Kim Perrot
Encyclopedia
Kim Perrot was an American
basketball
player. She played in the WNBA
for the Houston Comets
.
Perrot attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana
(now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette), and played four years there as a guard. In one game against the University of Southeastern Louisiana, she scored 58 points, the second most in NCAA history.
After playing six seasons in Europe, Perrot became the regular point guard for the Houston Comets, helping them to win WNBA championships in 1997 and 1998. At 5'5", she was noted there for her ferocious play and was a crowd favorite. Her best friend was Comets star Cynthia Cooper
. Perrot wore jersey number 10 with the Comets organization, which has since retired her jersey. She averaged 7.2 points, 3.3 steals, and 2.9 rebounds per game during her two seasons as a member of the Comets. In her last game with the Comets, exactly one year before her death, she scored ten points against the Los Angeles Sparks
.
In February 1999, she was diagnosed with lung cancer
. While she was not on the basketball court with the Comets that year, many of her teammates considered her to be a spiritual uplifting force for the team.
The cancer had already metastasized
to her brain. Perrot underwent surgery and radiation treatments to eradicate the tumors in her head, but declined chemotherapy recommended by her doctors. Perrot went to Mexico
to seek alternative methods to battle cancer. Many attribute her death to that move—but metastasized lung cancer gave her no chance of survival with conventional medicine. In Mexico, she was joined by Cooper. Two days before her death, she took a Medevac
flight back to Houston
from Tijuana
, with Cooper and members of the Perrot family flying along. She was the first active player in the WNBA to die.
After her death, the Comets went on to win a third straight WNBA title, and a tearful Cooper celebrated what the team called "#3 for #10". She was posthumously awarded a third championship ring, her #10 jersey was retired, thus making her the first player in league history to have her number retired. The WNBA subsequently renamed their sportsmanship award in her honor.
Comets fans raised money to create "Kim's Place", an area at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston where kids with cancer can play games, sports and relax. Also, the "Kim Perrot Leadership Award" was created by the Houstan Can! Academy (a charter school for at risk youth). While ill with cancer, Perrot had made many public appearances, and given motivational speeches, mostly at schools.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player. She played in the WNBA
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
for the Houston Comets
Houston Comets
The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas, United States. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the best original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. The Comets were the first dynasty of the WNBA and...
.
Perrot attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
(now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette), and played four years there as a guard. In one game against the University of Southeastern Louisiana, she scored 58 points, the second most in NCAA history.
After playing six seasons in Europe, Perrot became the regular point guard for the Houston Comets, helping them to win WNBA championships in 1997 and 1998. At 5'5", she was noted there for her ferocious play and was a crowd favorite. Her best friend was Comets star Cynthia Cooper
Cynthia Cooper (basketball)
Cynthia Lynne Cooper is a former American basketball player who has won championships in college, the Olympics, and in the Women's National Basketball Association . She is considered by many as one of the greatest women's basketball players ever. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the...
. Perrot wore jersey number 10 with the Comets organization, which has since retired her jersey. She averaged 7.2 points, 3.3 steals, and 2.9 rebounds per game during her two seasons as a member of the Comets. In her last game with the Comets, exactly one year before her death, she scored ten points against the Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...
.
In February 1999, she was diagnosed with lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
. While she was not on the basketball court with the Comets that year, many of her teammates considered her to be a spiritual uplifting force for the team.
The cancer had already metastasized
Metastasis
Metastasis, or metastatic disease , is the spread of a disease from one organ or part to another non-adjacent organ or part. It was previously thought that only malignant tumor cells and infections have the capacity to metastasize; however, this is being reconsidered due to new research...
to her brain. Perrot underwent surgery and radiation treatments to eradicate the tumors in her head, but declined chemotherapy recommended by her doctors. Perrot went to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to seek alternative methods to battle cancer. Many attribute her death to that move—but metastasized lung cancer gave her no chance of survival with conventional medicine. In Mexico, she was joined by Cooper. Two days before her death, she took a Medevac
MEDEVAC
Medical evacuation, often termed Medevac or Medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to the wounded being evacuated from the battlefield or to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of an accident to receiving medical facilities using...
flight back to Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
from Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
, with Cooper and members of the Perrot family flying along. She was the first active player in the WNBA to die.
After her death, the Comets went on to win a third straight WNBA title, and a tearful Cooper celebrated what the team called "#3 for #10". She was posthumously awarded a third championship ring, her #10 jersey was retired, thus making her the first player in league history to have her number retired. The WNBA subsequently renamed their sportsmanship award in her honor.
Comets fans raised money to create "Kim's Place", an area at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston where kids with cancer can play games, sports and relax. Also, the "Kim Perrot Leadership Award" was created by the Houstan Can! Academy (a charter school for at risk youth). While ill with cancer, Perrot had made many public appearances, and given motivational speeches, mostly at schools.