Sheryl Swoopes

Biography

Sheryl Swoopes was the total package - scorer, defender, leader, and trailblazer. The first player signed in WNBA history, she went on to win three MVP awards and four championships with the Houston Comets while also earning three Defensive Player of the Year honors. She was the Michael Jordan of the WNBA: the first women's basketball player to get a Nike signature shoe, the first to record a triple-double, and the standard by which all two-way players were measured. Her 2005 decision to come out publicly made her one of the most prominent openly gay athletes in American sports, blazing yet another trail.

Career Highlights

• 3-time WNBA MVP (2000, 2002, 2005) — first player to win 3
• 4 WNBA championships with Houston Comets (1997-2000)
• 3 Olympic gold medals (1996, 2000, 2004)
• 3-time Defensive Player of the Year
• First WNBA player to record a triple-double

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