WNBA Star Sheryl Swoopes Comes Out

DALLAS, TX -- Calling life in the closet "miserable," three-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time Most Valuable Player in the WNBA, Houston Comets player Sheryl Swoopes told ESPN The Magazine that she is gay.

"My reason for coming out isn't to be some sort of hero," Swoopes says in the article. "I'm just at a point in my life where I'm tired of having to pretend to be somebody I'm not. I'm tired of having to hide my feelings about the person I care about."

"I'm a firm believer that when you fall in love with somebody, you can't control that," she said.

"Male athletes of my caliber probably feel like they have a lot more to lose than gain [by coming out]. I don't agree with that. To me, the most important thing is happiness."

Swoopes was divorced from the father of her 8-year-old son in 1999 and has been with her current partner, Alisa Scott, a former assistant coach for the Comets, for seven years.

Donna Orender, the commissioner of the WNBA, was asked if the league had any ethical concerns about Swoopes and Scott's relationship while they were with the Comets.

"From a league perspective," Orender said, "our expectation is that our teams and everyone associated with our teams will conduct themselves with the utmost professionalism."

No plans to market Swoopes will change, Orender said, adding: "She is still one of our prominent players, and she's a great player. We would like Sheryl to be happy."

Comets coach Van Chancellor expressed support for Swoopes in a statement. "What she does in her personal life is her own decision," he said. "I respect everything about Sheryl, how she's handled herself on and off the court. To me, she will always be one of the greatest ambassadors for the game of women's basketball."

Swoopes joins Martina Navratilova and golfer Rosie Jones as public spokespeople for Olivia Cruises, a lesbian cruise line. She and Scott had booked a cruise with the travel company when its CEO asked for her endorsement.