Sheryl Denise Swoopes (born March 25, 1971) is a retired American professional basketball player and the head coach of the women's basketball team of Loyola University Chicago. Swoopes was married from June 1995 to 1999 to her high school sweetheart, with whom she had a son, Jordan Eric Jackson in 1997. In October 2005, with her announcement that she was gay, Swoopes became one of the highest profile athletes in a team sport to do so publicly. She and her partner, former basketball player and Houston Comets assistant coach, Alisa Scott, whom Swoopes at the time said she would like to someday marry, together raised Swoopes's son, Jordan. (P: Swoopes at the 2014 World Basketball Festival)Swoopes said "it doesn't change who I am. I can't help who I fall in love with. No one can. ... Discovering I'm gay just sort of happened much later in life. Being intimate with [Alisa] or any other woman never entered my mind. At the same time, I'm a firm believer that when you fall in love with somebody, you can't control that."
She was the first player to be signed in the WNBA when it was created. She has won three Olympic Gold Medals and is a three-time WNBA MVP. Frequently referred to as the "female Michael Jordan," Swoopes is famous for both her offensive and defensive skills. In 2005, she averaged 18.6 points, 85% free throws, 4.3 assists, 2.65 steals and 37.1 minutes playing time per game. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history.
In 2008, Sheryl Swoopes made an appearance on Shirts & Skins, a reality series from the television channel LOGO. Swoopes flew out to mentor the San Francisco Rockdogs, a gay basketball team, and shared her experiences on basketball, family, faith, and coming out, helping to bring the team closer together.
Sheryl Swoopes is a retired American professional basketball player and the head coach of the women's basketball team of Loyola University Chicago. In October 2005, with her announcement that she was gay, Swoopes became one of the highest profile athletes in a team sport to do so publicly. She and her partner, former basketball player and Houston Comets assistant coach, Alisa Scott, whom Swoopes at the time said she would like to someday marry, together raised Swoopes's son, Jordan.
In 2009, Swoopes coached the girls basketball team at Mercer Island High School, while head coach Jamie Prescott was on maternity leave.
In 2011, Swoopes broke up with Alisa Scott and was reportedly engaged to Christopher Unclesho.
Swoopes joined the Texas Tech women's basketball broadcast team as a color analyst in November 2012, marking the start of her career in broadcasting, but soon left Tech again when offered her first head coaching position.
Swoopes reportedly cried upon receiving a photo of son Jordan's letter of intent to play basketball at her alma mater, Texas Tech, in late 2014.
Swoopes was the 1993 winner of the Honda Sports Award for basketball She was listed in the Sports Illustrated 20 female athletes of the decade between 2000 and 2010. She was a MVP for the years 2000, 2002 and 2005. She also won the associated press female athlete of the year award for 1993.Swoopes is also featured by Equality forum as an LGBT history month icon for her outstanding achievements. Swoopes is represented by Ryan Totka of Athlete Promotions.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheryl_Swoopes
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