33 female athletes whose names you should know

[post_page_title]Sheryl Swoopes[/post_page_title]
Back in 1996, the 4-time WNBA champion was the first woman to be signed in the league when it was created. She played in only nine games during the inaugural season, but for good reason. Swoopes gave birth to her son, and came back just six weeks later to play for the last third of the season. During her career, Swoopes was part of three Olympic gold medal teams, in 1996, 2000 and 2004. Even more, she was the first female basketball player to be honored with a Nike shoe bearing her name, the “Air Swoopes.”