Teresa Weatherspoon

Teresa Weatherspoon is regarded as one of the greatest female basketball players of all-time. Her tremendous career accomplishments led to election to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. Weatherspoon first starred on a national stage by leading Louisiana Tech to the NCAA championship in 1988. That year, she also won the Honda Sports Award as the top player in women's college basketball. Witherspoon then embarked on a lengthy professional career overseas, earning six straight Italian League All-Star nods from 1989-94. She also won gold and bronze Olympic medals as a member of Team USA. When the WNBA formed in 1997, Weatherspoon joined the New York Liberty. She won the league's first two Defensive Player of the Year awards, was a four-time All-Star and four-time All-WNBA Second Team performer. Weatherspoon was the WNBA assists leader in 1997 and paced the league in assists twice. She retired in 2004 after a final season with the Los Angeles Sparks and went into coaching. Weatherspoon coached her alma mater for six seasons and led the Lady Techsters to a 99-71 record and two NCAA Tournament appearances. Weatherspoon ranks second in assists in WNBA history. Her long list of recognitions includes induction into the Louisiana Tech Athletic Hall of Fame, Lousiana Sports Hall of Fame, New York Liberty Ring of Honor and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. She was named to the WNBA's Top 15 Players of All-Time list in 2011 and made the WNBA 20@20 list in 2016.