WNBA great Teresa Weatherspoon to enter Texas Sports Hall of Fame
WACO, Texas (BVM) — Teresa Weatherspoon etched her name in the history books and left a lasting legacy in women’s basketball.
Her storied career began in her home state of Texas, which was set to honor her this year with an induction into its Sports Hall of Fame before COVID-19 postponed the ceremony.
Born to Charles and Rowena Weatherpoon in Pineland, Texas, Teresa loved sports. Her father played in the Minnesota Twins’ minor league system and it seemed she was destined to become a prominent athlete.
After her senior year of high school, Weatherspoon committed to play basketball at Louisiana Tech University. She played 33 games her freshman year, averaging 5.9 points. With a 27-3 record, Louisiana Tech was a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and poised to make a run for the national title. The University of Northeast Louisiana, now the University of Louisiana-Monroe, ended the Lady Techsters championship hopes in the regional finals.
Weatherspoon’s play only improved as time went on. During her sophomore year, she increased her points per game from six to nine. She also set a career-high in assists per game that year (8.0). The Lady Techsters had an overall record of 25-4 and were a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. After making another deep run, Louisiana Tech’s championship aspirations were cut short by the No. 1 seed USC Trojans in the regional finals.
With a 26-2 record during the 1986-87 season, the Lady Techsters made a run at the national title only to fall short against the University of Tennessee and legendary coach Pat Summit. Weatherspoon averaged 9.4 points and shot 52.1% from the field that season. Those were all career-highs for her at La. Tech.
In 1988, Weatherspoon and the Lady Techsters finally broke their NCAA championship drought. With a 27-2 record La. Tech earned a No. 2 seed. They defeated No. 1 seed Auburn University by two points, 56-54, to capture the program’s second women’s national title. To go along with the national championship trophy, Weatherspoon would be named to the all-tournament team. She also set a career-high behind the 3-point line by shooting 35.7% for the year.
After her senior year, she was awarded the Wade Trophy and the Honda Sport Award, which recognize the best Division I women’s college basketball player. Weatherspoon also received the Honda-Broderick Cup representing the best collegiate female athlete in all sports that year.
While Weatherspoon was in college, she participated in international competitions. During her sophomore year, she helped the U.S. win the 1986 FIBA World Championship. She also helped the U.S. win the gold medal in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.
After a very successful college career, it was time for Weatherspoon to test the professional waters. She played overseas for six years before the formation of the WNBA. While in Italy, she was a six-time all-star.
After being taken by the New York Liberty in the first WNBA Draft in 1997, she won the league’s first-ever Defensive Player of the Year award. Weatherspoon won the award again the following year.
One of Weatherspoon’s most iconic moments came during the 1999 WNBA Finals. Down 1-0 to the Houston Comets, she nailed a 50-foot heave that kept the Liberty in the series. That play would later become known as the “The Shot.”
Weatherspoon played with the Liberty until 2003. Her final year as a professional came in 2004 when she played one season with Los Angeles Sparks. The Sparks were the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, but fell in the first round to the Sacramento Monarchs.
Along with a storied professional career, Weatherspoon still holds the record for most steals in a single season. During the 1998 season, she accumulated 100 steals and averaged 3.3.
Once her playing career was over, she hopped into the coaching carousel and ended up at her alma mater. During the 2008-09 season, Louisiana Tech head coach Chris Long was fired. Weatherspoon took over and the Lady Techsters went 9-2 (8-0 Western Athletic Conference). In the following seasons, La. Tech would make the NCAA Tournament twice.
When all was said and done, Weatherspoon had an overall record of 99-71. She was awarded the Maggie Dixon Division I Coach of the Year Award in 2010.
This year, Weatherspoon has not only been recognized by her home state’s hall of fame, she will be enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Aug. 29 and was featured as one of the top 20 players to ever play in the WNBA. With her reputation as a great player and leader, she was hired by the New Orleans Pelicans as a two-way player developmental coach.
