Mercury's Gillom Honored With Sportsmanship Award

NEW YORK, Aug. 18 -- Jennifer Gillom of the Phoenix Mercury was named the recipient of the 2002 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award presented by AIG VALIC, designed to honor a player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court, the WNBA announced Sunday.

AIG VALIC, a WNBA sponsor and member of American International Group, Inc. (AIG), will award $5,000 to Gillom and will donate $5,000 to her high school alma mater, Lafayette High School in Oxford, Miss. She will also receive a Tiffany-designed trophy during an on-court presentation in Houston during the first round of the playoffs. Comets Head Coach Van Chancellor, who coached Gillom during her career as one of the University of Mississippi Lady Rebels, will be on hand for the presentation.

At age 38, Gillom is still one of the top scorers in the WNBA. Barry Gossage/WNBAE/Getty Images

Gillom received 16 of a possible 60 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Finishing second and third respectively in the balloting, were Jennifer Azzi of the Utah Starzz and Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm.

"Few players embody the spirit of this award more than Jennifer Gillom," said WNBA president Val Ackerman. "She is a consummate professional who gives her all every game, treats her teammates and competitors with the utmost of respect, and understands the importance of giving back to her community and our fans. Jennifer truly represents the WNBA at its best."

Sue Wicks of the New York Liberty won the award last season. Cleveland Rockers guard Susie McConnell Serio won the award in 2000 and in 1998. The other recipients have been Charlotte Sting guard Dawn Staley in 1999 and Haixia Zheng of the Los Angeles Sparks in 1997.

The award is named in honor of the late point guard Kim Perrot, who helped guide the Houston Comets to its first two WNBA Championships. Perrot passed away in August 1999 after a seven-month battle with cancer.

Following are the results of the 2002 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award presented by AIG VALIC:

Player, Team	Votes
Jennifer Gillom, Phoenix Mercury	16
Jennifer Azzi, Utah Starzz	7
Sue Bird, Seattle Storm	6
Swin Cash, Detroit Shock	5
Allison Feaster, Charlotte Sting	5
Vickie Johnson, New York Liberty	4
Rebecca Lobo, Houston Comets	3
Ruthie Bolton, Sacramento Monarchs	3
Tamika Williams, Minnesota Lynx	3
Ukari Figgs, Portland Fire	3
Jennifer Rizzotti, Cleveland Rockers	2
Pollyanna Johns Kimbrough, Miam Sol	1
Murriel Page, Washington Mystics	1
Tiffany McCain, Orlando Miracle	1