Chamique Holdsclaw is a former professional basketball player of the WNBA. Holdsclaw went to the University of Tennessee from 1995 to 1999, where she played under coach the legendary Pat Summitt and helped to lead the Lady Vols to the women's NCAA's first ever three consecutive Women's Basketball Championships in 1996, 1997 and 1998.
In the 1999 WNBA Draft, Holdsclaw was selected by the Washington Mystics 1st overall. In her first season, she was named the Rookie of the Year, the first number one draft pick to win that honor. The next year, Holdsclaw was named to the Olympic team, helping to lead them to a gold medal. During her subsequent seasons in the WNBA, Holdsclaw continued to improve her numbers. In March 2005, Holdsclaw was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks. In June 2007, she surprisingly announced she was retiring. Holdsclaw stated she definitely considered a return to the WNBA if healthy, and did. She ended her professional playing career in San Antonio.
Documentary filmmaker Rick Goldsmith produced a film on Holdclaw's life and battle with mental illness in 2016. Holdsclaw was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.