Rebecca Lobo
A foundational pillar of women's basketball, she led UConn to its first perfect season and became a face of the fledgling WNBA.
Born 1973 (age 53)·American basketball player·Birthday: October 6·Generation X
Biography
Rebecca Lobo led the University of Connecticut to an undefeated national championship in 1995, a milestone that elevated women's college basketball. The 6'4" center won the Naismith Award as the nation's top player that season. The New York Liberty selected her as a marquee draft pick in the WNBA's inaugural 1997 season. Injuries limited her professional career, but she transitioned to broadcasting, becoming a trusted analyst for ESPN. Lobo earned induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017. She also won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in 1996.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Rebecca was born in 1973, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Rebecca Was Born
The biggest hits of 1973
#1 Movie
The Exorcist
Best Picture
The Sting
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Rebecca's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1973Born
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1978Started school
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1986Became a teenager
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Could drive
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1991Could vote
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Turned 21
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2003Turned 30
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 40
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 50
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 53 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Led the University of Connecticut to an undefeated 35–0 season and the 1995 NCAA national championship, earning National Player of the Year honors.
- Was a founding player and star for the New York Liberty in the inaugural 1997 WNBA season.
- Won an Olympic gold medal with the U.S. women's basketball team at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
- Inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
Did You Know?
She met her husband, sports journalist Steve Rushin, after he wrote a Sports Illustrated article about her.
She is of Portuguese descent on her mother's side.
She served as a studio analyst for ESPN's coverage of women's college basketball and the WNBA for many years.
“I never set out to be a pioneer. I just wanted to play basketball.”
