Comets Boast Four on WNBA All-Decade Team
June 14, 2006 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Houston Comets News Release
HOUSTON - The WNBA has announced that four Houston Comets players (three active and one retired) have been named to the league's All-Decade Team. Comets legend Cynthia Cooper, along with active players Dawn Staley, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson were voted by their fans, peers and the media to this prestigious team.
Houston Comets Head Coach and General Manager Van Chancellor was excited to learn that four of his players were named to the All-Decade Team. "I'm honored for these four individuals. I'm so proud for them. They've contributed so much for this league. They've contributed so much to women's basketball. What a tremendous honor."
Cynthia Cooper announced her retirement from the WNBA on May 2, 2004. She finished her career with averages of 21.0 points, 4.9 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 124 games with the Comets, and was twice selected as the WNBA Most Valuable Player (1997, 1998). Cooper earned All-WNBA First Team in each of her first four seasons (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000), and was voted in as a starter to three WNBA All-Star Games (1999, 2000, 2003). She is a three-time WNBA scoring champion, topping the league in 1997 (22.2 ppg), 1998 (22.7 ppg) and 1999 (22.1 ppg). Cooper was the first player in WNBA history to reach marks of 500, 1,000, 2,000 and 2,500 points.
Dawn Staley holds career averages of 8.6 points and 5.3 assists. She is currently averaging 5.8 points, 2.9 assists and 2.1 rebounds in the 2006 season. Staley recently went over the 2,000 point milestone vs. Chicago on June 2. She was acquired by Houston from the Sting along with Charlotte's 2006 second-round draft choice in exchange for Houston forwards Adrienne Goodson and Kristen Rasmussen, as well as Houston's 2006 first-round draft pick.
"I'm honored," said Staley. "It comes as a surprise to me, certainly to be in great company, especially with the great players from the Houston Comets. It's an honor to be associated with those players and just represent the WNBA in this manner, not just for the basketball, but for all the things we do in the community and what we do to try to continue women's basketball on the professional level here in the United States."
Sheryl Swoopes is one of the WNBA's original players, being assigned to the Comets in the first player allocations on January 22, 1997. She has posted career averages of 17.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.28 steals in 228 career games with the Comets. She currently averages 15.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists and ranks in the top-20 in each of those categories. Swoopes is the first player to ever be named WNBA Most Valuable Player three times (2000, 2002, 2005), and was voted Defensive Player of the Year on three occasions (2000, 2002, 2003). She has been named five times to the All-WNBA First Team (1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005) and once to the All-WNBA Second Team (2003).
"I think it's a tremendous honor, first of all, to be on the all-decade team because there's been so much talent in this league, and to be in the company with so many great players who not only made the team but even the ones that didn't make the team; there's so much great talent," said Swoopes. "For me to not only make the team, but to still be in the league in our 10th season is an accomplishment in itself. It's definitely something I'm very humbled by and very proud of. For everyone that voted for me, I just want to say thank you."
Tina Thompson has averaged 15.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 0.81 blocks in 247 games with the Comets. She recently passed the 4,000 point mark at Minnesota on June 11, joining Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks as the only two players to have reached that feat. She currently averages a team-leading 17.2 points, along with 5.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists. Thompson has been named to the All-WNBA First Team on three occasions (1997, 1998, 2004) and the All-WNBA Second Team four times (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002). She was selected WNBA Player of the Week three times (week ending: June 24, 2001; May 30, 2004; August 1, 2004), and also voted in as a starter to the WNBA All-Star Game five times (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003). She was selected as MVP of the 2000 WNBA All-Star Game, recording 11 points and 13 rebounds. Thompson was the second-ever WNBA player to post 1,000 career rebounds, setting the mark vs. New York on July 28, 2001, and became the seventh player in the WNBA to reach 1,000 career points, hitting that milestone vs. Sacramento on August 2, 1999.
"I think it's a great accomplishment," said Thompson. "I think that in 10 years to be picked out of hundreds of players that have been in this league, some that are still here, and some that have passed on, a lot of great players actually. To be part of that 10 is an unbelievable honor. I definitely appreciate the votes and I think that it is an honor."
This season will mark the 10th Anniversary for the Comets and the WNBA, making it the longest-running professional women's league in history. Come out and watch the Comets take on the Sacramento Monarchs on June 14 as Coach Van Chancellor goes for his 200th WNBA victory. To purchase season tickets, mini-plans or group tickets, call (713) 627-WNBA or go online to www.houstoncomets.com.
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