Mention the name Rebecca Lobo and women’s basketball immediately comes to mind. A star of the WNBA’s New York Liberty team from its inception, Lobo is one of the most accomplished basketball players, both personally and professionally. She moved to the Houston Comets in 2002.
Lobo signed in 1996 as the starting forward/center for the Liberty. Prior to injuring her knee, she led her team in rebounding and scoring. Her skills and athletic ability earned her a nomination to the All-NBA Second Team in the league’s inaugural season. As the youngest member of the 1996 U.S. Women’s Olympic basketball team, she helped her team win a gold medal in Atlanta.
In addition, Lobo achieved academic honors while studying at the University of Connecticut where she was named a 1995 Rhodes Scholar and a NCAA top scholar athlete. She has also received several other prestigious awards throughout her career including the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year, National Athlete of the Year and NCAA Woman of the Year.
In 1996, Lobo took time out from her busy basketball career to co-author a book with her mother RuthAnn. The Home Team is an autobiographical account of Lobo’s career and her mother’s successful battle against breast cancer. She also wrote a short inspirational work titled 33 Things Every Girl Should Know, subtitled Stories, Songs, Poems and Smart Talk by 33 Extraordinary Women.
Lobo is also a budding sports analyst and commentator having provided color analysis for women’s college basketball on CBS and ESPN and serving as an analyst during ESPN’s exclusive coverage of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.
Lobo is very active in charitable work, most notably the Children’s Miracle Network. She has also served as the spokesperson for the Lee National Denim Day, which raises money for breast cancer research. In addition, she has been involved with Gilda’s Club, a free, nonprofit psychosocial support community for persons with cancer, their families and friends.
