Valerie Still: Basketball Legend, Author, Keeper of Family Legacy
Valerie Still is more than a basketball legend—she’s a storyteller, a pioneer, and the living heartbeat of a powerful family legacy. Her journey stretches far beyond hardwood courts and championship trophies. From dominating the NCAA record books to writing powerful reflections on heritage and identity, Still has spent a lifetime breaking barriers and elevating voices—especially those of her ancestors.
Born in Camden, New Jersey, Still was raised in a family that blended athletic excellence with profound historical roots. Her brother, Art Still, made his name in the NFL, but the family’s legacy reaches further back. Valerie’s great-great-great grandmother, Sidney, escaped slavery in Maryland and helped others to freedom through the Underground Railroad. Her great-great-great uncle, William Still, was a pivotal conductor on that network, often called the “Father of the Underground Railroad.” That lineage shaped Valerie’s sense of purpose.
As an athlete, Valerie Still left a towering legacy at the University of Kentucky. She remains the all-time leading scorer and rebounder—men’s or women’s—in the school’s basketball history, finishing her college career in 1983 with 2,763 points and 1,525 rebounds. Those records still stand. She helped elevate Kentucky women’s basketball to national relevance at a time when female athletes often labored in the shadows.
Still’s professional career took her to Europe, where she spent over a decade playing basketball in Italy, winning championships and earning MVP honors. She later returned to the U.S. and became a founding member of the WNBA’s Columbus Quest in the American Basketball League, where she won back-to-back championships and was named Playoffs MVP. Through it all, she inspired generations of young girls dreaming of careers in sports.
But Valerie Still’s legacy isn’t defined solely by her on-court brilliance. As an author and speaker, she has dedicated herself to telling the stories of her family and advocating for social justice. Her book, Playing Black and Blue: Still I Rise, is part memoir, part historical chronicle. In it, she weaves personal narrative with the harrowing and heroic stories of her ancestors, drawing a direct line from her present to their past.
“I was playing for something bigger than myself,” Still has said. “Every rebound, every point—I carried my ancestors with me.” That perspective has shaped her post-basketball mission. She travels across the country to speak at schools, community centers, and conferences, emphasizing the importance of understanding one’s roots and using that knowledge to fuel resilience and purpose.
In a world still grappling with inequality and historical erasure, Valerie Still stands as a beacon—athlete, activist, author, and proud descendant of freedom fighters. Her voice reminds us that greatness isn’t just measured in points or titles, but in the stories we preserve and the light we shine for others to follow.
As both a legend of the game and a guardian of her family’s powerful narrative, Valerie Still continues to make history—on her terms.
