When you step into Tina Thompson’s Houston home, don’t look for evidence of her four WNBA titles with the Houston Comets, or her 2004 Olympic gold medal. Most everything is put away in a drawer.1 What you will find is abundant evidence that the most important occupant of the home is Thompson’s 3-year-old son, Dyllan.
“I’m a more ‘in the moment’ kind of person,” says the 6-2 forward. “It’s not like I go and check out what I’ve done and my history. I’m very satisfied with accomplishing the goal and then moving forward. Maybe when I step away from the game, I’ll reminisce more.
“As Dyllan gets a little older and I continue to pursue finding my dream home, maybe we’ll make space for a trophy case. Right now, almost every space in my house is a comfortable space, except for the formal living room and dining room. Everywhere else, there’s either a basketball hoop, a remote-control car, maybe a train track or something like that.”2
Dyllan and Thompson’s mother will accompany her to Beijing. Although chasing after a 3-year-old boy definitely requires energy, Thompson, 33, says he’s a calming factor in her life. “It makes me more light-hearted and not serious all the time,” she says.3
That sense of calm began with her pregnancy, and she readily admits she didn’t work out or watch her diet during those nine months. “Lucky for me—I don’t know if it was genetics or Dyllan being really good to me—I didn’t gain very much weight,” she says.
She returned to a regular workout regimen when her son was about four weeks old, and as evidenced by her continuing domination on the court, she quickly rounded back into top form. “I despise being completely out of shape because I hate that burning feeling you have when you’re getting back into shape,” Thompson says.
Although Thompson didn’t make her first Olympic team until the age of 29, she describes being a part of the Games as “awesome.” “You enjoy all of it as much as possible, but you go out and try to do some of your best work,” she says. “What I enjoy most is that every single woman on this team feels exactly the same way. So there’s very little doubt about what we do and how we feel and the goal that we’re trying to accomplish. That is to win a gold medal.”—Lois Elfman #40
Bonus Points
1. Nike presented the members of the Olympics team with beautiful boxes, in which Thompson says she’ll place her 2008 memorabilia.
2. Thompson and Lisa Leslie are the only two players still with the same WNBA teams since the league began in 1997.
3. Her basketball skills are as sharp as ever. Thompson was named Western Conference Player of the Week for July 21-27, the week prior to the Olympics break.
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