This year marks the 20th anniversary of 1 of the most incredible shots in women’s basketball history. Game 2 of the 1999 WNBA Finals was tied at 65 when Houston’s Tina Thompson made a jump shot with 2.4 seconds left to give her team a 2-PT lead over New York. The Liberty were out of timeouts so Kym Hampton inbounded the ball to Teresa Weatherspoon, who took a couple of dribbles and hoisted up a 50-footer at the buzzer. It hit the backboard, dropped through the basket, and the team mobbed Teresa to celebrate her game-winning miracle. Earlier today she was named a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2019. Teresa first made a name for herself during an incredible stretch in the spring/summer of 1988: she won an NCAA title as a player at Louisiana Tech, won the Wade Trophy as the national POY, and finished the summer by winning an Olympic gold medal. She made 4 straight WNBA All-Star teams with New York from 1999-2002 and in 2011 was named 1 of the 15 best players in WNBA history. Back in 2015 HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Teresa about her spectacular career and is proud to present that previously unpublished interview for the very 1st time: congrats!
In the 1986 Goodwill Games in Moscow you beat the Soviet Union 83–60 in the title game: how on earth were you able to defeat a Soviet team that was 152–2 in major international competitions over the prior 3 decades? That was a really tough place to go into and try to perform because they were so dominant but we had assembled a good team and were up for the challenge. We were very good defensively and moved the ball well. Cheryl Miller was great and we all played with a tremendous amount of confidence. It was like us playing against the rest of the world. I had a chance to go back there after the 1992 Olympics to play on that same floor, which was amazing. 7’2″ Soviet center Juliana Semenova was just so tall that we were in awe of her.
Take me through the 1987 NCAA tourney as a player at Louisiana Tech:
In the Final 4 against defending national champ/#1-ranked Texas you had a 4-PT win thanks to your team shooting 73.9 FG% in the 2nd half as well as your own scoring (19 PTS)/passing (you set a Final 4 record with 11 AST): how were you able to neutralize the home court advantage they had while playing in Austin in front of 15,000 people (which at the time was the largest crowd in the history of the sport)? If you know about playing in Longhorn Land, it was tough. They were a great team who pushed the ball and wanted to tire you out because they had a strong bench. We were not the most talented squad but worked very hard and played together. We focused on being dang-near flawless because they would quickly capitalize on any mistake we made: they had so many weapons.
In the title game you faced a Tennessee team who you had beaten in 11 of your previous 12 meetings: how were they able to flip the script and win by 23 PTS to clinch their 1st national title? We used up so much energy against Texas that when we had to face a well-coached team that just pounded the ball in the paint and did so many physical things it just wore us out.
In the 1988 NCAA tourney title game Ruthie Bolton scored 16 PTS in the 1st half for Auburn, but you held her scoreless in the 2nd half en route to a 2-PT win: what did it mean to you to win a title? That was really big because we wanted Coach Leon Barmore to become the 1st male coach to win a women’s title. Auburn just did everything correct during the 1st half and were getting each other open so they had us in scramble mode. Ruthie was my check and she had a big 1st half so Coach Barmore was all over me during halftime to play better defense, which I took pride in. I was getting killed but I accepted the challenge and promised my teammates that Ruthie would not get another bucket. There is no need to hold anything back in the title game so we just gave it everything we had.
In 1988 you won both the Honda Sports Award/Wade Trophy as national POY: what did it mean to you to win such outstanding honors? I did not realize all of my individual accomplishments until our athletic banquet at the end of the season. The only thing left after that was a gold medal: 1988 was an amazing year for me!
Your 858 career AST remains in the top-20 all-time in NCAA history and you are also #3 in career AST in WNBA history: what is the key to being a great PG? It is a total commitment of putting everyone else in a position to be successful. Assists are exciting to me: the beautiful thing is that you are giving and someone else is receiving. Leaders must take others to places they could never go by themselves: I enjoyed passing the ball.
You played for team USA at the 1988 Olympics: what did it mean to you to win a gold medal? I came from a small town in Texas and was once told that I would not be a great player but I worked my tail off to become 1 of 12 players who formed the best team in the world. No matter where you come from if you believe in yourself then great things will happen.
After joining the New York Liberty in 1997 you became the 1st-ever WNBA DPOY and then won the award again in 1998: what is your secret for being a great defender? I always believed in defensive stops and offensive runs: I always wanted to defend the best player on the other team because that allowed me to get more playing time. I liked the control factor of being able to dictate what an offensive player did. It meant a lot to be named DPOY: it is about shutting people down and being smart enough to control or stop someone. You have to be great off the ball as well so that you can help your teammates.
In Game 2 of the 1999 WNBA Finals after Tina Thompson made a jumper to give Houston a 2-PT lead with 2.4 seconds left, you took an inbounds pass from Kym Hampton and made a 50-foot shoot off the backboard to win the game: did you think that the shot was going in, and where does that rank among the highlights of your career? I begged Kym to throw it to me because nobody was around me and I knew that the shot was going in. Tina was near me but not close enough to prevent me from shooting it. It looked on line from the moment it left my hand and felt good. The best part was to hear that gym go from a noisy arena to a silent library, plus it kept us alive for another game. It was an awesome experience but I never watch the play now even though I know it is going in. When everyone jumped on top of me I could not breathe but I enjoyed the suffocation!
In 2009 you were named head coach of the Lady Techsters: how did you like the job, and what do you hope to do in the future? I enjoy being influential to young people and having a positive impact on their lives. It is so different to go from the player’s side to the coach’s side: you have to make sure that everyone is prepared/ready to go. I learn something new every day on my own and I enjoy every minute of it. I studied with a lot of great coaches and have built a lot of different philosophies.
Your father Charles holds the record for the most grand slams in a minor league baseball game with 3, and your 2nd cousin Sean Weatherspoon was an NFL linebacker: who is the best athlete in the family, and do you credit at least some of your success to genetics? I am a pretty good damn athlete! I played a bunch of different sports growing up because I was hyped every day to play sports. However, my father is the best without a doubt.