View source for Lesbian Professional Basketball Players and Coaches

[[File:lgbtsports.png|200px|thumb|left]]

Lesbian basketball players have a considerable presence in the sport.  Among the 25 players the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) identified as the league’s greatest of all time, nine identify as lesbian representing more than one-third.  Household names in the sport include [[Sue Bird]],[[Elena Delle Donne]], [[Brittney Griner]], [[Sheryl Swoopes]], and [[Sue Wicks]].

The vast majority of lesbian basketball players hail from the United States.  This reflects the fact the sports home base is in that country and the only women's professional basketball league, the WNBA, is located in the United States.  

American [[Carol Blazejowski]], the now-retired coach of the WNBA basketball team New York Liberty, is considered to be the first lesbian coach of any professional sports team. 

Wheelchair basketball also has a good representation of lesbian basketball players.  

Lesbian basketball players have been members of Olympic Gold teams, World Championship teams, WNBA Championship teams, and National Championship teams.  Similarly, lesbian coaching presence has been in all of these areas of the game.  Several players and coaches have been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.  

'''Belgium'''

* [[Ann Wauters]]

'''Canada'''

* [[Cindy Ouellet]]
* [[Danielle Peers]]

'''France'''

* [[Celine Dumerc]]

'''Great Britain'''

* [[Robyn Love]]
* [[Laurie Williams]]

'''Spain'''

* [[Marta Xargay]]

'''United States'''

* [[Seimone Augustus]]
* [[Jennifer Azzi]]
* [[Carol Blazejowski]]
* [[Sue Bird]]
* [[Michelle Brooke-Marciniak]]
* [[Helen Carroll]]
* [[Natasha Cloud]]
* [[Stefanie Dolson]]
* [[Elena Delle Donne]]
* [[Abby Dunkin]]
* [[Lexie Gerson]]
* [[Chelsea Gray]]
* [[Brittney Griner]]
* [[Natisha Hiedeman]]
* [[Chamique Holdsclaw]]
* [[Alexis Hornbuckle]]
* [[Glory Johnson]]
* [[Jennifer Lacey]]
* [[Gail Marquis]]
* [[Angel McCoughtry]]
* [[Desiree Miller]]
* [[Renee Montgomery]]
* [[Sherri Murrell]]
* [[Mariah Burton Nelson]]
* [[Candace Parker]]
* [[Aerial Powers]]
* [[Allie Quigley]]
* [[Cheryl Reeve]]
* [[Helen Stephens]]
* [[Breanna Stewart]]
* [[Sheryl Swoopes]]
* [[Diana Taurasi]]
* [[Penny Taylor]]
* [[Jasmine Thomas]]
* [[Courtney Vandersloot]]
* [[Michele Van Gorp]]
* [[Stephanie Wheeler]]
* [[Stephanie White]]
* [[Sue Wicks]]
* [[Babe Didrikson Zaharias]]
* [[Sharnee Zoll-Norman]]

==See Also==

* [[LGBTQ Sports Management]]
* [[LGBTQ Sports Referees and Umpires]]
* [[LGBTQ Professional and Amateur Sports Coaches]]
* [[LGBTQ Tennis]]
* [[LGBTQ Cyclists]]
* [[LGBTQ Figure Skaters]]
* [[The Community of LGBTQ Boxers]]
* [[Professional LGBTQ Mixed Martial Artists]]
* [[LGBTQ Presence in the Equestrian World]]
* [[The World of LGBTQ Golf]]
* [[World Sports Champions Who Identify as LGBTQ]]
* [[LGBTQ Athletes Who Have Won Olympic Gold]]
* [[LGBTQ Track & Field]]
* [[Lesbian Football/Soccer Players]]

==Further Reading/Research==

* https://www.outsports.com/2021/9/13/22670960/wnba-25-best-players-womens-basketball-lgbtq-w25
* https://globalsportmatters.com/culture/2021/06/23/how-womens-college-basketball-pressures-players-to-fit-a-certain-kind-of-image/

<html><br />
<a href="#" 
  onclick="
    window.open(
      'https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u='+encodeURIComponent(location.href), 
      'facebook-share-dialog', 
      'width=626,height=436'); 
    return false;">
  Share on Facebook
</a></html>