Sheryl Swoopes

American basketball player, three-time WNBA MVP and four-time champion with Houston Comets, two-time Olympic gold medalist and Basketball Hall of Fame inductee

Sheryl Swoopes was the first player ever signed to the WNBA, returned to competition weeks after giving birth, scored a still-standing record 47 points in the 1993 NCAA championship game, and became the first woman to have a signature Nike shoe — a sequence of firsts compressed into a single career that announced, before the league had played a game, who would define it.. She began playing organised basketball at seven in a local children's league called Little Dribblers. Swoopes led Texas Tech to the 1993 NCAA championship, scoring a still-standing record 47 points in the title game against Ohio State, and was named National Player of the Year that season, establishing herself as one of the most dominant college players in the sport's history. Swoopes became the first player ever signed to the WNBA in 1997, joining the Houston Comets just weeks after giving birth to her son, and helped lead the team to four consecutive championships from 1997 to 2000. Nicknamed the "female Michael Jordan" for her all-around scoring and defensive ability, she became the first woman to have a signature Nike shoe named after her, the Air Swoopes. Swoopes won three WNBA MVP awards and three Olympic gold medals, and became the first player in league history to record a triple-double in a playoff game. She was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016, alongside Shaquille O'Neal, who said of her ability, "She could play with us. That is how good she was."

Versatile forward with exceptional scoring ability, strong defensive presence, and leadership skills

WNBA pioneer and one of the greatest women's basketball players of all time

• WNBA Champion 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
• WNBA MVP 2000, 2002, 2005
• Olympic Gold 1996, 2000