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Out and about Oct. 27, 2005: WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes talks to MSNBC’s Rita Cosby about her announcement that she's a lesbian.

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updated 10:11 p.m. ET Oct. 27, 2005

NEW YORK - The only thing that outshines the exquisite diamond on Sheryl Swoopes’ left ring finger is the glow on her face as she discusses the love of her life.

It’s a love that the WNBA superstar has kept hidden for more than seven years. On Wednesday she “quit pretending,” disclosing that she is gay and in a committed relationship.

“I feel like I’ve been living a lie,” the Houston Comets star said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I’m at a place in my life right now where I’m very happy, very content. I’m finally OK with the idea of who I love, who I want to be with.”

Swoopes said she currently lives with her partner, former Comets assistant coach Alisa Scott.

The story was first reported in ESPN the Magazine, which hit newsstands Wednesday. She also announced an endorsement deal with Olivia, a lesbian cruise line.

Swoopes, the only WNBA player to win three MVP trophies, said she never had feelings for a woman before Scott and didn’t understand them when they began. But in the seven years since, she said she’s been “hurting” while hiding her relationship.

Now, Swoopes said, she finally feels free.

Swoopes is a five-time All-Star, three-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA champion as a member of the Comets, whose run of four straight titles began when she was a rookie in 1997.

While piling up accolades and accomplishments, the 34-year-old Swoopes said she dreamed about the day when she could attend an awards banquet with Scott on her arm.

“We have had to celebrate behind closed doors,” she said. “I don’t want to have to hide from the world anymore.”

But that’s not to say that she isn’t concerned about repercussions from her admission. She worries about her mother Louise, who has known for five years, but “doesn’t think it’s right.”

“She’ll probably never accept it,” Swoopes said. “But she’s dealing with it.”

And she is nervous about the response from her hometown of Brownfield, Texas, about 600 miles northwest of Houston, where cotton is king and Swoopes reigns as queen.

Not to mention what people will think right down the road in Lubbock, where she brought Texas Tech it’s only national championship in basketball by scoring 47 points in the final game in 1993.

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Lm Otero / AP file

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