How The WNBA’s Most LEGENDARY Team Fell Apart

In 1996, amid a surge of interest in women’s basketball in the U.S., the NBA approved the creation of a sister league: the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), which would quickly cement itself as the preeminent women’s professional basketball league.

Little did everyone know, however, that one of the WNBA’s original franchises, the Houston Comets, would go on to become one of the most transcendent dynasties in the history of professional sports. Propelled by future Hall-of-Famers Sheryl Swooper, Cynthia Cooper, and Tina Thompson — the Big Three, as they came to be known — the Comets were an unstoppable force in the WNBA’s early years, capturing a whopping four straight championships and positioning themselves to be the league’s model franchise for decades to come.

That is, until the Comets — the most successful franchise in league history — burned out.

Written & Narrated by: Jonah Birenbaum (@Birenball | X)
Produced & Edited by: James Balutan (@jamesbalutan | Instagram)
Filmed by: Zack Underhill (@ZackUnderhill | Instagram)
Thumbnail Design by: Justin Shipley (@shipleysportstudio | Instagram)

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I am pleased to announce that the Board of Governors approves establishing the Women’s National Basketball Association there’s a lot of little girls around the country who are smiling right now knowing that they can have a chance to dream with the first pick in the 1997 WNBA draft the Houston Comet select Tina Thompson from the University of Southern California it’s that time baby we’re rolling tonight I mean rolling Cooper drives in running one-handed good wow another look at Cynthia Cooper the League’s Most Valuable Player and the Houston comments B history the first ever champions of the WNBA swoops another long three-pointer she got it are you kidding me she’s the best player in the WNBA good job let’s go we got a warning Euphoria for the fans of Houston my coach is a lucky man to have me on this team coach the TRU I think wrot I’m a lucky man to be your coach always had to battle and this is just another battle last Thursday Kim parat lost her battle with cancer the Comets have dedicated their season to Kim it’s official there’s a dynasty in the WNBA the Houston Comets have won their third straight Championship we did it for Kim New York is C A fitting in to the fourth WNBA track it’s it for the Houston Comets In Their Stars final [Applause] [Music] game 1996 a 20-year-old golf Phenom named Tiger Woods makes his professional debut Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls reassert their dominance over the NBA capping a historic 72 and10 regular season with the first championship of their second threee and the world world’s preeminent women’s professional basketball league is born that April amid a surgent interest in women’s basketball in the US that arguably began with the Yukon huskys perfect season in 9495 the NBA’s Board of Governors approved the creation of a companion League The Women’s National Basketball Association which would begin play in the summer of 97 as then NBA Commissioner David Stern put it at the time we think this is an idea whose Time Has Come fans have come to appreciate the Excellence of women’s basketball he wasn’t lying in fact the WNBA was actually the second women’s pro league to sprout up in the mid to late 90s the American basketball league began play in the Autumn of ’96 though it lasted only two seasons before folding as it turned out the WNBA was too great to compete with which frankly came as no surprise given the NBA’s vested interest in the League success so what do I mean by vested interest well not only does the NBA endow the WNBA with millions of dollars per year to cover a variety of operational costs but more significantly every original WM NBA franchise was owned by an existing NBA owner those eight WNBA teams were effectively sister teams to NBA franchises New York got the Liberty to complement the Knicks both teams were owned by James Dolan both teams played their home games at Madison Square Garden Los Angeles got the Sparks to compliment the Lakers both teams were owned by Jerry bus both teams played at the Forum and Houston which was still basking in the Afterglow of the Rockets consecutive NBA championships in ’94 and 95 got the Comets both teams were owned by Les Alexander who by the way was once tabed by Forbes as the NBA’s best owner and both teams played at the summit its name would soon change to the compact Center and although the Rockets fell short of a threee in ’96 a season that marked the beginning of the end of the hakee aluan lead Glory Days another dynasty was about to blast off in Houston a dynasty that defined the wnba’s early years and established a benchmark for sustained Excellence that has yet to be replicated so how did the Comets become the Comets well it for a bevy of reasons but it started with some good fortune see rather than simply hold a traditional draft to fill out the rosters of the original 8 WNBA franchises the league took a multifaceted approach that began with allocation simply put 16 star players from either the recent college ranks the Olympics or overseas were assigned to teams out of the gate two per team not drafted assigned among those 16 franchise cornerstones Rebecca Lobo the standout player on that undefeated Yukon team and a ke figure on The Undefeated US Olympic Squad that cruised to a gold medal in ’96 she was assigned to the New York Liberty meanwhile the LA Sparks landed Lisa Leslie another integral piece on the 96 Olympic dream team and a former nouth player of the year recipient herself you 65 65 and you’re considered a forward yeah I’m considered a forward because of my quickness um I’m probably as versatile as we come because I can shoot three-pointers and drive and play inside Leslie is one of the few in the women’s game who can dunk North Carol Charlotte Smith made headlines this past season when she became the first woman in 10 years to dunk in a college game but the comments got arguably the biggest talent in Cheryl swoops a ferocious versatile forward and Texas native widely known as the female Michael Jordan but you know I think it whenever anyone else wants to compare me to him it’s great and it’s a great honor to be compared to him or any other great basketball player male that is hey Mike are we going to do this one-on-one thing or not see that see what I mean she’s just like she’s challenging something that she can’t win but yeah anytime you want it when you want it now please I like when they b a Titan in the women’s Game dating back to her College days at Texas Tech swoops was also a national champion an Olympic gold medalist and she was the first woman to get a signature shoe from Nike the air swoops her greatness and her potential to dominate this new league was so undeniable that she was the very first player the WNBA contracted even though she was pregnant at the time and was poised to miss at least the start of the League’s inaugural season season sooner or later though swoops was going to be the lynchpin of the Comets only she wasn’t the only star Houston landed through the allocation process the Comets also landed Cynthia Cooper who at the age of 34 was the second oldest of the 16 asses and roughly 8 years older than her new teammate ostensibly Cooper was heading into the Twilight of a career that included two national championships at USC multiple Olympic medals and countless scoring titles in overseas leagues she had all the accolades for sure but at her age Cooper seemed destined to be more of a complimentary player than a star except as it turned out Cooper wasn’t about to play second fiddle to swoops as the wnba’s first president Val arrian later admitted none of us realized just how good Cynthia Cooper was because if we had she would not have been assigned to the Comets in any event if the allocation draft gave Houston a promising foundation with swoops and Cooper it was the college draft the final stage of the wnba’s roster building process that positioned the Comets in Earnest to be a Powerhouse for years to come seeing the first ever WNBA draft lottery all eight teams had an equal chance at the first pick but the basketball Gods smiled upon Houston affording the Comets the first overall selection with it they drafted Tina Thompson A Gifted forward Center who over her four-year run at USC averaged a double double per game and as a senior led the pack 10 in points per game Believe It or Not roughly 48 hours before the inaugural draft Thompson was still undecided about going pro and was strongly considering for going the WM NBA to pursue a law career but in the end she opted to play ball a decision that set the stage for Houston to dominate out of the gate meanwhile to lead this increasingly formidable group the Comets installed one of the more underappreciated head coaches from the women’s college game van chancellor who had just shephered Old Miss through 19 consecutive winning seasons a run that included 14 trips to the NCAA tournament there was only one problem as the wnba’s inaugural season loomed the comics didn’t have a point guard in fact as Houston season opener dawned the team actually held a try out to find someone who could run the floor bringing in more than 60 aspiring point guards from around the country among them Kim parat a feisty veteran who stood 5’5 everybody else been calling you pero everybody called me per pero but you pronounce your name parro she’d been a college star at Southwestern Louisiana in the late 80s and went on to play professionally in Europe but she went overlooked in the wnba’s 97 draft however the dynamic 30-year-old made a tremendous ression at Houston’s triy out and parat would soon cement herself as the comet’s starting point guard Houston was ready for liftoff America was ready too as the wnba’s launch benefited greatly from the power of the NBA’s marketing machine [Music] [Applause] [Music] and while nobody would have guessed it as the WNBA was kicking off the Comets were about to emerge as one of the most Transcendent dynasties not just in basketball history but in professional sports history the comet’s greatness was Apparent from day one in their first ever game even with their biggest star unavailable due to her ongoing pregnancy the Comets dominated on the road in Cleveland the Comets silenced the hometown rockers cruising to a 20-point victory behind an incredible 25-point effort from Cooper meanwhile in her professional debut Thompson dropped 14 points with four blocks while Jan arcan a Brazilian star who had long dazzled on the international stage finished with 16 points and four Steals and three nights later in their home debut the Comets introduced themselves to the city of Houston with another dominant display Arcane dropped a game high 23 points while Cooper added 13 in an easy victory over the Phoenix Mercury less than a week into the wnba’s first season it was clear that this team was legit five games in the comments were 4-1 by Late July they were 10 and5 and when swoops made her much anticipated comets debut in early August the last thing the rest of the league wanted to see was another star suiting up for Houston because in her absence Cooper had unexpectedly emerged as the best player in the league while Thompson had distinguished herself as the League’s top rookie in the end the Comets finished the wnba’s first season with the League’s best record winning the Eastern Conference title at 18- 10 while also leading the league in offensive rating true shooting percentage and average margin of Victory and basketball fans in Houston were straight up Enchanted coming into the season acrian had reportedly projected nightly attendance figures between 3,000 and 5,000 Houston averaged more than 9,000 fans per game in 97 with NBA players frequently in attendance a testament to the comet’s dominance and star power speaking of star power Cooper was named the wnba’s inaugural MVP after leading the league and scoring by a mile meanwhile both she and Thompson were named to the all WNBA first team and ultimately as the four team playoffs dawned even with no margin for error in the wnba’s original single elimination format it was hard to imagine any team toppling Houston and lo and behold the Comets barely broke a sweat in their semi-final matchup Downing the Charlotte sting by 16 and punching their ticket to the championship game behind a 31-point Outburst from Cooper now all that stood between the comets and the wnba’s first championship was the New York Liberty a talented Squad that finished the regular season one game behind the comets and were by a pair of stars in Lobo and defensive player of the year Teresa Weatherspoon in the end however the Comets turned this would be Clash of the Titans into a clinic it’s that time baby we’re rolling tonight I mean rolling behind more Brilliance from their biggest names Houston took a two-possession lead into halftime and never looked back riding 25 points from Cooper and 18 from Thompson to a 6551 Victory and just two years removed from the rocket second straight NBA title the Comets had turned Houston into a city of of Champions once again and the Comets were just scratching the surface after all they’d won a championship with swoops arguably their best player being a non-factor in fact she didn’t start a single game in 97 and played less than 15 minutes per game after joining the team down the stretch so when swoops rejoined the team in full in ’98 the Comets took their dominance to a completely different level an almost unbeatable level in the Comets 98 season opener swoops announced her return in emphatic fashion dropping 28 points in less than 27 minutes and propelling Houston to an easy win over the liberty and it was clear then and there that nobody was stopping the Comets immediately swoops Cooper and Thompson became the most Unstoppable force in the league the big three together they powered the Comets through one of the most incredible seasons in the history of pro sports all told Houston went 27 and3 in 1998 leading the now 10 Team league in virtually every meaningful statistic while putting up a winning percentage that trumps even the 2015 2016 Golden State Warrior for a second year in a row Cooper led the league in scoring and took home MVP while all three big three members were named First Team all WNBA it was nothing short of an extraordinary season a historic season one that saw Houston’s average attendance explode to 12,000 fans per game and as the Comets swept their way through the semi-final round of the playoffs now a best of three series a second straight Championship seemed inevitable not so fast though in the first game of their best of three Championship matchup against the Phoenix Mercury an offensive power Powerhouse led by MVP runner up Jennifer Gillum the Comets went cold excluding a sensational Cooper the Comets combined to go 10 for 41 from the floor in an eventual 5451 loss putting them on the brink of elimination and as game two unfolded back in Houston it seemed as though the comet’s historically dominant season would end in disappointment at halftime Houston Trail by five and with less than 8 minutes to go in the game the Comets were down by double digits but with their season and their burgeoning Dynasty slipping away the team most unheralded hero stepped up during a late time out Pat took the mic from Chancellor so to speak and delivered a pep talk for the ages as Cooper recalled the houstonia magazine in 2021 Chancellor turned that timeout over to Kim and Kim just rallied us she was encouraging but she was Stern and she had always been that type of motivator when we went out to play We already knew we’d win and yeah they were right spurred by Pat’s inspiring words the Comets erased their late deficit to force overtime before ultimately escaping with a season saving 7469 Victory an epic comeback effort that saw Cooper drop 19 over 27 points in the second half and both swoops and Thompson record double doubles and after snatching Victory from the jaws of defeat in game two you better believe the Comets came out ready to rock in the decisive game three in front of a once again sold out compact Center swoops Cooper Thompson and parod each recorded double digit points and the comet shot a ridiculous 52% from the field on route to a commanding Victory and a second cons consecutive WNBA title incredibly in only 2 years of existence the WNBA already had a Dynasty on its hands my coach is a lucky man to have me on his team Lord coach tell the truth I think I think pero I’m a lucky man to be your coach I’m a lucky man with that 1998 title the Comets accomplished something that some of basketball’s most celebrated teams never did Larry Bird Celtics never went back to back Tim Duncan Spurs never went back to back but the Comets did tragically however the Euphoria of consecutive titles that feeling of invincibility in Houston would soon give way to Devastation in February of 1999 just a few months removed from the comet’s triumph over Phoenix parat Houston’s floor General and vocal leader announced that she had been diagnosed with lung cancer in fact the cancer had already spread to her brain the prognosis was not good and the Revelation was nothing short of a gut punch for parat her comet’s teammates the city of Houston and The Wider WNBA community R vowed to fight cancer with the same tenacity she brought to the court but her battle was an arduous one brain surgery radiation treatment chemotherapy she emerged from surgery with characteristic confidence but I’ve always had to battle and this is just another battle needless to say it put her basketball career on indefinite pause and cast a profound p over the comet’s 1999 campaign her teammates tried their best to stay strong in her absence and vowed to win three for 10 but they were struggling as Thompson recalled we were crying in the locker room before the game every single game however despite playing with heavy hearts the wnba’s back-to-back Champs remained Unstoppable in 1999 with the big three still intact and newcomer Sonia Henning stepping up big in Pat’s absence the Comets were a Powerhouse once again finishing with the best record in the league for a third straight season at 26-6 that year in the first ever WNBA All-Star Game each big three member started for the Western Conference in The Season’s closing days however the indomitable comets were dealt a gutting blow on August 19th 1999 parat died at the age of 32 but as veteran Tammy Jackson said parat remained with the Comets in spirit Jackson added we’re winning it for her and they did despite dropping their playoff opener in uncharacteristic fashion the Comets were unfaced taking two straight off Los Angeles to punch their ticket to a third straight WNBA finals and there for the second time they’d square off against the Liberty a rematch of the inaugural WNBA finals but there was no way that Houston was losing that series not after what they’d been through to their credit though the Liberty fought hard and managed to stay off a sweep with one of the most unbelievable buzzer beaters in basketball history he’ll put it in the hands of Cynthia cooper cooper to Thompson Tina Thompson puts it up bikes out his go with 2.4 remaining the Comets up by two Liberty out of timeouts they’ve got to go the length of to the floor Teresa wether point at the buzzer a three oh she put it in she put it in and the Liberty win game two what a finish unbelievable here at the compact Center nevertheless in the third and decisive game of that best of three in front of an emotional capacity crowd at compact Center the Comets were not losing instead they bolstered their already remarkable Legacy in inspiring fashion that night Cooper Pat’s best friend on the team dropped a game high 24 points on route to a third straight Finals MVP award while swoops and Thompson both recorded double- digit points in a commanding Victory they had done it 3 for 10 a title that cemented their place as one of the greatest dynasties ever no qualifier needed we did it for Kim C this is just really special because of himim BR you know it’s just very special to all of Houston I so number one baby number three or number 10 three seasons in they were the wnba’s only Champions they’d compiled a regular season record of 71 and 19 this was the stuff of Legend and they weren’t done yet no seriously in 2000 even with the WNBA now at 16 teams the Comets still reign supreme although they failed to post a fourth straight season with the League’s best record and actually finished second in their division for the first time ever Houston was still a Powerhouse propelled Once Again by The Big Three the Comets went 27 and5 behind a better than ever swoops not only did she win her first of three MVP awards that season but she also took home her first of three Defensive Player of the Year honors and to call their path to a fourth straight title at Cakewalk would be a huge understatement the Comets didn’t lose a game the entire playoffs sweeping their way past Sacramento LA and New York while capping their perfect postseason run with a championship clinching overtime victory in game two of the finals four in a row just unfathomable Michael Jordan’s Bulls didn’t win four in a row with that title the Comets entered truly rarified air thrusting themselves into an exclusive Club alongside Bill Russell Celtics and some of the most iconic New York Yankees Montreal Canadians and New York Islanders teams ever and it goes without saying that in the process the Comets became the lynchpin of the nent WNBA a genuine phenomenon that captivated basketball fans across the country and made skeptic into Believers but even the brightest comets eventually burn out right and as improbable as it may have seemed the League’s preeminent franchise and as of 2000 the only champions in WNBA history collapsed not long after solidifying their singular place in league history now without question the Comets figured to have a difficult time winning a fifth straight title after Cooper The two-time League MVP and four-time finals MVP retired following the 2000 campaign however it was a preseason injury to the reigning MVP that decimated Houston’s chances in Earnest that spring swoops tore her ACL an injury that would sideline her for the entire 2001 campaign come on Cheryl how’s the rehab going um Robin you know rehab is rehab uh I have my frustrating days but I’m trying really hard to work hard so I can come back next season not surprisingly in her absence and without Cooper around the Comets took a big step backwards compiling their worst record to date and finishing third in their conference for the first time ever and that August in unceremonious fashion the Comets rain top the WNBA ended in their first round playoff matchup the Comets didn’t win a game Getting bested By Lisa Lesley and the Sparks and learning the pain of a postseason defeat for the first time it’s a sting they’d become familiar with although the Comets remain respectable through the early to mid ODS even putting up consecutive 2 win seasons in 2002 and 2003 behind an exceptional swoops Houston was unable to get back to the promised land in fact from 2001 through 2006 the Comets never once made it past the Conference Finals and as their dominant faded further into the rearview mirror fan support tailed off it didn’t help either that the Comets moved in 2004 from the compact Center to the Toyota Center which featured higher prices for tickets and concessions and was harder for many fans to get to by 2005 they were averaging less than 7,000 fans per game a massive drop off from their Heyday and as the Comets were struggling both on the court and financially the WNBA was in the midst of some significant structural changes see by that point roughly a decade removed from its Inception the the league had started to move away from its original ownership model independent ownership which is to say owners from outside the NBA world had become increasingly prevalent and in October of 2006 not long after Houston was bounced in the first round of the playoffs Alexander the comets and Rocket’s much lotted owner decided to divest too he sold the team for $10 million that Autumn to Houston based furniture store owner Hilton cotch who called his purchase a once- in-a-lifetime opportunity but soon came to regret his investment in what now looks like for voting sign Chancellor the only head coach in franchise history and three-time WNBA Coach of the Year decided to retire before the new ownership regime took over and sure enough the Comets fell apart in 2007 starting the season 0 and10 under new ownership and new head coach carlen Thompson That season for just the second time in franchise history the Comets finished with a losing record and missed the playoffs entirely and reportedly the team lost roughly $4 million that year but the Inc on his purchase agreement barely dropped cotch needed out and fast despite cutting his operating costs in 2008 by moving the team from the Toyota Center to the significantly smaller Reliance Arena cotch announced that summer his intention to sell the team not surprisingly perhaps given the team’s onc Court struggles profitability concerns and the then ongoing Global recession no one was interested eventually the league itself took over management of the comets and continued to Surge for prospective owners no luck in fact the league only had serious discussions with one ownership group and in December M of 2008 after only a few months of searching the WNBA made a shocking announcement one that caught even Houston’s players off guard the Houston Comets the most accomplished franchise in league history the team that defined the early WNBA one of the greatest dynasties ever was disbanding it was Unthinkable obviously nobody in Houston was ignorant of the League’s economic realities at that time nor to the fact that multiple other original franchises had folded in recent years but these were the comets they were the WNBA and then just like that they were no more they exist now only in memories and on banners for them in case you forgot to this day nearly a quarter Century removed from their last championship no WNBA franchise has more titles and ultimately decades later their incredible Legacy lives on not just in Houston but throughout the basketball world it’s no stretch to say that the now eminently popular WNBA owes a debt of gratitude to the Houston Comets the franchise that forced people to turn in and maybe one day perhaps even sooner than later the Comets will soar once again [Music]