Lori McNeil started playing tennis as a young child. She practiced at MacGregor Park in Houston with her friend Zina Garrison. McNeil received instruction from John Wilkerson. While attending Oklahoma State University, she played for the tennis team. McNeil was an All-American player in singles and doubles in 1982. She was the NCAA Big Eight Athletic Conference Singles Champion that same year. In 1983, McNeil joined the U.S. Junior Fed Cup team.

McNeil played tennis professionally from 1983 to 2002. McNeil reached her career-high doubles ranking of No. 4 in the world in 1987. She reached her career-high singles ranking of No. 9 in the world the following year. McNeil was a member of the U.S. Wightman Cup team from 1987 to 1989 as well as the U.S. Fed Cup team in 1988 and from 1992 to 1993.

McNeil won a total of 10 singles titles and 33 doubles titles during her career. In 1988, she won the Roland-Garros mixed doubles tournament with Jorge Lorzano. In singles, she reached the semifinals of both the 1987 US Open and Wimbledon in 1994. McNeil made history at Wimbledon where she defeated Steffi Graf 7-5, 6-4 in the first round. This was the first time in Grand Slam history that a defending women’s champion lost in the first round.

McNeil assumed several coaching positions upon her retirement. From 2001 to 2004, she coached her former doubles partner, Amanda Coetzer. Coetzer went on to win two WTA doubles titles in 2001. McNeil worked for the USTA as a high-performance coach. She was also the assistant coach to the 2004 U.S. Olympic team. To support youth tennis in Bermuda, McNeil established the Lori McNeil Tennis Foundation and the Lori McNeil Celebrity Tennis Classic. She was the U.S. Women’s Tennis Coach for the 2005 World University Games. In 2006, the WTA awarded McNeil with their Mentor Appreciation Award for her mentoring of Vera Zvonareva for two years.

In 2011, McNeil was inducted into the Black Tennis Hall of Fame for her personal successes and contributions to the sport.