Augustus is 1st female athlete with statue on LSU campus

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Seimone Augustus looked up at her bronze likeness in front of LSU’s basketball training center and began wiping away tears.

Augustus, who led the Tigers to three women’s Final Fours before starring in the WNBA and international games, became the first LSU student to be commemorated with a statue on campus on Sunday. You stand alongside those of former LSU basketball stars Bob Pettit, Shaquille O’Neal and Pete Maravich in a seat that was crowded with applauding fans during the unveiling.

“I’m still trying to process this,” Augustus said as she addressed the crowd at the nearby Pete Maravich Assembly Center just before fifth-placed LSU recorded Auburn. “It looks like it’s all Baton Rouge out here. But that feels good.

“I used to have a teammate who said, ‘I didn’t do this alone,'” Augustus continued. “And clearly, with everyone who’s here, I haven’t.

“I needed everyone’s support, love and protection … and I just wanted to say thank you,” she said. “Thank you for everything you’ve done. Thanks to Baton Rouge, thanks to LSU, thanks to Louisiana. They have always been my motivation, my driving force to make sure I excelled.”

Augustus, a Baton Rouge native, emerged in front of the crowd in a brown suit and holding a purple and gold parasol, which she waved to the beat of a “second row” marching band behind her.

LSU sophomore coach Kim Mulkey was among the dignitaries standing nearby. She hugged the emotional Augustus and spoke into her ear before heading back to the arena for the game. Former LSU teammate Sylvia Fowles also attended.

Augustus exchanged pleasantries and posed for photos with fans who crowded barricades around the statue before heading to the game, where she was again honored and greeted with thunderous applause between the first and second quarters.

The story goes on

Augustus played at LSU from the 2002-03 through 2005-06 seasons. A two-time All-American who averaged 19.3 points throughout her career, she was drafted first overall by Minnesota in the 2006 WNBA draft.

During her pro career, which ended in 2019, she was a four-time WNBA champion and eight-time All-Star champion. She also won three Olympic gold medals (2008, 20012 and 20016) with Team USA.

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AP Women’s College Basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https:/ /twitter.com/AP_Top25