Basketball great Teresa Weatherspoon reflects on time with Liberty
Teresa Weatherspoon is a pioneering basketball figure. She was a member of the inaugural New York Liberty team when the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) launched its first season in 1997. A two-time All-American and NCAA champion at Louisiana Tech in 1988, the Pineland, Texas, native had a storied playing career: five-time WNBA All-Star, four-time All-WNBA Second Team honoree, two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year; member of the league’s 15th (2001) and 20th Anniversary Teams; and driving force behind the Liberty making it to the WNBA Finals four times between 1997 and 2003, although the team came up short of winning a title in each season.
Affectionately known as T-Spoon, the 58-year-old 2019 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee is currently in her first season as head coach of the Chicago Sky. She recently reflected on her career playing for the Liberty before leading the Sky against her former team.
“(The fans) treated me with such kindness and generosity from day one of me entering into this place, and it has been the same from that day until this day, so I’m thankful and I’m grateful for the love that’s given,” said Weatherspoon,. “And it’s definitely given it right back. I throw it right back at them because I love every one of them tremendously.”
Weatherspoon is not a coaching novice, having guided her college alma mater from 2009–14. In facing and following the Liberty through the lens of an experienced coach, she has the utmost respect for how today’s team has carried on a legacy she greatly helped to build and the fans’ continued enthusiasm.
“When I take a look at the way the fans are supporting [the current team], that does bring up memories of how it was for us,” she said. “We could walk into the arena getting ready to play and it was just packed—fans are going crazy. You’ve got that same thing here—they have their towels waving and everyone gets excited about what’s going on, and it’s great to see. It’s great to see this across the board with people supporting women’s basketball and what we do.”
Being with the Sky is both different and the same, Weatherspoon said.
“It just so happens that I’m in a different uniform. I’m on the other side,” she said. “They know I’m a competitor. Everybody in here knows who I am. They know how I approach the game, so there’s no difference. I’m going to approach it the same way as a coach.”
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