Chamique Holdsclaw

Chamique Holdsclaw Speaker Biography

Chamique Holdsclaw was born and raised in Queens, NY, she first made her mark as a high school basketball star at Christ The King High School. She later accepted a full athletic scholarship to play collegiately for the perennial Women’s Basketball Powerhouse University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers and Hall of Fame Coach Pat Summit. She went on to have a stellar collegiate career that included leading the Lady Vols to three straight NCAA Championships, which was the first time that had ever been accomplished in Women’s College Basketball history. After her illustrious college basketball career, which included several All-American honors and countless other awards, Holdsclaw would go on to be the #1 Pick in the 1999 WNBA Draft and she had the honor of winning an Olympic Gold Medal with Team USA at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

While in the WNBA Holdsclaw played for the Washington Mystics, the Los Angeles Sparks, the Atlanta Dream and the San Antonio Silver Stars.

Aside from her outstanding athletic career, Holdsclaw has dedicated her life’s work to mental health and wellness activism. As of late Holdsclaw has devoted a lot of her focus and time making appearances and speaking at various conferences, panels, and events within the mental health community to share her own personal struggles with depression and how she has been able to seek help and manage her own mental health. Holdsclaw wrote in her autobiography "Breaking Through: Beating the Odds Shot after Shot" that she had suffered depression during her professional basketball career, and attempted suicide on one occasion. She is an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Holdsclaw is an ambassador with the JED Foundation and the Laureus Sport For Good Foundation as an advocate for mental health and wellness.