Sheryl Swoopes
Sheryl Swoopes
Sheryl Denise Swoopes is a retired American professional basketball player. She was the first player to be signed in the WNBA, is a three-time WNBA MVP, and was named one of the league's Top 15 Players of All Time at the 2011 WNBA All-Star Game. Swoopes has won three Olympic gold medals. She was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBasketball Player
Date of Birth25 March 1971
CityBrownfield, TX
CountryUnited States of America
I've accomplished everything a person can accomplish on a basketball court, but I never thought about the future when I was younger. I never made plans for the next stage in my life.
TV is what sells your product.
Discovering I'm gay just sort of happened much later in life,
Some people might say my coming out after just winning the MVP award is heroic, and I understand that,
There was the misconception out there that I retired after the 2008 season, but that was never the case. I wasn't done with basketball yet, and I'm still not done.
My reason for coming out isn't to be some sort of hero,
I'm at a place in my life right now where I'm very happy, very content. I'm finally OK with the idea of who I love, who I want to be with.
I don't think it's tough to get there mentally. Your mind is saying, 'You know how to do this.' But your body doesn't always respond.
It's frustrating - not that I expect to be the same person I was 10 years ago, but I do expect to do certain things. In all honesty, my body for the most part feels really good. But at this point of my career, I have to rely on different parts of my game, knowing how to take some short cuts when you can.
Everybody wants to win.
For me, honestly, it's not about individual accomplishments, individual award. It's about what I've got to do and how I can contribute to the team.
I can't help who I fall in love with. No one can.
I never really officially retired from the WNBA, I just left the doors open.
I didn't grow up thinking, 'Oh, maybe someday I'm going to have a shoe named after me.'