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The tempest had already started brewing in the Compaq Center concourses with 2.4 seconds left in Game 2 of the 1999 WNBA Finals. Comets star Tina Thompson flicked a deft effort off the glass, giving Houston a two-point advantage over the Liberty. Hymns swept across the cathedral as the Comets – the nascent league’s only ever champion – moved one step closer to adding a third trophy to their collection.
New York attempted to produce a last-second heave and level the series at one game apiece. The ensuing scheme proved somewhat ideal; the inbound pass found the hands of Teresa Weatherspoon, a diminutive guard who was arguably the league’s best passer.
Weatherspoon turned upstream, evaded her marker and launched an unruly effort from behind the halfcourt line.
As Weatherspoon recalled in an excellent oral history, “I let it go and it looked like it took forever — like it took forever to get there.”
The orb caromed off the backboard and nestled harmlessly into the net. New York players spilled onto the floor as the bleachers fell ghost-quiet.
“As we were celebrating, you could see confetti starting to fall,” said Liberty guard Kym Hampton.
Houston recovered in Game 3 to capture its third WNBA crown in as many seasons. Still, Weatherspoon’s heroics gave the league its first real defining moment. Twenty-six years later, “The Shot” is still bearing fruit.
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