Photo: Dave Hogg / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Ruth Riley is exactly the kind of athlete I cheer for. The 196 cm center won an NCAA title at Notre Dame in 2001, two WNBA championships with the Detroit Shock, a Finals MVP, and entered the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. But what truly impresses me is her second act as an author, including children's books. Reaching the summit of a sport is rare enough; choosing afterward to give something back to the next generation through writing shows real character. I respect winners, but I respect people who become givers even more.
Overview
Ruth Ellen Riley Hunter (born August 28, 1979) is a retired American professional basketball player (a center), playing most recently for the Atlanta Dream in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Her Notre Dame team won the NCAA women's championship in 2001, and her Detroit Shock team won the WNBA championship in 2003 and 2006.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Ruth Riley
- Name (Japanese)
- ルース・ライリー
- Reading
- るーす・らいりー
- Born
- August 28, 1979 (age 46)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Goat
- Origin
- Ransom, Kansas, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 196 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- basketball player / writer / children's writer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- North Miami Middle/High School
- University
- University of Notre Dame
Awards & achievements
- Big East Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year
- list of Women's Basketball Academic All-America Team Members of the Year
- WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award
- Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award
- 2019 Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Basketball player — see all → · Writer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.