TULSA, Okla. — Former sprinter Marion Jones signed with the WNBA’s Tulsa Shock on Wednesday, hoping to launch a new career after losing five Olympic medals for using steroids and doing jail time for lying to federal prosecutors.
Jones was a star at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, but admitted two years ago that she had taken a designer steroid known as the “clear,” and was stripped of her medals, including three golds.
She also spent about six months in a Texas federal prison for lying about doping and her role in a check-fraud scam. “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.” before Jones became known as the world’s fastest woman, she was the starting point guard on North Carolina’s national championship team in 1994. She was drafted by Phoenix in 2003 but never played in the WNBA.
The 34-year-old Jones joined the team just four days after working out for Richardson, who is also the team’s general manager. She was signed to at least a one-year contract; terms were not disclosed.
“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.”
WNBA president Donna Orender, who attended the news conference, said Jones generates interest in the league because she’s a highly accomplished athlete who has competed on a global stage.__________________________________________________________________________