Marion Jones signs with Tulsa Shock of WNBASubmitted by admin on March 10, 2010 - 6:09pm |
One time great Olympic sprinter Marion Jones will now have a chance to prove her greatness in a sport she used to play in college. On Wednesday, Jones signed with the WNBA’s Tulsa Shock.
"The word redemption is not in my vocabulary," Jones said at a news conference, flanked by team president Steve Swetoha and coach Nolan Richardson. "I'm a competitor, I want to play against the best in the world, and I know that I will be doing that."
Jones, 34, joined the team only four days after working out for Richardson. Jones was the starting point guard on North Carolina's national championship team in 1994 and she was drafted by Phoenix in 2003 but never played in the WNBA. She said playing for the Shock is not about her past but instead fulfills her dream of playing basketball against the best players in the world.
"I think when I even started to think about this 10 months ago, I know how much the game has grown from the time that I played," Jones said. "And that became even more of a challenge for me, because I know that although I know certain things and played a certain way, that it's 10 times faster, that the athletes are 10 times more skilled."
Jones will generate more interest in the WNBA which is already filled with talented athletes. Many fans will want to see how Jones will fare against those athletes especially since she has a basketball background.
Jones was signed to a one-year contract and terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The Shock are a team in transition as they will be playing their first season in Tulsa after relocating from Detroit. The Shock will play at 18,000-seat BOK Center downtown. The team itself has a great pedigree: Detroit made its WNBA debut in 1998 and won titles in 2003, 2006 and 2008.
"Watching her go through drills, I saw a player who's perfect for our system," Richardson said. "The one thing I do know is she can run, and any player on my team who wants to be successful needs be able to run."
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