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
Michigan football staffer who had alleged affair with Sherrone Moore still employed by university
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The football staffer who allegedly had a romantic relationship with fired head coach Sherrone Moore is still employed by the University of Michigan.
The woman has served as Moore’s executive assistant.
“There is no change in her employment status,” a Michigan spokesperson told Fox News.
The woman received a massive pay bump between 2024 and 2025.
Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore appears via video in court in Ann Arbor, Mich., Dec. 12, 2025. (Ryan Sun/AP Photo)
The individual allegedly linked to Moore, whose LinkedIn profile lists her as an executive assistant to the head football coach at the University of Michigan, made just over $58,000 in 2023 and 2024, according to public payroll information. In the 2025 fiscal year, though, her salary jumped to $99,000, according to a salary disclosure report from the University of Michigan.
During Moore’s arraignment Friday, prosecutors alleged he and the staffer had been in an “intimate relationship for a number of years,” which they say the woman ended on Monday. Prosecutors further claim Moore sent multiple text messages and made phone calls that prompted the woman to report the situation to the university and cooperate with its investigation.
Moore was released from jail Friday on $25,000 bond, according to police records obtained by Fox News Digital.
However, it’s unclear whether Moore will be returning home to his family.
Moore’s attorney, Joseph Simon, declined to say whether the coach will be going home to his wife and three children while speaking to reporters at an Ann Arbor courthouse Friday.
FIRED MICHIGAN COACH SHERRONE MOORE ACCUSED OF STALKING VICTIM ‘FOR MONTHS’ IN POLICE DISPATCH AUDIO
“I’m just going to not answer that question,” Simon said when asked if Moore was “going to be able to go home.”
Moore has been married to wife Kelli since 2015, and they have three daughters together — Shiloh, Solei and Sadie. Simon also declined to comment on the “mood” of his client after Moore was charged.
The conditions of Moore’s release require him to wear a GPS tether and continue mental health treatment and forbid him from communicating with the victim.
Moore was fired Wednesday, and the University of Michigan quickly announced it found credible evidence he had an “inappropriate relationship” with a staffer. Moore was then detained by police Wednesday after news of his dismissal broke.
Moore was arraigned in court Friday on stalking and home invasion charges. According to prosecutors, he faces a felony charge of home invasion in the third degree and two misdemeanor charges of stalking and breaking and entering without the owner’s permission.
Both misdemeanor charges are related to a “domestic relationship.”
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Michigan Wolverines head football coach Sherrone Moore during warmups before a game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Wrigley Field in Chicago Nov. 15, 2025. (Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
When Moore was fired from his position as head coach, prosecutors said, it prompted him to visit the woman’s home.
Moore then allegedly “barged” his way into the residence, grabbed a butter knife and a pair of kitchen scissors and began threatening his own life. According to prosecutors, Moore allegedly told the staffer, “My blood is on your hands” and “You ruined my life.”
Prosecutors claimed Moore “terrorized” the staffer and that they believed him to be a “risk to public safety.”
Fox News’ Patrick McGovern contributed to this report.
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As if Simi Valley coach Jim Benkert doesn’t have enough things to do, he’s taken on the task of putting on the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame high school all-star games Dec. 20 at Simi Valley High.
At 4 p.m. there will be a flag football game featuring players from the San Gabriel Chapter against the Coastal Valley Chapter. At 7, players from Ventura County will take on Los Angeles County in an 11-man game.
Agoura’s Dustin Croick is coaching the West team that includes his outstanding quarterback, Gavin Gray. Taft’s Thomas Randolph is coaching the East team that has a strong group of quarterbacks, including Michael Wynn Jr. of St. Genevieve.
Simi Valley High will be the site for all-star football games on Dec. 20.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Tickets are $10 and will help pay for the growing costs of all-star games, from uniforms to insurance.
Benkert, one of the winningest coaches in state history with more than 300 victories, said he’s determined to make it work.
“We’re trying to keep all-star games alive,” he said. “If we don’t do it, there’s nothing.”
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
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The Utah Utes will be ending an era when they play against Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl Dec. 31.
It will be head coach Kyle Whittingham’s last game as head coach after the 66-year-old announced Friday he is stepping down. Whittingham is the winningest coach in program history, going 117-88 over 22 seasons.
“The time is right to step down from my position as the head football coach at the University of Utah,” Whittingham said in a statement Friday.
Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham on the sideline during the first half against the Baylor Bears at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas, Nov. 15, 2025. (Chris Jones/Imagn Images)
“It’s been an honor and a privilege to lead the program for the past 21 years, and I’m very grateful for the relationships forged with all the players and assistant coaches that have worked so hard and proudly worn the drum and feather during our time here.”
Whittingham co-coached the Fiesta Bowl with Utah in 2004 and then took over as the permanent head coach the following season. Whittingham led Utah to a winning record in 18 of his 21 seasons.
This season, Utah is 10-2 and at one point ranked No. 13 in the AP poll, just missing out on the College Football Playoff (CFB).
BILL BELICHICK BREAKS UP WITH MEMBERS OF UNC COACHING STAFF AFTER TUMULTUOUS SEASON
Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham reacts during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kan., Nov. 28, 2025. (Jay Biggerstaff/Imagn Images)
Whittingham was named the Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 1981 in his senior year.
Before becoming a coach, Whittingham played in the USFL and the CFL from 1982 to 1984. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at BYU.
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Whittingham joined the Utah staff in 1994 and rose through the ranks. He began as the defensive line coach and eventually became the defensive coordinator before becoming the team’s head coach.
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His final game on the sideline will be the team’s bowl game against Nebraska. Whittingham, who is 11-6 in bowl games as a head coach, will look to end his tenure with a win on Dec. 31.
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