Sheryl Swoopes in The Advocate

She is our champion
She has logged every superlative in the basketball record books. Now WNBA Houston Comets superstar Sheryl Swoopes makes history again, by coming out about her happy family life with her long-term lesbian love—and signing with Olivia. And she’s only just begun.

By Anne Stockwell

Excerpted from The Advocate, November 22, 2005

 
There are famous people, and then there are stars. Sheryl Swoopes is a star. Widely considered the greatest female basketball player in the history of the sport, Swoopes has augmented her great natural gifts with a drive that has led her Women’s National Basketball Association team, the Houston Comets, to the never-equaled feat of a “four-peat”—four national championships in a row.

Now Houston’s number 22 is taking the ball into new territory: Swoopes came out as a lesbian on Good Morning America in late October. She’s also joining Martina Navratilova and Rosie Jones as spokeswomen for America’s most prominent lesbian-centered business, Olivia Cruises and Resorts. What persuaded her to come aboard? It’s best expressed in Olivia’s slogan, she says: “Feel free.”

In a gay-press exclusive interview, Swoopes is forthright about the journey that led her here: “I don’t want to say I’ve been living a lie, but for the past seven, eight years I haven’t been able to be comfortable in my own skin, around my own friends and family.”

As we talk, Swoopes keeps a watchful eye on her handsome son, Jordan. (She divorced Jordan’s football-player father, Eric Jackson, in 1999.) Occasionally she takes an aside with her affable partner, Alisa “Scotty” Scott, herself an ex–basketball player and former assistant coach of the Comets. Scotty’s rapport with Jordan is plain to see. They shoot hoops to pass the time; Swoopes shouts encouragement across the court. Now and again she joins in. At 8 years old, Jordan can outplay all the grown-ups but his two moms.

Swoopes says she’s nervous about coming out—but she’s not scared. She has made her decision. She’s always been this way: shooting high, breaking out, making history.

What you’re doing is going to mean a great deal to many people.
I’m nervous. I’m anxious. I’m excited. I’m relieved. For so long now I just feel like I’ve been in this little shell, and there’s only a few people that I’m OK with, that I’ll talk to. But there are more people that know than not. And I’m at a point where I’m tired of having to say, “Don’t tell this person or don’t tell that person.”

Looking at your career highlights, you’ve just dominated your sport.
I’ve always been successful, as far as my team. When I went to Texas Tech in ’93 we won the championship, which had never been done before [by the school]. And then to have three Olympic gold medals, that’s pretty special to me. [Swoopes played for the U.S. in 1996, 2000, and 2004.] And then going to the Comets and winning four championships and three MVPs—I think everything that I ever set out to accomplish in basketball, I’ve accomplished that and then some. People ask me all the time, “You’re 34—why are you still playing?” I don’t do it for the money; I don’t think any of the women in the WNBA do it for the money, obviously. I still play today ’cause I still enjoy it. I love entertaining people. I love the fans. Every time I think it can’t get any better than this, it always gets better.

How’d you get started with Olivia?
[Laughs] Believe it or not, I have for at least three, four years been wanting to go on a gay cruise! I just couldn’t do it—wasn’t comfortable doing it, wasn’t the right timing, didn’t know where to go or how to do it. A friend of mine said, “There’s an Olivia cruise—you guys wanna come?” I was like, “I want to, but I can’t.” “No, you guys should come!” I finally said, “All right, we’re gonna do it.” She talked to me about possibly doing an appearance, an autograph-signing or something, on the cruise. At the time I told her, “I don’t know if that’s something I want to do, just because I want a little bit of privacy. I want to enjoy the cruise without feeling like I have to work.”

She said, “Why don’t you just talk to [Olivia CEO] Amy Errett and see what she has in mind?” So I called Amy up, and we went and had a drink and dinner, and we just sat and talked. The relationship right then and there was incredible. I just felt so refreshed or relieved or just comfortable talking to her. We talked about Olivia, talked about us possibly working together. She made me aware that Martina [Navratilova] and Rosie Jones were endorsing Olivia. I love Martina—love Martina—and now I love Rosie too! I said, “Amy, what does Olivia do? What do you guys try to accomplish in the community?” Those things are very important to me, to be able to do different things and be comfortable. I want to educate people about what Olivia stands for, what it means to be in love with another woman or another man, or whatever. I can’t make people accept that, but hopefully I can make them understand that it’s OK.