Sheryl Swoopes

Sheryl Swoopes

Swoopes at the 2014 World Basketball Festival
Personal information
Born	(1971-03-25) March 25, 1971 (age 45) Brownfield, Texas
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight	145 lb (66 kg)
Career information
High school	Brownfield (Brownfield, Texas)
College	South Plains (1989–1991) Texas Tech (1991–1993)
WNBA draft	1997 / Allocated
Selected by the Houston Comets
Playing career	1997–2011
Position	Shooting guard / Small forward
Number	22
Coaching career	2009–present
Career history
As player:
1997–2007	Houston Comets
2008	Seattle Storm
2011	Tulsa Shock
As coach:
2009–2010	Mercer Island HS (asst.)
2013–2016	Loyola (Chicago)
Career highlights and awards
4× WNBA champion (1997–2000) 6× WNBA All-Star (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006) 5× All-WNBA First Team (1998–2000, 2002, 2005) 2× All-WNBA Second Team (2003, 2006) 3× WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2000, 2002, 2003) 3× WNBA MVP (2000, 2002, 2005) 2× WNBA scoring champion (2000, 2005) 2× WNBA steals leader (2000, 2003) WNBA Peak Performer (2005) WNBA's Top 15 Players of All Time (2011) WNBA Top 20@20 (2016)
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
Medals Women's basketball Representing the  United States Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta Team competition 2000 Sydney Team competition 2004 Athens Team competition World Cup 1998 Germany Team competition 2002 China Team competition 1994 Australia Team competition 2006 Brazil Team competition Goodwill Games 1994 St. Petersburg Team competition

Sheryl Denise Swoopes (born March 25, 1971) 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.

Born in Brownfield, Texas, Swoopes was raised by her mother Louise Swoopes and played basketball with her three older brothers. She began competing at age seven in a local children's league called Little Dribblers. She played basketball at Brownfield High School.

Initially recruited by the University of Texas, Swoopes left the school shortly after her arrival without playing a game, and enrolled at South Plains College. After playing at South Plains for two years, Swoopes transferred to Texas Tech.

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 three Lady Raiders to be honored in this way. The others are Carolyn Thompson and Krista Kirkland, Swoopes' teammate from the 1993 championship team.

As of 2010, 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), which broke Bill Walton's record, and scoring record for championship series (177 points, five games). She set the record for the most field goals in the championship game with 16.