Texas Tech University Athletics
Swoopes Named One Of WNBA's Top 20 Players
June 21, 2016 | Women's Basketball
Swoopes' honor is part of WNBA's 20th anniversary celebration
NEW YORK --Â In celebration of its landmark 20th season, the WNBA honored the 20 greatest and most influential players in its history today with the WNBA Top 20@20, and Lady Raider great Sheryl Swoopes was one of the 20 honored.
The date of the unveiling was chosen to honor the date of the league's inaugural regular-season game in 1997. ESPN Networks will promote the list throughout the day on various programs, including during ESPN's noon ET SportsCenter as well as ESPN2's telecast of the Phoenix Mercury vs. Dallas Wings game at 8 p.m. ET, which will feature former Lady Raider Plenette Pierson, who was one of the 60 nominees for the list.
The 60 nominees were selected based on factors like on-court performance and ability, leadership and sportsmanship, as well as contributions to team success. In addition, all players must have been a member of a WNBA team for two seasons and met three of the following seven criteria: the winner of a major individual award; a selection to either the All-WNBA First Team or All-WNBA Second Team; a selection to either the WNBA All-Defensive First Team or WNBA All-Defensive Second Team; a selection to the WNBA All-Star Game; a member of a WNBA Championship team; a current ranking among the top 30 career leaders in at least one major statistical category; and a selection to either the WNBA's All-Decade Team (voted on in 2006) or the WNBA's Top 15 Players (voted on in 2011).
        Full WNBA Release
"I think you could argue Sheryl is the best women's basketball player of her generation," Former Lady Raider coach Marsha Sharp said. "Whatever it took to lift her team to a win, she was able to take her game to that level. That is obviously something you only see out of the very best athletes, and as a coach, you can't give a higher compliment to a player."
Voting for the league's WNBA Top 20@20 was conducted by a 15-member committee composed of women's basketball pioneers Carol Blazejowski and Ann Meyers Drysdale; current and former WNBA head coaches Van Chancellor, Michael Cooper, Anne Donovan and Cheryl Reeve; and media members Doris Burke, Doug Feinberg, Mel Greenberg, Melanie Jackson, Howard Megdal, LaChina Robinson, Michelle Smith, Mechelle Voepel and Pam Ward.
Swoopes was the consensus national player of the year in 1993, the Lady Raiders' national championship season. She averaged 28.1 points per game that year, which ranked second nationally. As a Lady Raider, Swoopes set 30 different women's basketball records, including four Final Four records, three NCAA tournament records, four NCAA championship game records and eight Texas Tech school records, including the single-game school record for points (53), which still stands. Her No. 22 was retired on Feb. 19, 1994.
Swoopes went on to the WNBA, where she was a three-time WNBA MVP, two-time scoring champion, four-time WNBA champion, three-time defensive player of the year and six-time all-star. She also represented the United States numerous times, including the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games.
Â
The 20 greatest & most influential players in #WNBA20 history #WNBA20at20 pres. by @Verizon https://t.co/hwU1s3jYeN pic.twitter.com/eWowYjWMP9
-- WNBA (@WNBA) June 21, 2016
