Sheryl Swoopes

1971-

American basketball player

Sheryl Swoopes has played on college, professional and Olympic championship basketball teams. She has won all sorts of individual awards, owns countless records and even had a sneaker named after her. She has also played one-on-one against the redoubtable Michael Jordan. And, she has rebounded from serious knee injuries to earn league honors. But perhaps her most noteworthy achievement was playing, and staying on top of her game, shortly after having a baby.

Swoopes, a 6-foot shooting guard who once scored a record 47 points in the NCAA championship game while leading Texas Tech to the 1993 national title, led the Houston Comets of the Women's National Basketball Association to four consecutive titles from 1997-2000, and played on two gold-medal winning U.S. Olympic teams. In the midst of her competitive season the "Texas Tornado" gave birth to her son, Jordan, in July, 1997. "When she found out she was pregnant with Jordan at age 25, she committed herself to playing in basketball and staying in shape throughout the pregnancy," Elisa Ast All wrote in Pregnancy Today. "She had no morning sickness or any other symptoms that hindered her lifestyle."

Big Star in Texas

Shortly after Swoopes was born, on March 21, 1971, her father left home. Her mother, sometimes relying on welfare to meet family needs, raised Swoopes and her three brothers by herself. Swoopes began playing basketball at age seven. After earning national junior college Player of the Year honors at South Plains

J.C. in Texas, Swoopes transferred to Texas Tech University. Despite playing only two seasons there, she ranked fourth among all-time Lady Raiders with 1,645 points and sixth for steals. She averaged 24.9 points per game.

Swoopes scored 47 points in the NCAA championship game as the Lady Raiders held off Ohio State with a score of 84-82. In that game she made 16 of 24 shots and all 11 of her free throws. She scored 53 points in the conference championship game, then totaled 130 points and 43 rebounds in the first four games of the NCAA tournament. During her two seasons of play, Texas Tech sported a 58-8 record. The school retired her jersey number (22) the following season. That winter she also played ten games for Basket Bari, a professional team in Italy. Swoopes was also a member of the gold medal-winning 1996 Olympic team. The championship culminated a 60-0 run over two years.

Sneaker Deal, WNBA and Baby

In a tribute to Swoopes's marketability, and the rising popularity of women's sports in general, the Nike shoe company in October, 1995 introduced the Air Swoopes women's basketball footwear. Nike paralleled the announcement with an extensive advertising campaign with Swoopes appearing in newspaper and television advertisements, and retail displays. Swoopes has also represented such companies as Kellogg, Wilson, Hasbro and Discover Car.

Swoopes was the first player chosen by the WNBA, which assigned her to the Houston Rockets as play began in June, 1997. Then along came the baby. She gave birth to Jordan, named after Michael Jordan, on June 27. About six weeks later, on August 7, Swoopes took the court in her WNBA debut, playing about five minutes in a 74-70 victory by the host Comets over the Phoenix Mercury. "I was very nervous for the first game after being out of competitive basketball for a year," the Associated Press quoted Swoopes. "There's a big difference in pickup ball and getting out here. It's going to take awhile to get the butterflies out."

Swoopes received a warm applause from the crowd. At courtside, some fans hovered around the baby, held by her husband, former football player Eric Jackson (the two divorced in 2000). "Upon learning she was unexpectedly pregnant, her biggest fear was telling her agent and other WNBA associates about her condition," All wrote in Pregnancy Today. "She kept her special secret throughout the first trimester 'in case something happened,' and then shared the news. 'I was nervous about what everyone would think, but they were all very supportive,' she says."

Swoopes played nine games that season (the WNBA, plays during the summer, and plays a much shorter season than the men's National Basketball Association) as the Comets won the inaugural league championship. Houston added three more, registering a rare four-peat in professional sports. Swoopes was voted the WNBA's Most Valuable Player and Best Defensive Player in 2000.

Swoopes missed the 2001 WNBA season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament and lateral meniscus in her left knee. She recovered in 2002 to earn her second MVP award from the league, averaging 18.5 points per game. She scored 32 points in a game against Sacramento, one point shy of her career high. She was also named the league's top defensive player, securing a team-record 88 steals. The Comets became the only team to make the playoffs in all six WNBA seasons.

"Ultimate Star"

Swoopes, arguably, is the prototype of today's moden woman athlete, as marketable as she is athletic. "Swoopes," Hall of Famer and former WNBA coach Nancy Lieberman wrote on ESPN's Web site, "is the definition of the ultimate star and you can't help but have an incredible respect for her game."

SELECTED WRITINGS BY SWOOPES:

(With Greg Brown) Bounce Back, Dallas: Taylor, 1996.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Books

Burby, Liza N. Sheryl Swoopes: All-Star Basketball Player. New York: Rosen, 1997.

Burgan, Michael. Sheryl Swoopes. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2001.

Kuklin, Susan. Hoops with Swoopes. New York: Jump at the Sun Hyperion Books for Children, 2001.

Rappoport, Ken. Sheryl Swoopes, Star Forward. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow, 2002.

Sehnert, Chris W. Sheryl Swoopes. Edina, MN: Abdo & Daughters, 1998.

Torres, John Albert. Sheryl Swoopes. Bear, DE: Mitchell Lane, 2002.

Walker, Rosemary. Sheryl Swoopes. Mankato, MN: Capstone High-Interest Books, 2001.

Other

All, Elisa Ast. "Bouncing Back from Baby." Pregnancy Today, http://pregnancytoday.com/reference/articles/swoopes.htm, (January 6, 2003).

"Rockets Five Days of Giving Slated to Help Diverse Group of Houstonians in Need." Houston Rockets, http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/fivedays_001219.html, (December 19, 2002).

"Sheryl Swoopes." National Sports Agency, http://www.nationalsportsagency.com/sswoopes.html, (January 12, 2003).

Sweet, Jacinda. "For Former Texas Tech Star, Shoe Is 'a Dream Come True,' Arizona Daily Wildcat, http://wildcat.arizona.edu, (October 9, 1995).

USA Basketball, http://www.usabasketball.com/bioswomen/sheryl_swoopes_bio.html, (January 12, 2002).

Wiechmann, David. "A Decade-Old Dynasty," University Daily, http://www.universitydaily.net/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/01/15/3e24dbc2409ab, (January 15, 2003).

WNBA.com, http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/sheryl_swoopes/index.html, (January 12, 2002).

Sketch by Paul Burton