Quotes By Sheryl Swoopes

Everybody wants to win.

I never really officially retired from the WNBA, I just left the doors open.

I have accomplished everything I set out to accomplish when I started playing the sport at 7. And probably even more.

I'm finally OK with the idea of who I love, who I want to be with.

Dream big work hard.

Every level that I have ever competed on, I have risen to the top.

Players don't really ask for much or want much. But the things that they do need are important.

TV is what sells your product.

Women play just as hard as guys do. We're just as competitive.

I've always been a firm believer in mind over matter. If you don't believe you can achieve, your body will start to believe this and you'll be stuck.

Some people might say my coming out after just winning the MVP award is heroic, and I understand that.

You have to be positive, and I'm not just talking about athletics, this also applies to life.

It didn't matter how good I was. It was always, 'You're a girl. You can't play with the guys.' It's always been motivation for me.

I always believe someone somewhere is working harder than me and that motivates me to work harder, give 100%.

I was very bitter, frustrated, hurt, angry - I went through all types of emotions when I first was out of the WNBA.

No matter how far life pushes you down, no matter how much you hurt, you can always bounce back.

Sexuality and gender don't change anyone's performance on the court.

I can't help who I fall in love with. No one can.

To me, the most important thing is happiness.

I never thought a basketball shoe would be named after a woman, let alone me.

For me, honestly, it's not about individual accomplishments, individual award. It's about what I've got to do and how I can contribute to the team.

I'm at a place in my life right now where I'm very happy, very content. I'm finally OK with the idea of who I love, who I want to be with.

There was the misconception out there that I retired after the 2008 season, but that was never the case. I wasn't done with basketball yet, and I'm still not done.

There is nothing I've been through in my life that I regret, or that I would go back and change. I feel like everything that happened - personally and professionally - I went through for a reason, and I learned from those things.

There are so many women out there relying on me to represent them.

Discovering I'm gay just sort of happened much later in life.

I don't want to have to hide from the world anymore.

As a result of Title IX, and a new generation of parents who want their daughters to have the opportunities they never had, women's sports have arrived.

Being gay has nothing to do with the three gold medals or the three MVPs or the four championships I've won. I'm still the same person. I'm Sheryl.

I didn't grow up thinking, 'Oh, maybe someday I'm going to have a shoe named after me.'