Posted by Quibian Salazar-Moreno
It’s been two years since Marion Jones admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs and retired from track and field competition. She served six months in prison last year, because she lied about her drug use, but she’s looking to get back in action – on the basketball court. In an interview with the New York Times, Jones said that she’s been working on her basketball game with hopes of joining a WNBA team. For those that don’t remember, Jones played point guard for the University of North Carolina women’s team and led the team to a 30–5 record and a National Championship in 1994.
“Back in May, when I got a call from someone in the NBA asking if I would possibly be interested in the WNBA, my reaction was, Yeah, right,” Jones told the New York Times. “I got off the phone, I thought about it a little bit, talked with my husband. I thought it would be an interesting journey if I decided to do this. It would give me an opportunity to share my message to young people on a bigger platform; it would give me an opportunity to get a second chance. I think I can be an asset to a franchise, so it comes down to Why Not? Really. Why not?”
Jones has been working out with an assistant coach and the head trainer for the WNBA’s San Antonio Silver Stars since about October. Jones is hoping to play overseas this winter and talk with WNBA teams before the start of the 2010 season in May. Jones was originally drafted by the Phoenix Mercury in 1997, when she graduated from North Carolina, but stuck with track and field. She is eligible to sign a free agent contract, but teams have yet to express any interest.
