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HOUSTON (AP) - Kim Perrot never gave failure a second thought.
``I've always had to battle,'' Perrot said through tears when she made her cancer public last February. ``And this is just another battle.''
But despite the drive that took the 5-foot-5 dynamo from Louisiana to Europe and eventually to WNBA championships with the Houston Comets, the gritty point guard died Thursday at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. She was 32.
Her closest friend, two-time league Most Valuable Player Cynthia Cooper, was at Perrot's bedside when she died.
``The world is not as good as it was before,'' said Carroll Dawson, the Comets' executive vice president.
The Lafayette, La., native wasn't even a contender at draft time before the Women's National Basketball Association's debut season in 1997. Six seasons playing in Europe guaranteed her nothing more than a tryout with Comets coach Van Chancellor.
But her petite frame belied a fierce determination that won over Chancellor and her teammates and later electrified fans. Her ferocious play helped the Comets clinch back-to-back championships in 1997 and 1998.
Last year, Perrot averaged 8.5 points and 4.7 assists, totaled 84 steals in 30 regular-season games and placed second in voting for WNBA Defensive Player of the Year.
``The entire WNBA family is devastated by this tragic loss,'' WNBA President Val Ackerman said a statement. ``We will remember Kim as a woman of great heart and indomitable courage who refused to be daunted by any challenge.''
In the offseason, severe headaches forced her to doctors' offices, and they delivered a painful diagnosis: A type of lung cancer that hits young nonsmokers had spread to her brain.
``It's totally changed my life,'' Perrot told Houston television station KTRK shortly after disclosing her illness. ``I've never been really sick or injured and now I'm faced with life or death. It's just tough. All I can do is put it in the hands of the Lord.''
Even as she battled cancer, Perrot suffered additional heartache when her sister, Linette, was stabbed to death in April by a roommate in Louisiana.
In Los Angeles, where the Comets were preparing for tonight's game against the Los Angeles Sparks, Chancellor said Perrot's infectious positive outlook will be her legacy.
``You meet a person as warm and sincere as Kim is, even though she's left us at this time, she'll continue to be an inspiration to teammates, to me,'' he said. ``What a wonderful human being.''
Teammate Tammy Jackson said the Comets have lost a family member.
``Kim's faith and determination in life will constantly inspire us both as individuals and as a team,'' she said. ``Her fire will always motivate us to not only win games but to enjoy life. Number 10 will always be a member of the Houston Comets.''
In Houston, Perrot's family issued a statement.
``Kim was an inspiration to each of us, and she has touched all of our lives in so many ways,'' the statement said. ``We will always love her and cherish her in our hearts, and we know that each of you will too.''
The Comets plan to play tonight's game against the Sparks.
``They thought she would want them to play, and I can guarantee you that she did. She would be kicking their tails if they didn't play,'' Dawson said.
Perrot's condition worsened during a second trip to Mexico, where she had been receiving alternative treatment. She returned to Houston last Saturday.
``I have the will to win. I won't accept anything less than winning.'' she told the television interviewer. ``With this type of illness I'm facing now, I take the same approach. I won't be defeated. I just feel confident this is just a challenge, just a trial for me ... I work really well under pressure.''
After brain surgery, Perrot entered radiation treatment to attack tumors in her head. She went to Mexico for alternative medical procedures rather than submit to chemotherapy prescribed by her Houston doctors.
``Her fight off the court against cancer was heroic and brave,'' Houston Mayor Lee Brown said. ``Although she lost her battle, she leaves the legacy of a winner.''
Perrot played four seasons, 1986-1990, for the University of Southwestern Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns. While there, she scored 58 points in a game against Southeastern Louisiana in 1990, the second-highest total in NCAA history.
Perrot held 26 other Ragin' Cajuns records, including the career scoring mark of 2,157 points.
From Louisiana, she traveled to Europe, playing for women's professional basketball teams for six seasons in Sweden, Germany, Israel and France before returning to the United States in 1997.
In one of her last public appearances, on June 22, Perrot accepted her second championship ring at a Comets home game.
``Who would have thought Kim Perrot would be a two-time WNBA champion?'' she said. ``When no one else believed in me, my teammates and the fans stuck with me.''
Despite her illness, Perrot made about 100 public appearances as a motivational speaker, often at schools. In one of her last regular columns for the Houston Chronicle's teen supplement ``Yo!,'' she told young women there was nothing they could not achieve.
``It's such an exciting time to be a female athlete in the U.S.A,'' she wrote. ``I encourage you young women to follow your dreams. It will take a lot of hard work and determination, but there are no limits to what you can do.''
Kim Perrot's family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Kim's Place. Clutch City Foundations, Two Greenway Plaza, Suite 400, Houston, Texas, 77046.
HOUSTON (AP) - Kim Perrot never gave failure a second thought.
``I've always had to battle,'' Perrot said through tears when she made her cancer public last February. ``And this is just another battle.''
But despite the drive that took the 5-foot-5 dynamo from Louisiana to Europe and eventually to WNBA championships with the Houston Comets, the gritty point guard died Thursday at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. She was 32.
Her closest friend, two-time league Most Valuable Player Cynthia Cooper, was at Perrot's bedside when she died.
``The world is not as good as it was before,'' said Carroll Dawson, the Comets' executive vice president.
The Lafayette, La., native wasn't even a contender at draft time before the Women's National Basketball Association's debut season in 1997. Six seasons playing in Europe guaranteed her nothing more than a tryout with Comets coach Van Chancellor.
But her petite frame belied a fierce determination that won over Chancellor and her teammates and later electrified fans. Her ferocious play helped the Comets clinch back-to-back championships in 1997 and 1998.
Last year, Perrot averaged 8.5 points and 4.7 assists, totaled 84 steals in 30 regular-season games and placed second in voting for WNBA Defensive Player of the Year.
``The entire WNBA family is devastated by this tragic loss,'' WNBA President Val Ackerman said a statement. ``We will remember Kim as a woman of great heart and indomitable courage who refused to be daunted by any challenge.''
In the offseason, severe headaches forced her to doctors' offices, and they delivered a painful diagnosis: A type of lung cancer that hits young nonsmokers had spread to her brain.
``It's totally changed my life,'' Perrot told Houston television station KTRK shortly after disclosing her illness. ``I've never been really sick or injured and now I'm faced with life or death. It's just tough. All I can do is put it in the hands of the Lord.''
Even as she battled cancer, Perrot suffered additional heartache when her sister, Linette, was stabbed to death in April by a roommate in Louisiana.
In Los Angeles, where the Comets were preparing for tonight's game against the Los Angeles Sparks, Chancellor said Perrot's infectious positive outlook will be her legacy.
``You meet a person as warm and sincere as Kim is, even though she's left us at this time, she'll continue to be an inspiration to teammates, to me,'' he said. ``What a wonderful human being.''
Teammate Tammy Jackson said the Comets have lost a family member.
``Kim's faith and determination in life will constantly inspire us both as individuals and as a team,'' she said. ``Her fire will always motivate us to not only win games but to enjoy life. Number 10 will always be a member of the Houston Comets.''
In Houston, Perrot's family issued a statement.
``Kim was an inspiration to each of us, and she has touched all of our lives in so many ways,'' the statement said. ``We will always love her and cherish her in our hearts, and we know that each of you will too.''
The Comets plan to play tonight's game against the Sparks.
``They thought she would want them to play, and I can guarantee you that she did. She would be kicking their tails if they didn't play,'' Dawson said.
Perrot's condition worsened during a second trip to Mexico, where she had been receiving alternative treatment. She returned to Houston last Saturday.
``I have the will to win. I won't accept anything less than winning.'' she told the television interviewer. ``With this type of illness I'm facing now, I take the same approach. I won't be defeated. I just feel confident this is just a challenge, just a trial for me ... I work really well under pressure.''
After brain surgery, Perrot entered radiation treatment to attack tumors in her head. She went to Mexico for alternative medical procedures rather than submit to chemotherapy prescribed by her Houston doctors.
``Her fight off the court against cancer was heroic and brave,'' Houston Mayor Lee Brown said. ``Although she lost her battle, she leaves the legacy of a winner.''
Perrot played four seasons, 1986-1990, for the University of Southwestern Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns. While there, she scored 58 points in a game against Southeastern Louisiana in 1990, the second-highest total in NCAA history.
Perrot held 26 other Ragin' Cajuns records, including the career scoring mark of 2,157 points.
From Louisiana, she traveled to Europe, playing for women's professional basketball teams for six seasons in Sweden, Germany, Israel and France before returning to the United States in 1997.
In one of her last public appearances, on June 22, Perrot accepted her second championship ring at a Comets home game.
``Who would have thought Kim Perrot would be a two-time WNBA champion?'' she said. ``When no one else believed in me, my teammates and the fans stuck with me.''
Despite her illness, Perrot made about 100 public appearances as a motivational speaker, often at schools. In one of her last regular columns for the Houston Chronicle's teen supplement ``Yo!,'' she told young women there was nothing they could not achieve.
``It's such an exciting time to be a female athlete in the U.S.A,'' she wrote. ``I encourage you young women to follow your dreams. It will take a lot of hard work and determination, but there are no limits to what you can do.''
Kim Perrot's family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Kim's Place. Clutch City Foundations, Two Greenway Plaza, Suite 400, Houston, Texas, 77046.
