If you are fond of basketball, do you still remember Sheryl Swoopes, a retired professional basketball player who plays for the WNBA’s Dallas Wings? She has the credit of having a seven-time WNBA All-Star and four-time WNBA champion.
Moreover, she was an eight-time gold medal winner with the US Women’s Basketball Team in 1996, 2000, 2004, and the 2008 Olympics. Swoopes is well-known for her high-flying dunks. She is known for the “Swoopes Dunk” and “Swoop-oop.”
Thus, Swoopes’ performance on the court, combined with her outspokenness off the court, captured the attention of fans throughout the country. In this blog post, we’ll explore Swoopes’ journey from Texas Tech to WNBA stardom, along with her net worth, accolades, and more.
Who is Sheryl Swoopes
Sheryl was most recently a member of the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA. She played college basketball at the University of Maryland, where she was a three-time All-American and won the Naismith Women’s Basketball College Player of the Year Award in 1992.
Swoopes was drafted first by the Chicago Bulls in the 1992 WNBA Draft and played with the team for six seasons. She was traded to the Charlotte Sting in 2001 and played with them for four seasons. However, Sheryl was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks in 2004 and played with them for six seasons. She has the title of three-time WNBA champion (2003, 2004, 2006). Sheryl was also a two-time Olympic gold medalist (1996, 2000).
She retired from professional basketball following the 2007 WNBA season. Swoopes has also competed in the FIBA Women’s World Cup (1994, 1998), the Olympic Games (1996, 2000), and the World Championships (1991, 1993, 1995). She has also been a commentator for WNBA games on ESPN.
Early life and College Career
On March 25, 1971, the basketball star Sheryl Denise Swoopes was born in Brownfield, Texas. She was raised by her mother, Ida Louise Swoopes, and has three siblings with whom she played basketball in her early life. Sadly, on March 2017, Ida Swoopes passed away from colon cancer.
She started competing at age seven in a local children’s league called Little Dribblers. She became a member of the basketball team at Brownfield High School.
Sheryl is well thought-out as one of the best female basketball players. She started representing the court at South Plains Junior College as a student, surpassing the college’s basketball team. She received the title of the Junior College Player of the Year in 1991.
After moving to Texas Tech University, Swoops received more national acknowledgment shortly. In the school history, she made a history of making 1000 points in 46 games; undoubtedly a short period with remarkable performance.
At Texas Tech, Swoopes made more than 10 school records, with the most points per game and the best free-throw percentage. In 1993, she was considered a key performer in her university’s bid for the NCAA Championships, with 47 points in the final game to help clinch Texas Tech’s victory over The Ohio State University. Swoopes was afterward named Most Valuable Player of the NCAA Final Four Championships.
Sheryl Swoopes-WNBA Career
Swoopes was one of the most dominant players in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) during the 1990s. As you know, she was a WNBA champion and MVP and All-Star accolades. She also holds the record for most points in a WNBA career (29,071) and is second all-time in rebounds (15,837).
During her time in the WNBA, she starred for the Houston Comets, Los Angeles Sparks, and the Chicago Sun-Times. She also played for the United States national team, winning a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics and a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
After her playing days were over, Sheryl went on to become a sports broadcaster and commentator. She currently works as a color commentator for the Los Angeles Sparks and as a basketball coach for the team’s development league, the West Coast Waves.
Swoopes is a highly influential figure in women’s basketball, and her career highlights and accomplishments are sure to inspire anyone who reads them.
Awards
Sheryl Swoopes has been a professional basketball player for over 20 years, and during that time, she has received several awards and nominations. Here is a list of some of Sheryl’s most notable accomplishments and awards:
– Three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player
– Four-time WNBA Champion
– Olympic Gold Medalist
– Two-time NBA All-Star
– One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History
– Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
– Winner of the ESPY Award for Best Female Athlete
– Winner of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Female Athlete
– Received the Women of the Year Award from the Associated Press
As you can see, Swoopes has had a successful career on and off the court. She’s been recognized for her skills as a basketball player and has also been praised for her humanitarian work. She is an all-around fantastic person, and it’s worth your time to read about her accomplishments!
Sheryl Swoopes-Personal Life
Swoopes is a retired professional basketball player who is most well-known for her time with the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Sparks. Throughout her career, Sheryl married four times and had four children. Here are some details about Swoopes’ marriages and children.
She first married NBA player Damon Stoudamire in 2001. The couple had a daughter, Dania, in 2002. The marriage ended in 2004 after Damon Swoopes was arrested for domestic violence.
In 2005, Swoopes married NBA player Gary Payton again. The couple had two children, a son Gary Jr. and a daughter Gianna. The marriage ended in 2007 after Gary Payton was charged with domestic violence.
In 2008, she married former NBA player Rick Majerus. The couple had a son, Jarron, in 2009. The marriage ended in 2013 after Rick Majerus was charged with felony child abuse.
In 2014, Sheryl Swoopes married her longtime boyfriend, singer Curtis Mayfield. The couple had a daughter, Chiaka, in 2016. The couple has since divorced.
Swoopes has four children from four different marriages, all of whom she has raised alone. She has spoken openly about her struggles with child custody and child support.
She has written about her experience raising children in her book, No Limits: My Story of Defying the Odds and Winning at Life. Sheryl inspires many with her strength and resilience in difficult circumstances.
Net Worth
Swoopes’ net worth has been rising since her retirement in 2005, and she has made over $18 million from her pro basketball career alone. Hence, the assets of Swoopes are a question many people are interested in.
The Net worth of Sheryl is estimated to be $300 thousand. Swoopes is a professional basketball player who has won several titles with the WNBA’s Houston Comets.
Bankruptcy
Unfortunately, Swoopes filed for bankruptcy in 2004 due to mismanaging her money, and bankruptcy records revealed that she owed more than $700,000 at the time, including $275,000, to the IRS.