Could we soon utter the phrase “Basketball Hall of Famer Rebecca Lobo” soon? It is a possibility.
Lobo was named among those considered for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Her time at UConn in the early 90s was influential in transforming what was a regionally known program in Storrs into a national near-untouchable in the women’s college game.
Lobo is also considered one of the WNBA’s “Original Three.” In 1996, she along with Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes, were at a press conference to announce the establishing of the WNBA as a full-fledged basketball association.
She was part of the of the inaugural WNBA Finals in 1997 while with the New York Liberty before her team was defeated by the Houston Comets. She also was part of the USA Basketball Women’s National Team at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta that won an Olympic gold medal—the first of six consecutive golds for the team dating from ’96 to the most recent Games in Rio de Janeiro.
She was also named to the 1999 All-Star team, but could not play due to an injury. Lobo retired from The W in 2003.
Today, she is a prominent figure on ESPN’s coverage of the WNBA as well as women’s college basketball. In 2010, her name was enshrined into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
Congratulations to Lobo on being named to the Basketball Hall of Fame shortlist! Another enshrinement ceremony could be coming soon!
By: Akiem Bailum (@AkiemBailum on Twitter, Instagram)
