Lynette Woodard is one of women’s basketball’s greatest pioneers: a five-tool player who could do it all while dazzling fans with her infectious enthusiasm and magnetic smile.
Throughout her career, she has been a “first” both as an individual and as part of a team. At the University of Kansas, she is first in seven statistical categories, including scoring, rebounding and steals. She was the first woman to play for the Harlem Globetrotters.
Those are individual firsts. 40 years ago, Woodard was part of a historic group first.
At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, she was a member of the first US Women’s National Basketball Team to bring home a gold medal. Among her teammates were Cheryl Miller, Pam McGee, Teresa Edwards and Kim Mulkey. The Americans went undefeated and dominated their opponents by double figures in every game, including a 92-61 victory over Canada in the gold medal game. All the games were played at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles. Woodard feels “eternally grateful” for the experience, in large part for the work it took to get there.
