Chamique Holdsclaw Retires From WNBA
The announcement of Chamique Holdsclaw’s retirement yesterday afternoon was a sudden and surprising development in the world of professional sports. At 29 years of age, and a storied career at the University of Tennessee and with the WNBA’s Washington Mystics and Los Angeles Sparks, Holdsclaw has been consider one of the best women’s basketball players of all-time, for a long time.But those who have closely followed Holdsclaw’s career know that her professional life was heavily influenced by her personal life. A very private person, she publicly disclosed that she was dealing with depression in 2002 following the death of her grandmother. Her grandfather died two years later, and she was excused from the team in the early part of the 2006 season to be with her father and stepfather, who were both diagnosed with cancer.
It’s not difficult for athletes pegged for greatness to falter under the weight of expectations. She excelled under those circumstances on the court, to the point that she probably pushed aside her personal pain for too long. Championships, accolades and fame only carry you so far professionally, but it’s a good bet that Holdsclaw has the heart to be a champion in the next phases of her life.
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