Storyline: The Houston Comets once ruled the WNBA. Then the franchise folded.
In the mid-to late-’90’s pro basketball was headline news in Houston. The Rockets had won back-to-back NBA titles in ’94 and ’95 and women’s pro basketball–the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA)–was coming to town.
The WNBA league was founded April 24th, 1996. The league began with 8 teams and one of those teams was the Houston Comets. The team was owned by Leslie Alexander, who also owned the Rockets. The Comets played games in the old Compaq center, which used to be The Summit.
Cynthia Cooper, Houston Comets (photo, Pinterest)
After hiring a head coach, Van Chancellor, it was time to sign players–and sign them they did, including Sheryl Swoops, Kim Perrott, Michelle Snow, and Tina Thompson. But one signee–Cynthia Cooper–flew under the radar. Cooper, who inked a contract at age 34, would go on to be named the league’s first MVP. Today she’s considered to be one of the greatest pro basketball player in the history of the women’s game.
Everything was in order for the Comets to score big. And they did. The Comets capped off their initial season with a trip to the WNBA Championship game. They played the New York Liberty and Cooper led the Comets to victory. She was also named the first-ever Championship MVP.
In 1998 the league expanded and the Comets moved from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference. It was a year to remember for more than that. The Comets finished the season 27-3, a .900 winning percentage–a WNBA record that still holds today. The Comets won the championship again, this time beating the Phoenix Mercury. Cooper repeated as Finals MVP.
By the time the ’99 rolled around, the Comets had established themselves as the WNBA’s top team thanks to the prolific play of stars Cooper, Swoops, and Thompson. The team again advanced to the WNBA Finals once again. The opponent this time would be old foe, New York. With the series tied 1-1 in a 3-game series, the final game was played in Houston. The Comets won, 59-47, to win its third straight title.
The 2000 season started off strong for the Comets. The team advanced to the WNBA Finals for the fourth year in a row. New York was again the opponent. This time Comets swept the Liberty to win their fourth straight title.
Courtesy: RebKell’s Junkie Boards
That would be the last time the Comets would go to the WNBA Finals. And, more importantly, that achievement was the beginning of the end.
A slide to oblivion took less than a decade. Players left through free agency or were traded. Chancellor resigned as head coach. Alexander sold the team. Attendance dropped. The new owner put the team up for sale but, without buyers, the WNBA took over team management. The final blow was disbandment, which happened in December 2008.
Of course the WNBA continues to this day, but the Comets are gone. But while the franchise is gone, memories of the Houston Comets–that dynasty built at the dawn of women’s pro basketball–live on.
