Rebecca Rose Lobo-Rushin (born October 6, 1973) is an American television

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

analyst and former professional

women's basketball Women's basketball is the team sport of basketball played by women. It was first played in 1892, one year after men's basketball, at Smith College in Massachusetts. It spread across the United States, in large parts via women's college compet ...

player in the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. The league comprises 13 teams (scheduled to expand to 15 in 2026). The WNBA is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. The WNBA w ...

(WNBA) from 1997 to 2003. Lobo, at 6'4", played the center position for much of her career. She played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

at the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

, where she was a member of the team that won the 1995 national championship, going 35–0 on the season in the process. She was inducted into the

Women's Basketball Hall of Fame The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame honors those who have contributed to the sport of women's basketball. The Hall of Fame opened in 1999 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. It is the only facility of its kind dedicated to all levels of women's bask ...

in 2010. In April 2017, she was one of the members of the 2017 class of the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

, alongside

Tracy McGrady Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr. (born May 24, 1979), nicknamed T-Mac, is an American former professional basketball player, best known for his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). McGrady is a seven-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-N ...

and Muffet McGraw.

Early life

Lobo was born in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, the youngest daughter of RuthAnn (née Hardy) and Dennis Joseph Lobo. Her father is of

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

n descent, while her mother was of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

and Irish heritage. Lobo was raised a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. Her brother Jason played basketball at

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

and her sister Rachel played basketball at

Salem State College Salem State University (Salem State or SSU) is a public university in Salem, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1854, it is the oldest and largest institute of higher education on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore and is p ...

. Lobo's mother and father were both teachers; her father also coached basketball and track and field. Raised in

Southwick, Massachusetts Southwick is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 9,232 at the 2020 census, down from 9,502 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Sou ...

, Lobo was the state scoring record-holder with 2,740 points in her high school career for Southwick-Tolland Regional High School in

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. She held this record for 18 years until it was surpassed by

Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir (Somali language, Somali: ''Bilqis Abdul Qaadir''; Arabic: بلقيس عبد القادر) (born 11 November 1990) is an American former collegiate basketball player. She was notable for playing basketball while wearing a hija ...

of the new Leadership Charter School in Springfield on January 26, 2009.

College career

More than 100 colleges recruited Lobo, but she chose the

due to its proximity and her belief in its academic excellence. She helped lead the Huskies to the 1995

National Championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

with an undefeated 35–0 record. In her senior year, Lobo was the unanimous national player of the year, winning the 1995

Naismith College Player of the Year The Naismith College Player of the Year is "the most prestigious national award presented annually to the men's and women's college basketball players of the year," as chosen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors. It is named in honor o ...

award, the

Wade Trophy The Wade Trophy is an award presented annually to the best upperclass women's basketball player in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I competition. It is named after three–time national champion Delta State ...

, the AP Player of the Year award, the USBWA Player of the Year award, the Honda Sports Award for basketball, and the WBCA Player of the Year award. She was awarded the prestigious Honda-Broderick Cup for 1994–95, presented to the athlete "most deserving of recognition as the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year". She was a member of the inaugural class of inductees to the University of Connecticut women's basketball "Huskies of Honor" recognition program. The Women's Sports Foundation named Lobo the 1995 Sportswoman of the Year (in the team category). She was the first player in the Big East Conference to earn first-team all-American honors for both basketball and academics.

USA Basketball

Lobo was named to the USA U18 team (then called the Junior World Championship Qualifying Team) in 1992. The team competed in Guanajuato, Mexico in August 1992. The team won their first four games, then lost 80–70 to Brazil, finishing with the silver medal for the event, but qualifying for the 1993 world games. Lobo averaged 6.8 points per game during the event. Lobo continued with the team to the 1993 U19 World Championship (then called the Junior World Championship). The team won five games and lost two, but that left them in seventh place. Lobo averaged 7.7 points per game and recorded six blocks, highest on the team. In 1995, Lobo passed through tryouts to join the national team, which later became the US team for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, GA. Though her minutes on the floor were few, Lobo shared in the gold medal.

Professional career

In 1997, the WNBA was formed and enjoyed its inaugural season, and Lobo was assigned to the

New York Liberty The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Confer ...

during the league's first player allocations on January 22, 1997. Her debut game was played on June 21, 1997, in a 67 - 57 victory over the

Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at Crypto.co ...

where she recorded 16 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists. In her first season, the Liberty fell to the Houston Comets in the WNBA Finals. Lobo remained a centerpiece of the Liberty in the 1998 season, averaging 11.7 points and 6.9 rebounds as the Liberty finished 18 - 12. Although they had a great record, the Liberty would not make the playoffs in 1998 due to being 5th in the league standings and only the top 4 teams made the playoffs. The Charlotte Sting also had a 18 - 12 record, but made it in the playoffs over the Liberty due to having a better Conference record (11 - 5 to New York's 8 - 8). Lobo suffered a setback in 1999, tearing her left

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation. In ...

and her meniscus in the first game of the season. In 1999, she was selected to the inaugural WNBA All Star team but could not play because of the injury. In December, she reinjured her knee and ended missing all of the 2000 season. Lobo returned during the 2001 season but played sparingly, only 85 minutes in total. In January 2002, during the WNBA offseason, Lobo joined the Springfield Spirit in the

National Women's Basketball League The National Women's Basketball League, often abbreviated to the NWBL, was an organization governing professional basketball leagues for women in the United States. The league was founded in 1997 and began play in the Fall of that year. The leagu ...

. On April 3, 2002, the Liberty traded her to the

Houston Comets The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Houston. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. They are one of two ...

in exchange for Houston's second-round selection (26th overall) in the 2002 WNBA draft (the Liberty would use the pick to draft Linda Fröhlich). During the WNBA offseason, Lobo returned again to the Spirit. In her first game of the season in February 2003, she had 25 points and 14 rebounds. On February 14, 2003, Lobo was traded to the

Connecticut Sun The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Sun compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team i ...

for a 2003 second-round pick (which the Comets used to select Lori Nero). Lobo played in 29 games for the Sun, averaging 2.4 points and 2.1 rebounds. Her final WNBA game ever was played in Game 2 of the 2003 Eastern Conference Finals against the

Detroit Shock The Detroit Shock were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006, and 2008 WNBA champions. Debuting in 1998, the Shock were one of the league's first expansion franchises. Th ...

on September 7, 2003. Lobo recorded 9 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks but the Sun lost the game 73 - 79 and would be eliminated from the playoffs. Lobo would announce her retirement on September 23, 2003. Lobo also played two seasons in the

with the Springfield Spirit from 2002 through 2003.

Awards and honors

1994 * Kodak First team All-America 1995 *Honda-Broderick Cup * ESPY Award–Outstanding Female Athlete * AP Female Athlete of the Year * NCAA Women's Basketball Player of the Year * Women's Sports Foundation–Sportswoman of the Year * Wade Trophy * Kodak First team All-America * Honda Sports Award, basketball 1997 * All WNBA Second team * WNBA Eastern All-Star team 2010 *

2017 * Basketball Hall of Fame 2019 * UConn jersey No. 50 retired

Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

Lobo was inducted into the

as part of the class of 2010. At the induction ceremony, she was introduced by her college coach, Geno Auriemma, who praised her for her "impact on the court and off the court" as "one of the founders f the WNBA, and "as a representative of our university, ndas a member of the board of trustees".

Career statistics

College

WNBA

Regular season

, - , style='text-align:left;',

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, style='text-align:left;',

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, 28 , , 28 , , 33.5 , , .376 , , .286 , , .610 , , 7.3 , , 1.9 , , 0.9 , , 1.8 , , 3.1 , , 12.4 , - , style='text-align:left;',

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

, style='text-align:left;',

, 30 , , 30 , , 29.2 , , .484 , , .308 , , .710 , , 6.9 , , 1.5 , , 0.6 , , 1.1 , , 2.2 , , 11.7 , - , style='text-align:left;',

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

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, 1 , , 1 , , 1.0 , , , , , , , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , - , style='text-align:left;',

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, style='text-align:left;',

, 16 , , 0 , , 5.3 , , .318 , , .500 , , .500 , , 0.9 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 0.0 , , 0.4 , , 1.1 , - , style='text-align:left;',

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, style='text-align:left;',

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, 21 , , 0 , , 6.3 , , .469 , , .429 , , .250 , , 1.1 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 0.2 , , 0.5 , , 1.6 , - , style='text-align:left;',

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, style='text-align:left;',

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, 25 , , 13 , , 11.9 , , .284 , , .250 , , .222 , , 2.1 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 0.6 , , 0.6 , , 2.4 , - , style='text-align:left;', Career , style='text-align:left;', 6 years, 3 teams , 121 , , 72 , , 19.2 , , .407 , , .295 , , .628 , , 4.1 , , 1.0 , , 0.4 , , 0.9 , , 1.6 , , 6.7

Playoffs

, - , style='text-align:left;',

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, 2 , , 2 , , 34.0 , , .429 , , .000 , , .583 , , 9.0 , , 2.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , , 2.5 , , 12.5 , - , style='text-align:left;',

, style='text-align:left;',

, 2 , , 1 , , 19.0 , , .400 , , .250 , , .000 , , 4.0 , , 2.5 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 4.5 , - , style='text-align:left;', Career , style='text-align:left;', 2 years, 2 teams , 4 , , 3 , , 26.5 , , .419 , , .143 , , .583 , , 6.5 , , 2.3 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , , 1.8 , , 8.5

Broadcast career

Today, Lobo is a reporter and color analyst for

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

with a focus on women's college basketball and WNBA games. Lobo faced criticism for her commentary during an April 1, 2024, NCAA women's basketball Elite Eight game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and LSU Tigers in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

, after she remarked during an exchange with ESPN announcer Ryan Ruocco, "And, by the way, good luck finding something to do in Albany." Lobo has since apologized to the city of Albany.

Breast cancer advocate and health spokesperson

In 1996, Lobo and her late mother, Ruth Ann Lobo, collaborated on a book entitled ''The Home Team'', which dealt with Ruth Ann's battle with

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

. They also founded the Ruth Ann and Rebecca Lobo Scholarship, which offers a scholarship to the UConn School of Allied Health for Hispanic students. Lobo was the 1996 spokesperson for the Lee National Denim Day fundraiser which raises millions of dollars for

research and education. Starting in 2000, Lobo served as national spokesperson and backer for Body1.com, a consumer-targeted network of sites providing interactive content-rich information on medical technologies that treat ailments and diseases specific to body parts. Due to her recurring problems with a torn

(ACL), she campaigned to raise awareness of knee injury risks in women. She shared her story with others suffering from the same type of injury and advocated for patient self-education via the Internet.

Personal life

On April 12, 2003, Lobo changed her last name to Lobo-Rushin after marrying ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'' writer Steve Rushin at the

Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

. They have three daughters and one son.

Ball & Chain Podcast

Lobo and Rushin host the weekly ''Ball & Chain Podcast'', where they discuss current events, sports and family life. They released its first episode on October 23, 2017.

Notes

References

* Career information and statistics fro
Basketball-Reference.com
*

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lobo, Rebecca 1973 births Living people All-American college women's basketball players American people of German descent American people of Irish descent American people of Polish descent American women's basketball players American sportspeople of Cuban descent Basketball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Hartford, Connecticut Basketball players from Massachusetts Centers (basketball) Connecticut Sun players Houston Comets players Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees NBA broadcasters New York Liberty players Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball) People from Southwick, Massachusetts Sportspeople from Hartford, Connecticut UConn Huskies women's basketball players United States women's national basketball team players Women's college basketball announcers in the United States WNBA All-Stars Women's National Basketball Association announcers American women sports commentators 20th-century American sportswomen National Women's Basketball League players

Early life

College career

USA Basketball

Professional career

Awards and honors

Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

Career statistics

College

WNBA

Regular season

Playoffs

Broadcast career

Breast cancer advocate and health spokesperson

Personal life

Ball & Chain Podcast

See also

Notes

References

External links