MKRob Sports

Facts About Olympia:

Height: 6’2
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
College: Stanford Cardinal
2-time WNBA Champion (Sacramento and Phoenix)

Personal Statement: I had the pleasure of speaking with Olympia for a good while and she is definitely one of the classiest women in the WNBA, I will always root for her as a player and as a person, this was one if the most pleasurable interviews I’ve ever done. Thanks Olympia!!!

MKRob: When did you start playing basketball?

Olympia: I started in 4th or 5th grade with all boys at the YMCA. My YMCA coach became my school’s boys basketball coach in junior high and wanted me to play with the team but I was captain of the drill team and captain of the cheerleading squad instead. It wasn’t until high school that I started playing with all girls.

MKRob: What other sports do you enjoy or like to watch besides basketball?

Olympia: I do watch some football, tennis and soccer, which they call football over here.

MKRob: What is your favorite kind of music?

Olympia: R&B and hip hop too, but mostly R&B, I like Erykah Badu, Keyshia Cole, and Ryan Leslie.

MKRob: Are you apart of any Greek affiliations?

Olympia: Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Omicron Chi Chapter (Stanford)

MKRob: Who is your inspiration?

Olympia: My mother is my inspiration because she is an educated woman who volunteers her time in the community. Although divorced with 3 kids, she still managed to return to graduate school and earn her doctorate in education from Pepperdine University. She has been a certified parenting instructor for almost 20 years and has volunteered teaching parenting to young mothers, new mothers, mothers of delinquents and of athletes. My mother also instilled this same notion of the importance of giving back to the community by having us make food baskets for battered women’s shelters, visit convalescent homes and sit-in with the elderly and things of that nature. Overall, she has really motivated and inspired me to press-on in the face of adversity and to give back to the community.

MKRob: Who are or were your favorite players and teams past and present?

Olympia: I’m from Los Angeles, so I love the Lakers and Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. I especially liked Cheryl Miller because she did things in women’s basketball that still haven’t been done. Unfortunately, she was before her time. I also liked Cynthia Cooper and Michael Jordan.

MKRob: What’s the difference between playing in Europe and playing in the WNBA?

Olympia: The WNBA is more athletic and physical, Europe has a different style, it’s more of a perimeter game.

MKRob: What do you think of Courtney Paris’ promise to return her tuition if they don’t win the championship this year?

Olympia: She’s competitive and that’s great but I believe she will have to start working out a payment plan because UConn is looking strong and I’m still rooting for my Stanford Cardinal.

MKRob: What are three songs in your Ipod/mp3 player that are from different genres of music?

Olympia: Keyshia Cole- Erotic, Jay-Z- 30 something (remix), Virtue- He’s Been Good

MKRob: What do you do to stay in shape and what do you eat?

Olympia: Lifting weights 3-4 times a week, medicine ball workouts and the elliptical machine. I also stay away from fast food and junk food for the most part.

MKRob: What’s the biggest misconception about female athletes?

Olympia: Other than the gay issue, some of the banter is that they compare our game to junior high boys basketball. Some male college players can’t play with us. So the biggest misconception is for people to think we can’t play. Although we aren’t as tall, therefore dunking isn’t a part of our game, we still have skills. Many men I’ve played pick-up games with have been surprised by how well and physically we play. We’re the best in the world at what we do!

MKRob: Who do you think is the greatest player in WNBA history?

Olympia: That’s a tough call, it would be either Lisa Leslie or Cynthia Cooper

MKRob: What players do you think will continue to carry on the legacy of the WNBA?

Olympia: People like Candace Parker, Seimone Augustus, Cappie Pondexter and Diana Taurasi.

MKRob: How much has the game changed since the WNBA began?

Olympia: Initially there were 2 different professional leagues: The American Basketball League (ABL) and the WNBA. After the ABL folded several of their players joined the WNBA. This, along with both leagues being new, caused many of the rookies in the first few years to be 25-35 year-olds as compared to 21-22 year olds. Many players also came from playing professionally overseas, back home.

Now the players coming out of college have had the benefit of seeing the WNBA on TV their entire 4 years of high school and college. They’ve had the likes of Cynthia Cooper, Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson, and so forth to emulate.

This has served to elevate the game of these players. It’s evidenced in players being better at a younger age, just as in the NBA.

MKRob: What advice do you have for girls wanting to play in the WNBA?

Olympia: My best advice would probably include my favorite quote: Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. I say this because many people think we are lucky to be here. Yes we are blessed to have the gifts and talents and determination and drive that has afforded us our place in the WNBA, but our luck is really that we were prepared when our opportunity came.

Prepare yourself by:

1. working hard (harder than your competition),
2. having confidence in yourself, coach and teammates
3. persevering-basketball nor life are easy
4. understanding that you can always improve
5. staying humble

MKRob: If you could any person dead or alive that you would want to meet, who would it be?

Olympia: Jesus Christ and Barack Obama

MKRob: What are your plans after basketball?

Olympia: Other than raising my daughter, getting married to the best man I’ve ever known, Rachman Crable, and hopefully having more kids, I’ve already started what I like to call my “after life” as in, after basketball life. I have several entrepreneurial endeavors that I believe serve society in some way. I co-founded Super Parenting LLC, an online parenting education company with my mother, Jacqueline Parker Scott, Ed.D., M.B.A. I serve as President & CEO of the company. We provide certified online parenting classes, parenting coaching and books that focus on assisting parents in formulating their own super parenting style. We currently have a free parenting class available, Introduction to Super Parenting. Our next class will be focused on parenting athletes. For more information visit http://superparenting.com.

I also co-founded Champions Clinics, a basketball camp and motivational speaking company with my former teammate Bridget Pettis, assistant coach of the Phoenix Mercury. We started this company in efforts to help develop champions in our youth, on and off of the court. For more information, visit http://championsclinics.com.

Lastly, I founded A Wonderful Life! Coaching, a life coaching and motivational speaking company, to assist people with discovering how to live A Wonderful Life! http://awonderfullifecoaching.com

MKRob: What’s the first word that comes to mind when I say:

Legendary- Greatness

Sexy- Rock (My Fiance)

Fast- Usain Bolt

Funny- Myself

Olympia’s Favorites:

Book – The Bible, The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

Movie – Life or Coming to America

Food – Seafood

Restaurant – Ruth’s Chris

Color – Red