Sheryl Swoopes
When Swoopes came out in 2005, she was one of the highest-profile athletes in American team sports to do so, while at the top of her game. Sue Wicks had already come out publicly as an active WNBA player in 2002. A 2016 Hall of Famer with four Houston Comets titles, three league MVPs, and three Olympic gold medals, Swoopes helped expand visibility for Black queer athletes.
Chamique Holdsclaw
Holdsclaw came into the league as 1999’s top pick after winning three NCAA titles at Tennessee and two Naismith Player of the Year awards. Over 11 seasons, she won Rookie of the Year, made six All-Star teams, took the 2002 scoring title, and earned 2000 Olympic gold. A Class of 2026 Hall of Fame inductee, she has spent her post-playing career as a prominent mental health advocate.
Seimone Augustus
The engine behind the Minnesota Lynx dynasty, Augustus was drafted No. 1 overall in 2006 and spent 15 seasons in the league. She brought home four championships, earned eight All-Star nods, won three Olympic gold medals, and finished 10th on the all-time scoring list with 6,005 points before retiring in May 2021 to join the Los Angeles Sparks coaching staff.
Angel McCoughtry
McCoughtry was the 2009 Rookie of the Year and spent her prime as the centerpiece of the Atlanta Dream, setting a WNBA playoff record with a 42-point performance in 2010. A five-time All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist, she publicly came out on Instagram in 2015 when active players rarely spoke openly about their sexuality.
Layshia Clarendon
Drafted ninth by Indiana in 2013, Clarendon played 12 seasons across six teams, earning a 2017 All-Star selection with Atlanta. In 2020, they became the first openly nonbinary and transgender player in WNBA history. Clarendon—who uses she/her, he/him, and they/them pronouns—served as a primary voice in the league’s social justice initiatives before retiring in September 2024.
The modern WNBA’s openness exists because these five took the risk of being fully visible when sports culture offered little protection.
