Sports
Teresa Weatherspoon hit ‘The Shot’ 25 years ago. But the iconic WNBA moment is hard for her to revisit
Teresa Weatherspoon couldn’t watch “The Shot” for years. It’s still not the easiest topic for her to discuss.
Weatherspoon is the head coach of the Chicago Sky, but 25 years ago she was a guard for the New York Liberty and facing the Houston Comets in the 1999 WNBA Finals. Houston led 67-65 with 2.4 seconds left in Game 2 of the best-of-three series on a basket from Tina Thompson. The Comets had a 1-0 series lead and were looking to close the deal and win their third consecutive league championship.
A minor miracle was needed for the Liberty to win — and Weatherspoon delivered in front of 16,285 fans at the Compaq Center in Houston. She caught an inbounds pass from Kym Hampton and launched a desperation, 50-foot shot, banking it in to give the Liberty an improbable 68-67 victory on Sept. 4, 1999.
It was one of the first iconic moments in the WNBA’s history.
The downside for the Liberty, however, was losing Game 3 the next day.
“I wouldn’t watch it for many, many years because we didn’t win the championship,” Weatherspoon said.
Her difficulty in speaking about that period goes beyond the playoffs. Weatherspoon played the entire season with a heavy heart. Her 19-year-old nephew, Anthony, had died in a car crash weeks before the start of the regular season. Additionally, Houston guard Kim Perrot, one of Weatherspoon’s best friends, died from complications of lung cancer on Aug. 19, two weeks before the start of the finals.
“That year was probably one of the most difficult years for me and my family during that time,” Weatherspoon said. “And when that shot went in, only my teammates knew what me and my family were thinking at that time. It was bigger than what most people think, something I never really talk about.
“It gave us another chance to play another game, which was excellent, a great opportunity to play with (an) amazing basketball team. But it also meant something to me and our family.”
The improbable bucket stunned Comets fans and players. A presumed championship celebration started prematurely, as confetti fell from the rafters. Few outside of Weatherspoon and the Liberty anticipated an immediate answer after Thompson’s basket.
“You heard a person on the side saying, ‘Stop the confetti!’ Some lady was screaming that,” Hampton said. “As we were celebrating, you could see confetti starting to fall.”
Hampton credits Weatherspoon for not only making the shot but also maintaining her composure before it. Hampton said she was down after Thompson made the go-ahead basket, as she was the player on the Liberty emphasizing solid defense, only for Thompson to make the shot over her.
“I’m hanging my head, you know, like, ‘Oh, my God, here we go again,’” Hampton said. “And Spoon is like, ‘Hurry up! Hurry! Take it out!’”
Weatherspoon said she hadn’t practiced half-court shots. She said Liberty teammate Becky Hammon — now the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces — was a frequent winner of the post-practice half-court shot contests. But the ball didn’t end up in Hammon’s hands in those final seconds.
Hampton said she intended to roll the ball to Weatherspoon but saw Thompson make a play to defend. Hampton then threw the ball to Weatherspoon, who freed herself just enough for the attempt.
“No one was on my right-hand side, so it gave me an opportunity to heave that thing,” Weatherspoon said. “When I got a chance to shoot, it just seemed like that was forever — really felt like it was forever. I knew that I just got an opportunity to heave it, and it went in for another chance to try to get at the Comets and win.”
New York Liberty teammates rushed Teresa Weatherspoon after her game-winning shot during Game 2 of the 1999 WNBA Finals against the Houston Comets. (Bill Baptist / NBAE via Getty Images)
Houston coach Van Chancellor said Weatherspoon’s shot led to yet another sleepless night. In those days, games 2 and 3 of the WNBA Finals were played on back-to-back days, so there wasn’t much time to recover. He wasn’t sure what to tell the team the next day, but the Comets remained in control of the series, as they had home-court advantage.
“I spent all that night thinking, ‘What am I going to do to bring us back the next night?’” Chancellor said. “I was just so relieved we’d won the championship. We almost let it get away from us. I was just worn out.”
Houston won Game 3 59-47, and though the Comets three-peated, both teams will never forget “The Shot.” Chancellor said Weatherspoon’s bucket still comes up in conversation. He expects to see Weatherspoon at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame festivities this fall and knows 1999 will come up.
“She’s going to say, ‘Yeah, I made the shot, but you got my ring,’” Chancellor said. “And that’s all that matters to me.”
“It gave us another day,” Hampton said. “It would be more of a moment (for us) had it led to the championship.”
Weatherspoon has plenty to be proud of surrounding her Hall of Fame career. But it doesn’t change the fact that Houston still has that Game 3 win 25 years ago that cost her a championship.
And Weatherspoon knows when she sees anyone from that team, The Shot and Game 3 will come up.
“They know I’m still salty about it,” Weatherspoon said. “I give credit where credit is due. They were a hell of a basketball team. We gave everything we frickin’ had to try to win.”
— The Athletic’s Jon Greenberg contributed to this story.
(Top photo: Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE via Getty Images)
Sports
Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza wins 2025 Heisman Trophy
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Indiana University quarterback Fernando Mendoza became the first Hoosier to win the coveted Heisman Trophy, college football’s most prestigious award.
Mendoza claimed 2,392 first-place votes, beating Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia (1,435 votes), Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (719 votes) and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin (432 votes).
Mendoza guided the Hoosiers to their first No. 1 ranking and the top seed in the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, throwing for 2,980 yards and a nation-best 33 touchdown passes while also running for six scores.
Indiana, the last unbeaten team in major college football, will play a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game in the Rose Bowl Jan. 1.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza runs off the field after a game against Wisconsin Nov. 15, 2025, in Bloomington, Ind (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Mendoza, the Hoosiers’ first-year starter after transferring from California, is the triggerman for an offense that surpassed program records for touchdowns and points set during last season’s surprise run to the CFP.
A redshirt junior, the once lightly recruited Miami native is the second Heisman finalist in school history, joining 1989 runner-up Anthony Thompson. The trophy was established in 1935.
NO 2 INDIANA CAPS OFF COMEBACK WIN OVER PENN STATE WITH SENSATIONAL TOUCHDOWN, KEEPS UNDEFEATED SEASON ALIVE
Mendoza is the seventh Indiana player to earn a top 10 finish in Heisman balloting, and it marks another first in program history. It now has had players in the top 10 of Heisman voting in back-to-back years. Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke was ninth last year.
Quarterbacks have won the Heisman four of the last five years. Travis Hunter of Colorado, who played wide receiver and cornerback, won last season.
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Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza throws before a game against Wisconsin Nov. 15, 2025, in Bloomington, Ind. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Mendoza was named The Associated Press Player of the Year earlier this week and picked up the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien awards Friday night while Love won the Doak Walker Award.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Sports
Prep talk: The Shaws enjoy a memorable basketball moment at Oak Park
Sometimes it can be difficult when a high school coach also has his son on the team, but then there are those unforgettable moments that make every second spent together magical. Such a moment happened on Friday night for Oak Park basketball coach Aaron Shaw and his son, sophomore guard Grant Shaw.
Grant made a three-pointer from beyond the top of the key as the buzzer sounded to give host Oak Park a 54-51 win over rival Agoura.
Then, for some unknown reason at the time, Grant ran in the opposite direction, followed by his teammates and delirious Oak Park fans. There were so many people celebrating he ended up pushed into the gym foyer.
Watching from the bench was his father, who didn’t understand why his son was headed out of the gym. “The coaches were asking, ‘Where is he going?’” he said.
It turns out the surge of people celebrating forced Grant into the foyer. His father reminded him afterward to perhaps next time stay in the gym.
But make no mistake about, Aaron has won two Southern Section titles as a coach, and this moment ranks up among the best.
“Proud dad moment,” he said.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Sports
Navy tops Army with late touchdown as Trump’s attendance in Baltimore sparks protests
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For the second year in a row, the Navy Midshipmen have won the Commander-in-Chief Trophy.
The Midshipmen earned a gutsy 17-16 victory over Army in one of the greatest rivalries in sports.
Navy got out to a scorching-hot start, as they scored a touchdown on their first drive, with Blake Horvath rushing for 45 of the 75 yards on the drive and running in for the score. He also had an 11-yard pass.
President Donald Trump greets players after the coin toss and before the start of the 126th Army-Navy Game between the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen at M&T Bank Stadium, Saturday, in Baltimore, Md. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Army, though, answered right back with an identical drive, going 13 plays for 75 yards — this one ended with Cale Hellums punching one in.
Navy’s offense was stalled for a long while after, as their next three drives ended in a punt, fumble, and interception. In the meantime, the Black Knights were able to tack on three more field goals to go up, 16-7. Late in the third, the Midshipmen finally added more points on the scoreboard with a field goal that cut their deficit to three.
Early in the fourth, Navy forced an Army interception. Navy had the ball at the goal line but fumbled on a quarterback sneak, losing seven yards. Horvath hit Eli Heidenrich in the end zone, though, and the ensuing kick gave the Midshipmen their first lead since the first drive of the game.
Navy promptly forced a three-and-out and got the ball back with less than five minutes to go. Navy lost a fumble when trying for a first down that would have iced the game, but the play was reviewed, and the call was reversed. Thus, Navy had a fourth-and-1 and kept the offense on the field. They got the first down that iced the game.
US President Donald Trump tosses a coin before the college football game between the US Army and Navy in Baltimore, Maryland, on December 13, 2025. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski / AFP via Getty Images)
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With the win, Navy earned the Commander-in-Chief trophy by also defeating Air Force earlier in the year.
The game was its usual old-school ground-and-pound style of football, as there were only 24 pass attempts compared to 86 runs.
President Donald Trump attended the game for the seventh time, and his second in as many years since being elected again. Trump participated in the coin flip, but not before protesters wielded lewd signs opposing Trump on the street leading up to the stadium.
Protests were expected for the game in the blue city, as Trump has suggested sending the National Guard to Baltimore to help address the city’s rampant crime. Baltimore consistently ranks among U.S. cities with high crime rates, often appearing in the top 5 for violent crimes, especially homicides and robberies.
U.S. President Donald Trump (2nd-L) walks onto the field for the 126th Army-Navy Game between the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen on Dec. 13, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. The teams are competing for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, with President Trump attending the rivalry for the second consecutive year. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
The protests against Trump also come on the same day that officials said two U.S. Army soldiers and a U.S. interpreter were killed in an ambush attack in Syria.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
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