The Hall of Fame is only the beginning for New Orleans Pelicans executive Swin Cash

PRESIDENT AND CEO John Doleva was making what has become a routine phone call for him after more than 20 years with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

On the other end of the line was New Orleans Pelicans vice president of basketball operations Swin Cash.

Cash had cleared her schedule on March 28 to be available during the window that Doleva was supposed to call. But as time ticked away, Cash realized her youngest son, Syer, needed a diaper change. So Cash, who had been waiting years for this exact call, politely put Doleva on hold.

When the call resumed, Doleva told Cash to let Syer know that his mom is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2022.

“This literally sums up my life right now,” Cash told ESPN while recalling the moment. Cash, along with 12 other members will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame on Saturday evening in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Since her playing career ended, Cash — the two-time NCAA champion and All-American, three-time WNBA champion and four-time All-Star, and member of the WNBA’s 20th and 25th anniversary teams — has been wearing different hats.

As a mom to 1-year-old Syer and 5-year-old Saint, and the vice president of basketball operations for the Pelicans, Cash has juggled motherhood and breaking into the NBA executive world.

Throughout her career, Cash has set goals. She set out to achieve those goals as an All-American at McKeesport Area High School in her hometown of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, which is 15 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. She did so when she won national titles at UConn. And she did so during her 15-year WNBA career that also included a few championship rings.

Along the way, Cash became one of the highest-ranking women in the NBA. As she enters her fourth season in the Pelicans’ front office, her latest goal is to make sure that this is only the beginning.

BEFORE HER PROFESSIONAL playing career, Cash was a standout at UConn for coach Geno Auriemma. Cash said that Auriemma and her time with the Huskies prepared her for where she is today.

Auriemma, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006, said when Cash stepped on campus, her level of competitiveness set her apart from her teammates.

“She tried to win every possession,” Auriemma told ESPN. “That was evident in high school. That was evident the very first day of our workouts when she got to Connecticut as a freshman. Of all the big kids that came in, no one competed harder or played with…