The Houston Comets were a

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...

(WNBA) team based in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. They are one of two teams in the WNBA that are undefeated in the WNBA Finals; the

Seattle Storm The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerl ...

are the other. The Comets were the first

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...

of the WNBA and are tied with the Minnesota Lynx and

for the most championships of any WNBA franchise. The team was folded and disbanded by the league in 2008 during the height of the

Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At ...

because new ownership could not be found. The Comets were known for courting great women's basketball stars. The team had among its members Cynthia Cooper (the WNBA's first

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

); college and national team standout

Sheryl Swoopes Sheryl Denise Swoopes (born March 25, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player. She was the first player to be signed in the WNBA, is a three-time WNBA MVP, and was named one of the league's Top 15 Players of All Time at the 20 ...

;

Kim Perrot Kim Perrot (January 18, 1967 – August 19, 1999) was an American basketball player. She played in the WNBA for the Houston Comets. Biography Perrot attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayet ...

, who succumbed to

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

in 1999; and college stars

Michelle Snow Donnette Jé-Michelle Snow (born March 20, 1980) is a retired American professional basketball player who played most recently in the Turkish Women's Basketball League. High school career Born and raised in Pensacola, Florida, Snow led Pensaco ...

and Tina Thompson.

Franchise history

Building the first dynasty of the WNBA (1997–2000)

The Comets were one of the founding teams in the WNBA. They capped off the league's inaugural season in 1997 with a win over the

New York Liberty The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was f ...

in the WNBA championship game to win the WNBA's first championship. When the league expanded the next season, the Comets were moved from the Eastern Conference to the Western Conference. In 1998, they put together a win loss record of 27-3 for a .900 winning percentage – a WNBA record that still stands. They went on to repeat as champions, defeating the

Phoenix Mercury The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the league ...

in the first-ever WNBA Finals that year due to the championship game being extended into a three-game championship series. In 1999, led by what was already known as the ''Big Three'', (Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson), the Comets survived a highlight-film, last-second, court-to-court, game-winning shot by the Liberty's

Teresa Weatherspoon 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 L ...

in Game 2 of the finals to beat the Liberty in three games and win their third straight title, this one after the death of teammate

, who died of

. In 2000, behind league MVP Sheryl Swoopes and eventual WNBA Finals MVP Cynthia Cooper, the Comets beat the New York Liberty in two games to win their fourth title in a row cementing themselves as the greatest WNBA team ever assembled. 2000 was the Comets' last championship and last

WNBA Finals The WNBA Finals are the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the conclusion of the league's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002. Starting 2016 Verizon is the officia ...

appearance in franchise history.

The years of change and rebuilding (2001–2006)

After Cooper retired in 2001, Houston clinched the playoffs with a 19–13 record, but lost in the first round in a sweep to the 2001 eventual champion

Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...

. In 2002, when Swoopes was injured most of the year with a torn ACL, the Comets were able to qualify for the playoffs with a 24–8 record, but lost to the

Utah Starzz Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its we ...

in 3 games. In 2003, they qualified to the playoffs for the 7th straight year, but they lost in the first round to the Sacramento Monarchs in 3 games. They missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history with a record of 13–21 in 2004, but returned to the playoffs with a 19–15 record, finishing 3rd. In the first round, the Comets knocked out the 2004 defending champion

in 3 games, but lost in the conference finals to the

Sacramento Monarchs The Sacramento Monarchs were a basketball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1997 until folding on November 20, 2009. They played their home games at ARCO Arena. The Mona ...

in a sweep, which Sacramento later became WNBA Champions in 2005. Houston would return to the playoffs with an 18–16 record, but lost to the 2005 defending champion Sacramento Monarchs in another sweep. 2006 was the last playoff appearance for the Houston Comets. After the Comets' season ended in 2006, the Comets underwent major front-office changes during the off-season. In October 2006, team owner Leslie Alexander (who also owned the NBA's

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

) announced he was selling the Comets, and longtime head coach

Van Chancellor Van Winston Chancellor (born September 27, 1943) is a former college and professional basketball coach. He coached University of Mississippi women's basketball, Louisiana State University women's basketball, and the professional Houston Comet ...

resigned in January 2007.

New ownership and a new home (2007)

On January 31, 2007, the WNBA Board of Governors approved the sale of the team to

Hilton Koch Hilton Koch is a furniture dealer and store owner in Houston Texas at Hilton Furniture. Koch was the owner of the Houston Comets of the WNBA before they folded. Houston Comets ownership Koch bought the WNBA Comets from Rockets Owner Les Alexande ...

, a Houston-based mattress and

furniture Furniture refers to movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (tables), storing items, eating and/or working with an item, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Fu ...

businessman. Two weeks later, Comets assistant coach Karleen Thompson was named to become the team's new head coach and general manager for the 2007 season. For the 2007 season, they would miss the playoffs for the second time in franchise history after starting the season 0-10, resulting in a 13–21 record. On December 12, 2007, team owner Hilton Koch announced that the Comets would be moving from the

Toyota Center Toyota Center is an indoor arena located in Houston. It is named after the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. The arena is home to the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and it was once the home of the Houston ...

Reliant Arena The NRG Arena (formerly the Astroarena and Reliant Arena), is a 350,000 square feet (33,000 m²) sports center in NRG Park, in Houston, Texas, USA. Building format The main partition on the first floor is the "Arena Proper", a 24,000 gross squar ...

for the 2008 WNBA season.Comets moving to Reliant
from ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...

'' This resulted in a loss of fans. The Toyota Center drew 13,000 fans, but the Reliant Arena could only house 7,200. In 2008, the Comets' final year, they only drew an average 6,000 fans per game and sold out four games.Dial, Jenny. ''The Houston Chronicle''. "WNBA TO SHUT DOWN COMETS :DISPERSAL DRAFT PLANNED FOR NEXT WEEK." ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' 2 Dec. 2008, E.2.

End of the era (2008)

In 2008, Koch put the team up for sale, with an asking price of $10 million. No investors stepped up. The WNBA took over management of the Comets and disbanded the team in December 2008. They stated that they would only be suspending operations in 2009, which some people saw as a sign that the franchise could be revived if an investor came in. Comets players were sent off to other teams in a dispersal draft.Tim Lemke, THE WASHINGTON TIMES. "Comets just flamed out :Economic troubles cause WNBA team to close shop." ''Washington Times'' ashington, D.C.3 Dec. 2008, C.2 League president Donna Orender said that the collapse of the Comets was not a sign that the WNBA was in trouble. Former player Cynthia Cooper-Dyke said that the loss of the Comets was "disturbing news" and that the Comets were integral to the WNBA. The Comets played their final home game on September 15, 2008 at the Strahan Coliseum on the campus of

Texas State Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...

due to

Hurricane Ike Hurricane Ike () was a powerful tropical cyclone that swept through portions of the Greater Antilles and Northern America in September 2008, wreaking havoc on infrastructure and agriculture, particularly in Cuba and Texas. Ike took a sim ...

. They defeated the

90–81. They finished the season 17-17 and missed the playoffs for the third time in their history.

Season-by-season records

Team owners

* Leslie Alexander (1997–2006) *

(2007–2008) * WNBA (2008)

Players of note

Final roster

Retired numbers

Former Comets

Tiffani Johnson Tiffani Tamara Johnson (born December 27, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. She played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for the Sacramento Monarchs, Houston Comets and Seattle Storm. Johnson won a ...

Matee Ajavon Matee Ajavon (born May 7, 1986) is a Liberian American basketball player. A 5'8" guard, Ajavon was chosen by the Houston Comets as the fifth overall draft pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft. Early life As a child, Ajavon immigrated to the United Stat ...

Janeth Arcain Janeth dos Santos Arcain (, born April 11, 1969 in São Paulo, Brazil) is a retired Brazilian professional women's basketball player. She played in the United States for the Houston Comets in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) ...

Octavia Blue Octavia Blue (born April 18, 1976) is an American former women's basketball player with the Los Angeles Sparks and Houston Comets of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played during the 1998, 2003 and 2004 seasons. She is cur ...

* Latasha Byears * Dominique Canty * Cynthia Cooper, now the head coach of the Texas Southern Women's Basketball Team *

Tamecka Dixon Tamecka Michelle Dixon (born December 14, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. She played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1997 to 2009 for three different teams, was part of WNBA championship team ...

Ukari Figgs Ukari Okien Figgs (born March 31, 1977) is an American former collegiate and professional women's basketball player. High School and College years Born in Georgetown, Kentucky, Figgs led the Scott County girls' basketball team to a state title ...

* Nekeshia Henderson *

Sonja Henning Sonja L. Henning (born October 4, 1969) is an American Attorneys in the United States, attorney and former collegiate and professional women's basketball player. Born in Jackson, Tennessee, she grew up in Racine, Wisconsin, where she ...

Tammy Jackson Tammy Eloise Jackson (born December 3, 1962) is an American former college and professional basketball player who was a center in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for six seasons in the 1990s and early 2000s. Jackson played coll ...

* Shannon Johnson *

Amanda Lassiter Amanda Lassiter (born June 9, 1979, in San Francisco, California) is an American professional women's basketball player with the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Amanda Lassiter graduated from Commodore Sloat Scho ...

Edwige Lawson Edwige Lawson (born May 14, 1979), also Edwige Lawson-Wade, is a French former professional women's basketball player. A point guard, Lawson started her professional career at the age of 17. She has played in Bordeaux, Aix-en-Provence, and Vale ...

Tynesha Lewis Tynesha Rashaun Lewis (born May 8, 1979) is an American former professional women's basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Lewis was born in Macclesfield, North Carolina and graduated in 2001 from North Caroli ...

* Rebecca Lobo *

Sancho Lyttle Sancho Lyttle (born September 20, 1983) is a Vincentian-Spanish former professional basketball player for the WNBA. Combining the WNBA and the European season, she has won six domestic leagues and four Euroleague titles with four teams in thre ...

Mwadi Mabika Mwadi Mabika (born July 27, 1976) is a retired Congolese-American basketball player. She was an All-Star in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She studied biology and chemistry at the Massamba School in Kinshasa. She was brough ...

Hamchétou Maïga Hamchétou Maïga-Ba (born 25 April 1978 in Bamako) is a Malian professional women's basketball player most recently with the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA. She is also a member of the Mali women's national basketball team. At Old Dominion Maïga w ...

Jennifer Rizzotti Jennifer Marie Rizzotti (born May 15, 1974) is a retired American collegiate and professional basketball player, and former Division I coach at George Washington University. She is the president of the Connecticut Sun. Rizzotti was inducted into t ...

, now the head coach of the George Washington Colonials Women's Basketball Team *

* Dawn Staley, now the head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks Women's Basketball Team *

, now assistant coach of Texas Tech Women's Basketball Team *

Lindsay Taylor Lindsay Corine Taylor (born May 20, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. She played in the Women's National Basketball Association, WNBA, Women's Basketball Super League, KBSL, Ligue Féminine de Basketball, LFB, Women's K ...

* Tina Thompson, formerly the head coach of Virginia Cavaliers Women's Basketball Team * Amaya Valdemoro *

Coquese Washington Coquese Makebra Washington (born January 17, 1971) is a former collegiate and professional basketball player and former associate head coach at Notre Dame. She is currently the head basketball coach for the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights wom ...

, now assistant head coach of Notre Dame Fighting Irish Women's Basketball Team * Kara Wolters * Monica Lamb-Powell

FIBA Hall of Fame

Coaches and others

Head Coaches: *

(1997–2007) (served as the women's head basketball coach at

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

from 2007 to 2011) * Karleen Thompson (2007–2008) General managers *

Carroll Dawson Carroll Dawson is an American former assistant coach and general manager in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He worked for the Houston Rockets franchise for 27 years before retiring in 2007. College playing career A native of Alba, T ...

(1997-2007) * Karleen Thompson (2007–08)

References

External links

{{Authority control Basketball teams established in 1997 Basketball teams disestablished in 2008 Defunct Women's National Basketball Association teams Sports in Houston Basketball teams in Texas