Sheryl Swoopes of the WNBA's Houston Comets, opens up to ESPN The Magazine about being a lesbian because she's "tired of having to hide my feelings about the person I care about."

Swoopes, honored last month as the WNBA's Most Valuable Player, adds that she didn't always know she was gay and fears that coming out could jeopardize her status as a role model, "Do I think I was born this way? No. And that's probably confusing to some, because I know a lot of people believe that you are."

Swoopes was married and has an 8-year-old son. She says her 1999 divorce "wasn't because I'm gay."

The 34-year-old says of her decision to go public, "It's not something that I want to throw in people's faces. I'm just at a point in my life where I'm tired of having to pretend to be somebody I'm not. I'm tired of having to hide my feelings about the person I care about. About the person I love."

Reports prior to the article's publication Wednesday did not reveal her partner's identity.

Swoopes' biggest worry is how her sexual affiliation will affect her title as a role model, "I don't want that to happen. Being gay has nothing to do with the three gold medals or the three MVPs or the four championships I've won. I'm still the same person. I'm Sheryl."

Swoopes is the WNBA's only three-time MVP, a five-time All-Star and three-time Olympic gold medalist. She played for the Comets during their run of four championships from 1997-2000, but missed the 2001 season with a knee injury.