Swin Cash

Professional career

Cash entered the WNBA as the second overall pick in the 2002 draft, selected by the Detroit Shock. She quickly became a key contributor, leading the Shock to their first championship in 2003 and playing in that year's All-Star Game. The next year, she won a gold medal with the U.S. women's basketball team at the 2004 Olympics. Off the court, she appeared as herself in the movie Bring It On: All or Nothing and received the Dapper Dan Sportswoman of the Year award, honored alongside Sidney Crosby and Dan Rooney.

After struggling to build a consistent relationship with coach Bill Laimbeer, Cash was traded to the Seattle Storm on February 19, 2008, for the fourth pick in the 2008 draft. In Seattle, she teamed with Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson to win the Storm's second championship in 2010. A herniated disk suffered during Detroit's 2006 title run bothered her for more than two years. Despite the injury, she set an All-Star Game scoring record in 2009, leading all scorers with 22 points in a 130–118 win for the Western Conference.

On January 2, 2012, Cash was traded along with Le'Coe Willingham to the Chicago Sky, joining All-Star Sylvia Fowles. She was one of 20 players named to the national team pool for the 2010 World Championships and 2012 Olympics, and made the final roster for the 2012 Olympic team, winning another gold medal.

Cash averaged 8.6 points per game during the 2010 FIBA World Championship, where the U.S. won the gold medal. She was waived by the New York Liberty on May 11, 2016, but re-signed on May 24 for the rest of the season. On June 7, 2016, she announced her retirement at the end of the 2016 season.

Executive career

Cash was hired as vice president of basketball operations and team development for the New Orleans Pelicans on June 10, 2019. She was promoted to senior vice president of basketball operations on September 26, 2024, but was dismissed by the Pelicans on April 24, 2025, after six seasons. On September 23, 2025, Amazon Prime Video hired her as a front office insider and WNBA analyst. Cash will be inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in December 2026.

Anti-racism and anti-violence activism

Cash is an advocate against gun violence and police brutality. In 2016, she was fined $500 by the WNBA, along with teammates and players from two other teams, for wearing warm-up shirts that read "#BlackLivesMatter" and "#Dallas5" as references to gun violence. In a post-game statement, she said it was a shame that people wanted to make the movement seem violent, noting that five police officers gave their lives protecting a peaceful movement, and that until the system transforms, there is a problem in America.

She said her grandmother's stories from the Civil Rights Movement era motivated her stance. Cash fears that because police can kill unarmed people without facing arrest, a regression to pre-Civil Rights practices may occur. Her brother, Kevin Menifee, was allegedly beaten by police officers, who broke his nose.

Did You Know?

• Cash set a WNBA All-Star Game scoring record in 2009 with 22 points, breaking the previous mark of 20 set by Deanna Nolan in 2005.
• Cash received an honorary Doctorate of Public Service from Washington and Jefferson College in May 2011 for her charity work.
• Cash was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 9, 2022.