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
Some people might say my coming out after just winning the MVP award is heroic, and I understand that,
Discovering I'm gay just sort of happened much later in life,
There are so many women out there relying on me to represent them.
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.
TV is what sells your product.
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.
To me, the most important thing is happiness.
I've always been a firm believer in mind over matter. If you don't believe you can achieve, your body will start to believe this and you'll be stuck.
Sexuality and gender don't change anyone's performance on the court.
Women play just as hard as guys do. We're just as competitive.
...as far as self-discipline goes, it's still ultimately up to me how well I can push myself. Only I can do that. I just have to keep on going, keep on working, keep on improving.
I can't help who I fall in love with. No one can.
It didn't matter how good I was. It was always, 'You're a girl. You can't play with the guys.' It's always been motivation for me.
I always believe someone somewhere is working harder than me and that motivates me to work harder, give 100%.