Chamique Holdsclaw (b.1977) is an American former professional basketball player, widely regarded as one of the most dominant figures in women’s basketball in the 1990s and 2000s.
Born in Queens, New York, Holdsclaw played at Christ the King Regional High School, leading her team to four consecutive New York State Championships. She then attended the University of Tennessee, playing under legendary coach Pat Summitt and leading the Lady Vols to three straight NCAA championships (1996–98.) She was named Naismith College Player of the Year in 1998 and 1999.
Selected first overall in the 1999 WNBA Draft by the Washington Mystics, Holdsclaw won WNBA Rookie of the Year and earned six All-Star selections. She later played for the Los Angeles Sparks (2005–07,) Atlanta Dream (2009,) and San Antonio Silver Stars (2010) before retiring.
Her autobiography, Chamique: On Family, Focus, and Basketball (2001,) details her life and career. A mental health advocate, she has openly discussed her struggles with depression and worked to reduce stigma in sports.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Chamique Holdsclaw
When you struggle, that’s when you realize what you’re made of, and that’s when you realize what the people around you can do. You learn who you’d want to take with you to a war, and who you’d only want to take to lunch.
—Chamique Holdsclaw
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