Sheryl Swoopes

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

“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.”

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

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

“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.”

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

“I've accomplished everything a person can accomplish on a basketball court, but I never thought about the future when I was younger. I never made plans for the next stage in my life.”

“To me, the most important thing is happiness.”

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

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

“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.”

“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 had never made any plans beyond basketball.”

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

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

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

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