The WNBA officially has its fourth representative in the Basketball Hall of Fame as Sheryl Swoopes was enshrined this weekend.
In a list that will definitely grow as the years go on, Swoopes joined Cynthia Cooper, Lisa Leslie, and Dawn Staley as WNBA players to be immortalized in Springfield, Massachusetts.
In addition to being one of the greatest players in WNBA history, she also has the distinction of being the first player to be signed into the league.
Among the class of Hall of Fame inductees for 2016 also included Yao Ming, Allen Iverson, and Shaquille O’Neal.
For her career, she averaged nearly 16 points a game and won four WNBA championships—all with the Houston Comets. She also was the first ever three-time Defensive Player of the Year as well as the first three-time MVP—and the first WNBA player with a shoe line. Swoopes also is a three-time Olympic gold medalist.
She began her speech by giving thanks to two individuals in particular she credits with playing major roles in her successful career—Nancy Lieberman (inducted into the HOF Class of 1996), who she called her first “basketball role model,” and Van Chancellor, who coached Houston to those four titles from 1997 to 2000.
What I admire about you the most is you taught me so much about the game of basketball, but you also taught me a lot about the game of life.
–Sheryl Swoopes to Van Chancellor
At a later point in her induction speech, Swoopes told a story of how she was informed she would be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Her mother was waiting to see her doctor after being diagnosed with colon cancer for the first time.
After it became known she would be inducted, she mentioned how emotional a moment it was.
Tears immediately started to flow down my face, and I wasn’t sure if it was because I had just become a Hall of Famer or the unknown of whether my mom would be here to celebrate this special moment with me.
Well, mom, we made it.
–Swoopes to her mother in attendance
Her playing career took her from Brownfield High School to South Plains Junior College to Texas Tech prior to entering the pros. Swoopes reflected on having the opportunity to play in the 1993 NCAA Women’s National Championship Game for her Lady Raiders vs. Ohio State.
The thrill, joy, and excitement of getting an opportunity to play at that magnitude, win a championship, and represent so many people was a dream come true.
In that title game, she dropped 47 points and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
She had to play overseas the following three years after graduating. In 1996, she won her first gold medal with the United States Women’s National Team at the Atlanta Olympics.
After acknowledging the work of Geno Auriemma and this year’s rendition of Team USA that won gold in Rio de Janeiro, Swoopes mentioned how the success of that team set the groundwork for the WNBA. She credited former NBA commissioner David Stern on what she referred to as “visionary leadership” for getting the league off the ground.
She later mentioned how her WNBA debut was delayed by the birth of her son, Jordan, who was also in attendance for the speech.
After praising the leadership of WNBA president Lisa Borders and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver for ensuring the league’s stability, and giving thanks to others that helped her along the way, she delivered her closing remarks.
To every little boy and girl out there, who may be watching—it doesn’t matter where you come from, as long as you work hard, believe, and never give up. Dreams do come true.
–Sheryl Swoopes
Hers certainly did, and it has led her to this point where she is now a Hall of Famer. Congratulations to Sheryl Swoopes and to the entire 2016 Basketball Hall of Fame class!
(Video courtesy of Basketball Hall of Fame)
By: Akiem Bailum (@AkiemBailum on Twitter, Instagram)
