The Naismith College Player of the Year award, named for basketball inventor James Naismith, is given annually to college basketballs top male and female player. ...

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)

Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005. ... Texas Tech University is a Tier I research university located in Lubbock, Texas, established in 1923 originally as Texas Technological College. ... The Houston Comets are a Womens National Basketball Association team. ... The Womens National Basketball Association or WNBA is an organization governing a professional basketball league for women in the United States. ... The San Francisco Legacy are well-named, being the last original franchise of the National Womens Basketball League (NWBL). ... The Lubbock Hawks were a womens professional basketball team in the National Womens Basketball League (NWBL). ... The National Womens Basketball League or NWBL is an organization governing basketball leagues for women in the United States. ...

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

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