Kim Perrot (January 18, 1967 – August 19, 1999) was an American basketball player. She played in the WNBA for the Houston Comets, winning two championships with the team. Perrot passed away from cancer before the 1999 WNBA season. Her #10 was posthumously retired by the Comets.
College Perrot attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) and played four years there as a guard. In one game against the University of Southeastern Louisiana, she scored 58 points, the third most in NCAA history.
Southwestern Louisiana statistics Source + Legend GP Games played GS Games started MPG Minutes per game FG% Field goal percentage 3P% 3-point field goal percentage FT% Free throw percentage RPG Rebounds per game APG Assists per game SPG Steals per game BPG Blocks per game TO Turnovers per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high * Led Division I YearTeamGPPointsFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG1987Southwestern Louisiana2735436.9%NA55.1%4.07.1NANA13.11988Southwestern Louisiana2950138.6%32.3%47.5%4.75.43.00.017.31989Southwestern Louisiana2644841.9%37.3%62.0%5.76.04.10.317.21990Southwestern Louisiana2883942.2%36.0%66.7%5.85.65.10.0*30.0Career110214240.3%34.9%59.4%5.06.03.10.119.5
WNBA After playing six seasons in Europe, Perrot joined the WNBA in the summer of 1997 for its inaugural season. Perrot played point guard for the Houston Comets and her debut game was played on June 21, 1997. On that day, the Comets defeated the Cleveland Rockers 76 - 56 with Perrot recording 2 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.
At 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m), she was noted there for her ferocious play and was a crowd favorite."WNBA's Kim Perrot dies at 32" , by Terri Langford, Salon, August 19, 1999 Her best friend was Comets star Cynthia Cooper.
Perrot was the starting point guard for the Comets for 24 of the team's 28 games (for the other 4 games, teammate Tiffany Woosley would start in Perrot's place) and would go on to average 5.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.5 steals per game for the season. The Comets finished with an 18 - 10 record and made it to the WNBA Finals where they defeated the New York Liberty to win the WNBA's first championship.
Perrot would remain the Comets' starting point guard for the 1998 season and started in all 30 of the team's regular season games. Perrot played more minutes in her sophomore season and had increased productivity across the board, averaging 8.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.8 steals per game. The Comets finished with an incredible 27 - 3 record and once again won the WNBA championship by defeating the Phoenix Mercury in a best-of-3 series.
After the 1998 season, Perrot would not play in the WNBA again as she was diagnosed with lung cancer in February 1999.
Perrot wore jersey number 10 with the Comets organization and averaged 7.2 points, 3.3 steals, and 2.9 rebounds per game during her two seasons with the team."Kim Perrot", Basketball-reference.com
Her final game was Game 3 of the 1998 WNBA Finals on September 1, 1998, where she recorded 13 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists to help Houston defeat Phoenix 80 - 71.
Death and legacy Perrot succumbed to her illness on August 19, 1999. The cancer had metastasized to Perrot's brain. She underwent surgery and radiation treatments to eradicate the tumors in her head, but declined chemotherapy recommended by her doctors. Perrot went to Mexico to seek alternative methods to battle cancer. In Mexico, she was joined by Cooper. Two days before her death, she took a Medevac flight back to Houston from Tijuana, with Cooper and members of the Perrot family flying along. She was the first active player in the WNBA to die.
After her death, the Comets went on to win a third straight WNBA title in 1999, and a tearful Cooper celebrated what the team called "#3 for #10". She was posthumously awarded a third championship ring and her #10 jersey was retired, thus making her the first player in league history to have her number retired. The WNBA subsequently renamed their sportsmanship award the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award in her honor.
Comets fans raised money to create "Kim's Place", an area at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston where kids with cancer can play games, sports, and relax. Also, the "Kim Perrot Leadership Award" was created by the Houston Can! Academy (a charter school for at risk youth)."Names In The News", Sports Business Daily, October 25, 2002 While ill with cancer, Perrot had made many public appearances and given motivational speeches, mostly at schools.
Perrot is buried at the Our Lady of the Assumption Cemetery in Carencro, Louisiana.
Career statistics
Regular season
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|1997† | style="text-align:left;"|Houston | 28 || 24 || 24.7 || .364 || .283 || .405 || 2.7 || 3.1 || 2.5 || 0.1 || 2.3 || 5.8 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|1998† | style="text-align:left;"|Houston | 30 || 30 || 32.9 || .404 || .269 || .700 || 3.1 || 4.7 || 2.8 || 0.0 || 2.7 || 8.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Career | style="text-align:left;"|2 years, 1 team | 58 || 54 || 28.9 || .387 || .275 || .598 || 2.9 || 4.0 || 2.6 || 0.0 || 2.5 || 7.2
Playoffs
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|1997† | style="text-align:left;"|Houston | 2 || 2 || 38.0 || .227 || .214 || .750 || 4.5 || 2.0 || 3.0 || 0.0 || 4.5 || 8.0 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|1998† | style="text-align:left;"|Houston | 5 || 5 || 36.4 || .375 || .375 || .417 || 3.2 || 5.0 || 1.6 || 0.0 || 3.4 || 8.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Career | style="text-align:left;"|2 years, 1 team | 7 || 7 || 36.9 || .323 || .300 || .500 || 3.6 || 4.1 || 2.0 || 0.0 || 3.7 || 8.1
See also List of basketball players who died during their careers List of notable brain tumor patients
References
External links