WNBA star Sharnee Zoll-Norman officially comes out

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WNBA star Sharnee Zoll-Norman has officially revealed that she is a lesbian.

In an exclusive interview with the Windy City Times, the former Los Angeles Sparks player directly addressed her sexuality and explained why the personal topic has mainly gone under the radar. 

“It’s never been printed,” she told the publication. 

The Chicago Sky guard is married, and while she has mentioned her wife in previous interviews, she admits that she did not find the need to publicly address her sexuality. Because of this, she has never had a formal coming-out, until now.

During the interview, Zoll-Norman explained that she doesn’t see any connection between her sexuality and her career. 

“I never felt whether I’m gay, straight, bi, [or] whatever that my sexuality had anything to do with me as a basketball player, and I don’t think it necessarily has anything to do with me as a person,” she said. “If I was straight, I wouldn’t have to come out and say that I was straight. So I’ve never had an official coming-out, or something where I felt I had to announce that I was gay. But everyone knows. I wear my wedding ring proudly; I have matching tattoos with my wife, and also have her name tattooed on me. We go a lot of places [together] and I surely don’t hide it [that she’s my wife].”

Now that she has publicly addressed her sexuality, the five-foot-seven player says she is looking forward to Chicago’s Pride Parade this Sunday.

“Obviously, being a lesbian woman, Pride is something that you take pride in, no pun intended; you get excited to go to something like this, to be surrounded by people who are proud to be like you,” she said. “You go there and don’t have to feel uncomfortable; you don’t feel like you’re being judged. To go and represent myself, my family and the [Chicago] Sky is an amazing opportunity.”

The rookie Sky guard will attend the parade with her wife, Serita Norman — the two have been together for almost five years.

“This is going to be an experience for me,” Zoll-Norman said. “I’m going to be taking everything in. I’m going to be taking a lot of pictures. It’s going to be something that’s fun for me and something that obviously I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

Follow Lilly Workneh @Lilly_Works