Teresa Gaye Weatherspoon (born December 8, 1965) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

coach and former player who is the head coach for

Vinyl BC Vinyl Basketball Club, also known as Vinyl BC, is an American professional basketball team. They are a member of the Unrivaled basketball league, and made their debut in 2025. The teams are based in Miami, Florida and Vinyl is led by coach Teres ...

of the Unrivaled basketball league. She was previously the head coach of the

Chicago Sky The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 2006 season. Th ...

of the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. The league comprises 13 teams (scheduled to expand to 15 in 2026). The WNBA is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. The WNBA w ...

(WNBA). She played for the

New York Liberty The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Confer ...

and

Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at Crypto.co ...

of the WNBA and served as the head basketball coach of the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters. Weatherspoon was inducted into the

Women's Basketball Hall of Fame The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame honors those who have contributed to the sport of women's basketball. The Hall of Fame opened in 1999 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. It is the only facility of its kind dedicated to all levels of women's bask ...

in 2010, and the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

in 2019. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history. In 2016, Weatherspoon was chosen to the

WNBA Top 20@20 WNBA Top 20@20 are the Women's National Basketball Association's Top 20 Players of All Time, chosen in 2016 on the occasion of the twentieth season of the WNBA from amongst 60 nominees compiled by the league. The group was to comprise the 20 best a ...

, a list of the league's best 20 players ever in celebration of the WNBA's twentieth anniversary.

Professional career

Born in

Pineland, Texas Pineland is a city in Sabine County, Texas, United States. The population was 888 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (4.37%) is water. Climate T ...

, Weatherspoon was a health and physical education major and star basketball player at

Louisiana Tech Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – Hig ...

. In 1988, her senior season, she led the Lady Techsters to the NCAA national title. After college, Weatherspoon played overseas in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

for 8 years.

WNBA

Weatherspoon is one of the original players of the WNBA in 1997 when she joined the

in the WNBA's inaugural season. Her debut game was played on June 21, 1997, in a 67–57 win over the

. In her first game, Weatherspoon recorded 3 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists (the first player in WNBA history to record double-digit assists in a game). A talented ball-handler and charismatic leader, her energetic play quickly endeared her to the fans and media in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. The Liberty reached the first WNBA finals, but fell short to the

Houston Comets The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Houston. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. They are one of two ...

. Weatherspoon was the first winner of the league's Defensive Player of the Year Award. The Liberty finished the 1998 season 18 - 12 behind Weatherspoon's averages of 6.8 points, 4 rebounds and 6.4 assists. However, the team missed the playoffs. Weatherspoon would win the Defensive Player of the Year Award again in 1998 becoming the first back to back recipient of the award. Having a similar productive season with the Liberty in 1999 (in addition to being selected as a 1999 All-Star), Weatherspoon and the team were able to make it back to the Finals with an 18 - 14 record. During the

1999 WNBA Finals The 1999 WNBA Championship was the championship series of the 1999 WNBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Houston Comets, top-seeded champions of the Western Conference, defeated the New York Liberty, top-seeded champio ...

, Weatherspoon had one of the most memorable feats in WNBA history; in Game 2 on September 4, 1999, the Liberty were down 67–65 against the

with no timeouts left and 2.4 seconds left on the game clock after a shot made by

Tina Thompson Tina Marie Thompson (born February 10, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Most recently, she served as the head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers women's basketball team from 2018 to 2022; she was subsequently hi ...

. After receiving the inbound pass, Weatherspoon dribbled the ball up to half court and made a game-winning shot 50 feet away from the basket to force a Game 3. That moment would later be referred to as "The Shot". From 2000 to 2003, Weatherspoon would make the All-Star Team every year and have the same productivity throughout the years with no drastic dip in her scoring or rebounding abilities, showing her reliance and toughness to the organization. The Liberty would make the Finals in 2000 and 2002 (making it 4 final appearances for Weatherspoon and the team) but lost the Finals both times. Being swept by the Comets in 2000 and being swept by the Sparks in 2002. The 2003 season would be the first time the Liberty had a losing record, as they finished the season 16 - 18 and missed the playoffs for only the 2nd time in 6 years. Weatherspoon also had the distinction of being the only WNBA player to start every one of her games until the 2004 season. From 1997 to 2003, she played in 220 games and started in every one of them. Weatherspoon would finally say goodbye to her time with the Liberty, as for the 2004 season, she would not re-sign with the team and instead signed with the Sparks on February 4, 2004. Her time with the Sparks saw a strong change in Weatherspoon's role on a team, as she would finally come off the bench for the first time in her career and play an average of only 8.6 minutes per game (after averaging 31.1 on the Liberty). The Sparks finished 25 - 9 but would not make the Finals, as they were eliminated in the first round of the 2004 playoffs. Weatherspoon's final WNBA game ever was Game 2 of the 2004 Western Conference First Round on September 26, 2004, against the

Sacramento Monarchs The Sacramento Monarchs were a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1997 until folding on November 20, 2009. They played their home games at ARCO Aren ...

. The Sparks won the game 71 – 57 and evened the series 1 – 1 with Weatherspoon recording 2 rebounds in 3 minutes. However, Weatherspoon did not play in Game 3 and the Sparks lost that game 58 – 73 and were eliminated from the playoffs. After her 2004 season with the Sparks, Weatherspoon retired.

Coaching career

Westchester Phantoms (2007-2008)

In 2007 Weatherspoon was the head coach of the Westchester Phantoms of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

Louisiana Tech (2008-2014)

In April 2008 she joined the coaching staff of the Lady Techsters of

. On February 9, 2009, she was promoted to interim head coach to replace former head coach Chris Long. April 2, 2009 saw Louisiana Tech shed the interim label and name Teresa head women's basketball coach. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in the fifteen-year history of the WNBA. In 2016, Weatherspoon was named in the

New Orleans Pelicans (2019–2023)

On September 26, 2019, Weatherspoon was named two-way player development coach for the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

. Weatherspoon was later promoted to a full-time assistant coach for the Pelicans on November 16, 2020. The Pelicans released Weatherspoon from the coaching staff in June 2023.

Chicago Sky (2023-2024)

On October 12, 2023, Weatherspoon was hired to be the Head Coach of the

of the WNBA. On September 26, 2024, after the Sky failed to make the playoffs, Weatherspoon was fired. Sky player

Angel Reese Angel Reese (born May 6, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and for Rose BC of the Unrivaled (basketball), Unrivaled basketball league. Nicknamed "Bayo ...

posted on social media that she was "heartbroken" at the news, saying that Weatherspoon "was the only person that believed in me. The one that trusted me," and calling her an "unsung hero" in Reese's life.

Unrivaled (2025–present)

On November 15, 2024, Weatherspoon was announced to be one of the six new head coaches of the Unrivaled basketball league.

National team career

Weatherspoon was selected to represent the US at the inaugural Goodwill games, held in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

in July 1986.

North Carolina State North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina sy ...

Kay Yow Sandra Kay Yow (March 14, 1942 – January 24, 2009) was an American basketball coach. She was the head coach of the NC State Wolfpack women's basketball team from 1975 to 2009. A member of the Naismith Hall of Fame, she had more than 700 ca ...

served as head coach. The team opened up with a 72–53 of Yugoslavia, and followed that with a 21-point win over Brazil 91–70. The third game was against Czechoslovakia and would be much closer, ending in a 78–70 victory. The USA faced Bulgaria in the semi-final match up, and again won, this time 67–58. This set up the final against the Soviet Union, led by 7-foot-2 Ivilana Semenova, considered the most dominant player in the world. The Soviet team, had a 152–2 record in major international competition over the prior three decades, including an 84–82 win over the US in the 1983 World Championships. The Soviets held the early edge, leading 21–19 at one time, before the USA went on a scoring run to take a large lead they would never relinquish. The final score was 83–60 in favor of the US, earning the gold medal for the USA squad. For the entire event, Teresa Gaye Weatherspoon averaged 1.6 points per game. Weatherspoon continued with the National team at the 1986 World Championship, held in Moscow, a month after the Goodwill games in Moscow, although she was injured and unable to play. The USA team was even more dominant this time. The early games were won easily, and the semifinal against Canada, while the closest game for the USA so far, ended up an 82–59 victory. At the same time, the Soviet team was winning easily as well, and the final game pitted two teams each with 6–0 records. The Soviet team, having lost only once at home, wanted to show that the Goodwill games setback was a fluke. The USA team started by scoring the first eight points, and raced to a 45–23 lead, although the Soviets fought back and reduced the halftime margin to 13. The USA went on a 15–1 run in the second half to put the game away, and ended up winning the gold medal with a score of 108–88. Weatherspoon was selected to be a member of the team representing the US at the 1987 World University Games held in Zagreb, Yugoslavia. The USA team won four of the five contests. After winning their first two games against Poland and Finland, the USA faced the host team Yugoslavia. The game went to overtime, but Yugoslavia prevailed, 93–89. The USA faced China in the next game. They won 84–83, but they needed to win by at least five points to remain in medal contention. They won the final game against Canada to secure fifth place. Weatherspoon averaged 8.6 points per games. She recorded 21 steals over the course of the event, tied for first place on the team.

Head coaching record

WNBA

, - , align="left" , CHI , align="left" , , 40, , 13, , 27, , , , align="center" , 6th in Eastern, , —, , —, , —, , , align="center" , Missed Playoffs , -class="sortbottom" , align="left" , Career , , , 40, , 13, , 27, , , , , , 0, , 0, , 0, , , ,

Personal life

Weatherspoon was born to Charles and Rowena Weatherspoon in

. Her father, Charles Sr., played minor league baseball in the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

' farm system, and holds the record for the most grand slams (three) in a minor league game. Weatherspoon has two brothers and three sisters. She credits her family, especially her mother Rowena Weatherspoon, as the biggest influence on her basketball career. Her fans call her by her nicknames "T-Spoon" or "Spoon". She and former

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

Sean Weatherspoon are second cousins. In 1999, she published a book titled ''Teresa Weatherspoon's Basketball for Girls'', filled with anecdotes and advice on improving basketball skills for young girls.

Career highlights

* WNBA no. 2 all-time in career assists * Led the

to the first ever WNBA Finals in 1997 and again in 1999 * Started in the first five WNBA All-Star games (1999–2003 ) * All-WNBA Second Team (1997–2000) * WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (1997, 1998) * Hit a memorable half-court shot to tie the WNBA Finals series with the

in 1999 * Started all her WNBA games up until the 2003 season * Inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Class of 2019

Career statistics

WNBA

Regular season

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, 28 , , 28 , , 33.0 , , .467 , , .086 , , .650 , , 4.1 , , style="background:#d3d3d3;", 6.2° , , style="background:#d3d3d3;", 3.0° , , .1 , , 3.4 , , 7.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 30 , , 30 , , 33.4 , , .388 , , .327 , , .609 , , 4.0 , , 6.4 , , style="background:#e0cef2;", 3.3 , , .0 , , 3.2 , , 6.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 32 , , 33.9 , , .421 , , .378 , , .679 , , 3.3 , , 6.4 , , 2.4 , , .1 , , 2.5 , , 7.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 32 , , 33.7 , , .438 , , .250 , , .741 , , 3.4 , , 6.4 , , 2.0 , , .2 , , 2.7 , , 6.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 32 , , 30.4 , , .431 , , .385 , , .671 , , 3.7 , , 6.3 , , 1.7 , , .1 , , 2.5 , , 6.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 32 , , 29.8 , , .342 , , .100 , , .519 , , 2.7 , , 5.7 , , 1.3 , , .1 , , 2.4 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 34 , , 24.2 , , .385 , , .000 , , .750 , , 2.9 , , 4.4 , , .8 , , .1 , , 1.8 , , 2.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, 34 , , 0 , , 8.6 , , .320 , , .333 , , , , .9 , , .9 , , .4 , , .0 , , .8 , , .5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 254 , , 220 , , 28.1 , , .411 , , .281 , , .658 , , 3.1 , , 5.3 , , 1.8 , , .1 , , 2.4 , , 5.0

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

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, 2 , , 2 , , 37.5 , , .500 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.5 , , 5.0 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , 6.0 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 6 , , 33.8 , , .452 , , .368 , , .750 , , 3.5 , , style="background:#d3d3d3;", 7.5° , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 2.0 , , 8.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 7 , , 7 , , 36.1 , , .353 , , .200 , , .636 , , 2.7 , , style="background:#d3d3d3;", 7.0° , , 2.7 , , .0 , , 2.9 , , 4.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

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, 6 , , 6 , , 33.0 , , .211 , , .273 , , 1.000 , , 3.7 , , 4.7 , , 1.2 , , .0 , , .8 , , 3.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 8 , , 8 , , 30.1 , , .475 , , .000 , , .833 , , 4.4 , , 6.6 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 1.8 , , 6.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 0 , , 5.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .5 , , .0 , , 1.5 , , .0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 31 , , 29 , , 31.6 , , .382 , , .282 , , .744 , , 3.3 , , 6.0 , , 1.5 , , .0 , , 2.1 , , 5.5

College

Source

Awards and honors

As a basketball player: * 1986 World Championships Gold Medalist (with Team USA) * 1986 Goodwill Games Gold Medalist (with Team USA) * 1987 World University Games Gold Medalist (with Team USA) * 1988 Olympic Games Gold Medalist (with Team USA) * 1988

Wade Trophy The Wade Trophy is an award presented annually to the best upperclass women's basketball player in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I competition. It is named after three–time national champion Delta State ...

* 1988

Honda Sports Award The Honda Sports Award is an annual award in the United States, given to the best collegiate female athlete in each of twelve sports. There are four nominees for each sport, and the twelve winners of the Honda Sports Award are automatically in t ...

for basketball * 1988 Honda-Broderick Cup winner for all sports * 1992 Olympic Games Bronze Medalist (with Team USA) * 2010 Inducted into the

as part of the class of 2010 * 2010 Inducted into the

Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame (LHOF) is an hall of fame exhibit that honors the accomplishments of athletes, coaches and other sports figures in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located in a facility in the downtown historic district of the city ...

* 2011 Inducted into the New York Liberty Ring of Honor * 2011 Named one of top 15 WNBA Players of All-Time * 2019 Inducted into the

* 2020 Inducted into the

Texas Sports Hall of Fame The Texas Sports Hall of Fame recognizes sportsperson, athletes, coach (sport), coaches, and administrators who have made "lasting fame and honor to Sports in Texas, Texas sports". It was established in 1951 by the Texas Sports Writers Association ...

As head coach of Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters: * 2009 WAC Regular Season Champions * 2009 WNIT Second Round * 2010 WAC Tournament Champions * 2010 NCAA Tournament * 2010 Maggie Dixon Division I Rookie Coach of the Year * 2011 WAC Regular Season Champions * 2011 NCAA Tournament * 2011 WBCA Region 7 Coach of the Year

References

External links

New York Post- Liberty Team Page

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Weatherspoon, Teresa 1965 births Living people African-American basketball coaches All-American college women's basketball players American Basketball Association (2000–present) coaches American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Russia American women's basketball coaches American women's basketball players Basketball coaches from Texas Basketball players at the 1988 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Texas Chicago Sky coaches Los Angeles Sparks players Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball coaches Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball players Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees New Orleans Pelicans assistant coaches New York Liberty players Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in basketball Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball People from Pineland, Texas Point guards WNBA All-Stars 21st-century African-American sportswomen 21st-century American sportswomen 20th-century African-American sportswomen 20th-century American sportswomen United States women's national basketball team players Competitors at the 1986 Goodwill Games Goodwill Games medalists in basketball Goodwill Games gold medalists

Professional career

WNBA

Coaching career

Westchester Phantoms (2007-2008)

Louisiana Tech (2008-2014)

New Orleans Pelicans (2019–2023)

Chicago Sky (2023-2024)

Unrivaled (2025–present)

National team career

Head coaching record

WNBA

Personal life

Career highlights

Career statistics

WNBA

Regular season

Playoffs

College

Awards and honors

See also

References

External links