Sheryl Swoopes

Sheryl Swoopes is recognized as a pioneering figure in professional basketball. Swoopes was the first player signed to the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and is a three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player. She was named one of the league's Top 15 Players of All Time at the WNBA All-Star Game. Swoopes has earned three Olympic gold medals and is among a select group of women's basketball players to have won an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA Championship, a FIBA World Cup gold, and a WNBA title. Her career has had a significant impact on women's professional basketball.

Before her professional achievements, Swoopes gained national attention during her college career at Texas Tech. She was a First Team All-America selection and received both the Naismith College Player of the Year and the WBCA Player of the Year awards. Swoopes set an NCAA record by scoring 47 points in the national championship game, leading Texas Tech University to its first national basketball championship and earning the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player honor. She remains the only player to score 47 points in a collegiate national championship game.

Swoopes was the first player to sign with the WNBA and became the first three-time WNBA MVP and the first three-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. She is a four-time WNBA champion, contributing to the Houston Comets' consecutive titles. Swoopes was the first woman to have a signature shoe, the Nike "Air Swoopes," and was the first player in the WNBA to record a triple-double in both the regular season and playoffs. Off the court, Swoopes made national headlines by publicly coming out, becoming one of the most prominent athletes in North American team sports to do so.

Swoopes has been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. She has been recognized in the WNBA Top 20@20 and The W25, celebrating the league's milestone anniversaries. Swoopes was also ranked on the Forbes Self-Made 250 list. After her playing career, Swoopes has served as an assistant coach at Mercer Island High School, a Texas Tech women's basketball color analyst, and in assistant coaching roles at Loyola University Chicago and Texas Tech.

Swoopes continues to be an influential voice in women's sports. She co-headlines "Levels To This with Sheryl Swoopes and Terrika Foster-Brasby" on the Women's Sports Audio Network and co-hosts "The Women's Hoops Show," providing analysis on the WNBA. Swoopes has also appeared on The Jennifer Hudson Show to discuss breast cancer advocacy and serves as president of the Sheryl Swoopes Foundation for Youth Inc., supporting underprivileged youth. In 2026, she was featured as one of the main subjects in the upcoming Roku docuseries "Gamechangers: Mother/Athlete," which explores the challenges WNBA players face in balancing motherhood and their athletic careers. Swoopes addresses topics including athletic achievement, personal resilience, and social advocacy across various platforms.