Sports Envoy
Sports Envoy Program

Ruth Riley

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2014  –  Morocco
  • 2014  –  Democratic Republic of Congo
  • 2014  –  Spain
  • 2015  –  Mozambique
  • 2015  –  Botswana
  • 2015  –  South Africa
  • 2015  –  Saudi Arabia

Person Info/Academic
-Born: August 28, 1979
-University of Notre Dame 1997-2001
-Summa Cum Laude, BA in Psychology
-Recipient of an NCAA postgraduate scholarship
-2001 Recipient of the NCAA Today’s Top VIII Award recognizing athletics, academic achievement, character and leadership
-First Vice President of the WNBA Players Association since 2005
-A 2010 inductee into Notre Dame’s prestigious Ring of Honor
-Inducted into the 2012 Capital One Academic All-America Hall of Fame
-Wrote a children’s book “Spirit of Basketball” for the WNBA’s Detroit Shock
-13 year WNBA veteran currently playing for the Atlanta Dream

In the Community
-Spokesperson for “Nothing But Nets” established by the UN Foundation to combat Malaria in Africa (#1 killer of children on the continent)
-Spokesperson for Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry initiative.
-Co-Founder of Inspire Transformation (and NGO that does HIV/AIDS awareness & prevention through leadership and sports training in South Africa)
-4 time recipient of the WNBA’s Community Assist Player
-Appointed in 2009, by President George W. Bush to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
-Recipient of the Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete Award in 2010
-Recipient of the 2011 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award presented by the WNBA
-NBA/WNBA Cares Ambassador for the NBA since 2013

USA Basketball
-2004 Gold Medal Olympic Games (Athens)
-1999 Silver Medal World University Games

WNBA
-2006 WNBA Champions (Detroit)
-2005 WNBA All-star (Detroit)
-2003 WNBA Champions (Detroit)
-2003 WNBA Finals MVP
-2003 No. 1 Overall WNBA Dispersal draft pick by Detroit
-2001 No. 5 Overall WNBA draft pick by Miami Sol

College Basketball Awards and Honors
-2001 NCAA Finals MVP
-2001 NCAA Champions
-2001 Naismith Player of the Year
-2001 Big East Player of the Year
-2001 NCAA Verizon Academic All-American of the Year
-2001 Big East conference Silver Anniversary Women’s Basketball Team
-three-time Big East All-Tournament Team (1999- 2001)
-three-time Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year (1999-2001)
-two time Associated Press All-American First Team (2000, 2001)
-1998 Big East All-Rookie Team

Edna Campbell

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2011  –  Democratic Republic of Congo
  • 2012  –  Indonesia
  • 2014  –  Sri Lanka

Edna Campbell (born November 26, 1968 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.) is a retired women’s basketball player who played in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). The 5′ 8″ guard was a star player for the Sacramento Monarchs and has also played for three other teams, but is well known for continuing to play despite suffering breast cancer.
Campbell’s college career began at the University of Maryland, College Park, but achieved her most notable success at the University of Texas’ women’s team, known as the Lady Longhorns, where she was named the Southwest Conference’s Newcomer of the Year in 1990. She graduated in 1991 after the Lady Longhorns compiled a 48-14 won/loss record while she was there.
Campbell played for the Colorado Xplosion in the American Basketball League (ABL).
Edna Campbell was the 10th overall draft pick, selected by the Phoenix Mercury during the 1999 WNBA Draft. She was left unprotected in the expansion draft the following year, and was chosen by the Seattle Storm. She became the new franchise’s go-to option, but the team finished with a cellar-dwelling 6-26 record.
The next year, the Storm drafted its first superstar, Lauren Jackson, and Campbell was traded to the Sacramento Monarchs for Katy Steding and a draft pick. During the second of her four seasons in Sacramento, Campbell was diagnosed with breast cancer. She received treatment and was welcomed back before the fans of her two most recent teams in the Monarchs’ final game against Seattle during the 2002 season.
Campbell continued to play despite the cancer, and has become a symbol to some survivors of the disease. She became the WNBA’s national spokesperson for its anti-cancer efforts with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. She received the league’s Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award in 2003.
Campbell signed a free agent contract with the San Antonio Silver Stars in 2005. She played with the Silver Stars for that one season, before announcing her retirement from the WNBA on February 28, 2006.
During the 2006 WNBA season, which honored 9 years of existence, Edna Campbell’s return from breast cancer was nominated by fans as Most Inspirational and one of the top four WNBA Anniversary decade moments.
Shortly after retiring from basketball, Edna was hired as a television commentator for the San Antonio Silver Stars games during the 2006 WNBA season. In addition, Campbell has worked in Real Estate. Edna Campbell became a nurse in 2008, and also began coaching high school girls.

Juwan Howard

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2007  –  Democratic Republic of Congo

Howard has played six-and-a-half seasons (1994–2001) for the Bullets franchise (renamed the Wizards in 1997), three full seasons (2004–2007) for the Houston Rockets, 2+ seasons for the Heat and shorter stints with several other teams. During his rookie year with the Bullets, he became the first player to graduate on time with his class after leaving college early to play in the NBA. He had one season as an All-Rookie player and a second as an All-Star and an All-NBA performer. Juwan Antonio Howard currently is an assistant coach for the NBA’s Miami Heat.

He was most recently a regular starter during the 2005–2006 NBA season. In 2010, he signed with the Heat and entered his 17th NBA season, during which he reached the playoffs for the sixth time and made his first career NBA Finals appearance. He remained with the Heat the following season and won his first NBA championship during the 2012 NBA Finals. He returned to the Heat for part of the following season and helped them win their second consecutive title.

Howard has developed a reputation as a humanitarian for his civic commitment.​ Juwan’s Foundation has been active for the past 17 years. The Juwan Howard Foundation mission is giving to at-risk inner-city children, by organizing clothing drives and donating funds to youth-oriented groups, including an adoption agency, a youth home, and boys’ and girls’ clubs. The foundation has helped to support the placement of over 50 abandoned children into permanent homes. When funds permit scholarship awards to individual high school students in Washington, DC, and Chicago, Illinois. Also the Foundation hosts an annual basketball/academic FREE camp of approximately 200 inner city at risk youth in Chicago.

Dikembe Mutombo

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2007  –  Democratic Republic of Congo
  • 2011  –  South Sudan

Dikembe Mutombo hails from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 1987, Mutombo was the recipient of a USAID scholarship to attend Georgetown University, and he soon excelled both academically and in basketball. In the 1991 NBA draft, the Denver Nuggets drafted Mutombo with the fourth overall pick. The Nuggets ranked last in the NBA in opponent points-per-game and defensive rating and Mutombo’s shot-blocking ability made an immediate impression across the league.

As a rookie, Mutombo was selected for the All-Star team and averaged 16.6 points, 12.3 rebounds, and nearly three blocks per game. Over his career, he averaged 2.8 blocks and 10.3 rebounds per game. He is second all-time in registered blocks, behind only Hakeem Olajuwon, and is the 20th most prolific rebounder ever. He was also an eight-time All-Star and was elected into three All-NBA and six All-Defensive Teams.

A well-known humanitarian, Mutombo started the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation to improve living conditions in his native Democratic Republic of Congo in 1997. His efforts earned him the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 2001 and 2009. For his feats, Sporting News named him as one of the “Good Guys in Sports” in 1999 and 2000. In 1999, he was elected as one of 20 winners of the President’s Service Awards, the nation’s highest honor for volunteer service.

In 2004, he participated in the Basketball Without Borders NBA program, where NBA stars toured Africa to spread the word about basketball and to improve the infrastructure. He paid for uniforms and expenses for the Zaire women’s basketball team during the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta. Mutombo is also a spokesman for the international relief agency, CARE and is the first Youth Emissary for the United Nations Development Program.

Cedric Ceballos

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2013  –  Angola
  • 2014  –  Democratic Republic of Congo

During a distinguished NBA career, All Star small forward Cedric Z. Ceballos played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat.

After achieving fame for winning the 1992 NBA Slam Dunk Contest with a remarkable blindfolded jam, Ceballos’ career highlights include leading the NBA in field goal percentage (57.6) in 1992-93 en route to an appearance in the NBA Finals with the Suns. With a 21.7 points per game average in 1994-95, he led the Lakers in scoring and made the Western Conference the All-Star team. During the 1995-96 season, Ceballos again led the Lakers with a 21.2 average, notching the Lakers’ first 50-point game in over 20 years.

Since retiring from the hardwood, Ceballos has worked with the Phoenix Suns as their in-arena emcee and host of a weekly webcast, “Nothin’ but Net.” In addition to his basketball skills, Ceballos earned notoriety as a musician, working on the album B-Ball’s Best Kept Secret, a 1994 record featuring tracks of an array of early 1990s NBA players. He is featured on multiple tracks performing with hip-hop star Warren G on “Flow On” and later on the track “Ya Don’t Stop” also featuring fellow NBA All-Star Dana Barros and rappers Grand Puba, Sadat X, AG and Diamond D. He has also hosted a morning music program for Phoenix, Arizona rhythm & blues radio station MEGA 104.3 FM.

Cedric Ceballos is an alumni of Ventura College and Cal State Fullerton. His daughter, Cyndee, recently signed to play basketball for Seattle University.

Bo Outlaw

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2011  –  Democratic Republic of Congo
  • 2015  –  Poland

Charles “Bo” Outlaw (born April 13, 1971) is a retired American professional basketball player. Outlaw was known for his athleticism, tenacious defensive approach and sub-par free-throw shooting (.521 for his career).

He was born in San Antonio, Texas, and is a 1989 alumnus of John Jay High School, where he led the Mustangs to the Texas state finals before they were defeated by Houston Clear Lake High School.

Outlaw played for South Plains College and the University of Houston. During his time in Houston, he averaged 14.0 ppg., 9.1 rpg., and led NCAA Division I with a field goal percentage of .684. In 1993 he declared eligibility for the NBA draft but was not selected.

Outlaw began his professional career in the CBA, where he averaged a league-leading 3.8 blocks per game in the half-season he played for the Grand Rapids Hoops.

On February 15, 1994, Outlaw began his NBA career with the Los Angeles Clippers, recording 13 points and 7 rebounds in a 100-89 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. He played three full seasons for the Clippers, who made the playoffs in 1997 but were defeated by the Utah Jazz in the first round.

Outlaw left Los Angeles as a free agent and signed a two-year deal with the Orlando Magic on September 5, 1997. During Outlaw’s 1997–98 season, he started in 76 of 82 regular season games and recorded what would remain career-high averages in every statistical category except for assists. However, the Magic failed to reach the playoffs in 1998. After Hall of Fame coach Chuck Daly retired and was replaced by Doc Rivers, Outlaw signed another contract with the Magic in the off-season, after which he played two and a half more seasons for the team.

On April 17, 1998, Outlaw recorded 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 121-109 win over the New Jersey Nets. After the game, reporters asked him how he felt about his first triple-double, to which Outlaw famously replied “What’s that, some kind of hamburger?”.

Outlaw was released in November 2001 and acquired by the Phoenix Suns. After one and a half seasons with them, Outlaw left for Memphis where he was reunited with former Magic teammate Mike Miller. In 2004, after one season in Memphis, Outlaw returned to Phoenix where he was hampered by nagging injuries and his playing time was restricted by the strength of the team. Accordingly, in the 2005–06 season, he returned to the Magic, appearing in 75 additional games in the course of three seasons. Outlaw was waived in November 2007 after playing 7 minutes over 2 games in the 2007-08 season.
Over his NBA career (914 games) he averaged 5.4 points and 4.9 rebounds. He currently resides in Orlando.