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1) Star Power. I like NBA basketball—the Cavaliers, the Mavericks, and the Lakers—because I got to meet LeBron , Jason Kidd , and Kobe in Beijing. They sat with us at the swimming events and ate with us at the Olympic Village. LeBron and I shared the cover of Time . He signed my copy and I signed his. I also enjoy tennis, and I’ve met Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams . Even though I’m in awe meeting those people, I realize that we’re all doing the same thing: just being competitive and playing sports. We’re all athletes.

2) Water Babies. I definitely connected with the water right away as a kid. My mom got us in the pool when we were infants to teach us to be water-safe. That’s exactly why I got my daughter into the pool when she was 3 months old. She’s 3 years old now and can swim unassisted and turn her head and breathe, depending on what kind of mood she’s in.

3) Open Books. Opening up about myself in my autobiography, Age Is Just a Number , was cathartic. A lot of times you see what’s glamorized on TV, not the real person. I wanted people to see that athletes are human too. We have ups and downs.

4) The Sporting Life. I loved growing up in Beverly Hills. I was never really Beverly Hills-ish. I liked swimming in Culver City and being outdoors. I was a rough-and-tumble kind of girl, not a high heels-and-skirts girl.