ESPN Films' Nine for IX 'Swoopes': Complete Preview for Series' 5th Installment

"Swoopes," the fifth installment of ESPN Films' Nine for IX series, will air Tuesday night, providing viewers with a closer look at one of the greatest athletes of all time, Sheryl Swoopes. Swoopes has made countless transitions in her life and has excelled on and off the court.

Talented journalist, director and producer Hannah Storm, whom most sports fans recognize from ESPN's SportsCenter, directs this hour-long profile. 

Here, we'll get you set for Tuesday's Nine for IX documentary.

When: Tuesday, July 30 at 8 p.m. ET

Watch: ESPN

*Encore presentation will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 11 p.m. ET

What to Expect

Sheryl Swoopes is arguably the greatest female basketball player of all time. She certainly wouldn't be referred to as "the female Michael Jordan" otherwise.

But in addition to breaking down Swoopes' many accomplishments on the court (three Olympic gold medals, four consecutive WNBA championships, three WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards and three WNBA MVPs), director Hannah Storm will highlight the challenges Swoopes has faced off the court, including her sexuality.

Swoopes became the first big-name star in women's basketball to acknowledge she was gay, according to ESPN.com. 

But the story doesn't start there.

Born in Brownfield, Texas in 1971, Swoopes began playing the game as a kid before going on to star at Texas Tech in the early 1990s. She would win a national championship with the Lady Raiders in her senior season in 1993.

Four years later, Swoopes, who became the first player ever signed by the WNBA, helped lift the league off the ground, starring for the Houston Comets in the WNBA's inaugural season despite having given birth to her son just a few weeks prior. She would play in only nine games that year, but the star-studded Comets would go on to win the first of their four consecutive championships.

Swoopes, who also became the first women's basketball player to have a Nike shoe named after her ("Air Swoopes"), played a much larger role in each of the next three championship seasons, winning the scoring crown in 2000 (20.7 PPG) and averaging nearly 19 points per game in six postseason starts that year to cap off Houston's dominant run.

With her playing career behind her, the 42-year-old is now coaching the women's basketball team at Loyola University Chicago. "Swoopes" will show how she got to this point, recapping her incredible journey and the many roles she has played throughout her life, both on and off the court.

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