In 2010, a huge accomplishment in the life and career of Teresa Weatherspoon took place when she was inducted in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville.
Could she soon add the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield to her resume? It is a possibility after the New York Liberty great, who in 2016 was named one of the WNBA’s 20 Greatest Players of All Time, was announced as a finalist to be enshrined in Massachusetts.
The announcement of the finalists was made at a press conference in Charlotte as NBA All-Star weekend emanates from the Queen City.
Congratulations to 5x @WNBA All-Star, 2x WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and #19HoopClass finalist Teresa Weatherspoon. pic.twitter.com/1WgISMsH8b
— Basketball HOF (@Hoophall) February 15, 2019
To be named a Finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame is a tremendous honor and we are proud to recognize the outstanding men and women who have impacted the game.
–Jerry Colangelo, Chairman, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (per press release)
Congrats to this @nyliberty legend! 🎉 🙌💥
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RT and reply with your favorite @Finisher_11 #nyliberty moment.
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2019’s HOF class announcement to come during the Men’s Final Four. Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/lYPJzKRELW— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) February 16, 2019
The list of accomplishments for T-Spoon includes a two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, five-time WNBA All-Star, and winning a gold medal with Team USA at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Before she made the big time in the W, she played at Louisiana Tech, where she led her team to an NCAA championship in 1988.
Former Granbury High School coach Leta Andrews, the winningest basketball coach of all-time, who was previously inducted in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, is also up for consideration. Barbara Stevens, current head coach at Bentley University who is a five-time Division II National Coach of the Year was also named one of the finalists. In her career, she has compiled over 1,000 wins and 10 appearances in the semifinals.
The official class of the Basketball Hall of Fame for 2019 will be revealed in Minneapolis at the Men’s Final Four in April. Enshrinement will occur in Springfield the weekend of September 5-7.
Other basketball notables up for consideration include Chris Webber, Ben Wallace, Jack Sikma, Paul Westphal, Sidney Moncrief and Eddie Sutton.
