The sporting career of disgraced Olympic sprinter Marion Jones appeared close to the end Friday after she was waived by WNBA team the Tulsa Shock.
Jones, 35, played 47 games for the Shock, with an average of 8.6 minutes a game. But she was cut to make space in the roster for former Oklahoma standout Abi Olajuwon, the daughter of NBA Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon.
Once the darling of Team USA athletics, Jones was stripped of the three gold and two bronze medals she won at the 2000 Sydney Olympics after admitting she lied over performance-enhancing drugs.
She was offered her chance in the WNBA after serving a six-month prison sentence for lying to federal investigators.
In a statement on the Shock website, Jones said, "I want to thank the Tulsa Shock, Coach Richardson, the WNBA and my tremendous teammates for providing me the opportunity to fulfill a dream."
Jones said the move had offered her "a platform to demonstrate to people, especially our youth, that if you have faith, life is full of second chances."
Despite the cut, Jones insisted that she still had something to offer the sport.
"I love the game and welcome another opportunity to contribute to women's professional basketball," she added.
