WNBA superstar Sheryl Swoopes’ announcement that she is a lesbian is not likely to create issues for her on the basketball court and may provide opportunities off it.
Swoopes, a four-time WNBA champion and three-time league MVP, came out when she became a spokesperson for Olivia, a cruise line that caters to lesbian travelers.
Swoopes, 34, told ESPN The Magazine that she did not come out to be viewed as some kind of hero.
“I’m just at a point in my life where I’m tired of having to pretend to be somebody I’m not,” Swoopes said in the magazine.
“I’m tired of having to hide my feelings about the person I care about. Whether people think that’s right, whether they think it’s wrong, I don’t care.”
Swoopes also told the magazine that she plans to return to the Houston Comets next season.
“I hope my coming out doesn’t have a negative effect on the WNBA,” Swoopes said. “Because it’s not going to change the game, or the players, or the league. It’s not going to change me. Most of the players in the league already know I’m gay. … But the talk about the WNBA being full of lesbians is not true.”
