Born: 1965 (Pineland, Texas)
Teresa Gaye Weatherspoon (born December 8, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). She played for the New York Liberty and Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and served as the head basketball coach of the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters. Weatherspoon was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010, and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history. In 2016, Weatherspoon was chosen to the WNBA Top 20@20, a list of the league’s best 20 players ever in celebration of the WNBA’s twentieth anniversary.
Born in Pineland, Texas, Weatherspoon was a health and physical education major and star basketball player at Louisiana Tech. In 1988, her senior season, she led the Lady Techsters to the NCAA national title. After college, Weatherspoon played overseas in Italy, France, and Russia for 8 years.
Weatherspoon is one of the original players of the WNBA in 1997 when she joined the New York Liberty in the WNBA’s inaugural season. A talented ball-handler and charismatic leader, her energetic play quickly endeared her to the fans and media in New York. In 1997 she was the first winner of the league’s Defensive Player of the Year Award. She won the title again in 1998.
During the 1999 WNBA Finals, Weatherspoon had one of the most memorable feats in WNBA history. In Game 2 on September 4, 1999, the Liberty were down 67–65 against the Houston Comets with no timeouts left and 2.4 seconds left on the game clock after a shot made by Tina Thompson. After receiving the inbound pass, Weatherspoon dribbled the ball up to half court and made a game-winning shot 50 feet away from the basket to force a Game 3. That moment would later be referred to as The Shot.
Up until the 2003 season, she held the distinction of being the only WNBA player to start every one of her games. After the 2003 season, she was not re-signed by the Liberty and signed with the Los Angeles Sparks. Weatherspoon’s final WNBA game ever was Game 2 of the 2004 Western Conference First Round on September 26, 2004, against the Sacramento Monarchs. The Sparks won the game 71 – 57 and evened the series 1 – 1 with Weatherspoon recording 2 rebounds in 3 minutes. However, Weatherspoon did not play in Game 3, and the Sparks lost that game 58 – 73 and were eliminated from the playoffs.
After her 2004 season, Weatherspoon transitioned into coaching. She served as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Stars and later became the head coach of the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters. Weatherspoon’s coaching career continued to flourish as she joined the New Orleans Pelicans as an assistant coach in the NBA.
Teresa Weatherspoon’s impact extends beyond her playing and coaching career. She is a trailblazer in women’s basketball and has inspired countless individuals with her determination and passion for the game. Her induction into both the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is a testament to her legacy and contributions to the sport.
Awards:
– Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee (2010)
– Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee (2019)
– Voted as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history by fans (2011)
– Included in the WNBA Top 20@20 list (2016)