Houston Comets
Conference	Western
Leagues	WNBA
Founded	1997
Dissolved	2008
History	Houston Comets 1997–2008
Arena	Compaq Center (1997–2003) Toyota Center (2004–2007) Reliant Arena (2008)
Location	Houston, Texas
Team colors	Fireball red, stardust silver, white, galaxy blue
Championships	4 (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
Conference titles	3 (1998, 1999, 2000)

TheHouston Comets were aWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based inHouston. 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 teams in the WNBA that are undefeated in theWNBA Finals; theSeattle Storm are the other. The Comets were the firstdynasty of the WNBA and are tied with theMinnesota Lynx andSeattle Storm for the most championships of any WNBA franchise. Despite all of their success, the team was folded and disbanded by the league in 2008 during the height of theGreat Recession because new ownership could not be found.^[1][2][3][4]

The Comets were known for courting great women's basketball stars. The team had among its membersCynthia Cooper (the WNBA's firstMVP); college and national team standoutSheryl Swoopes;Kim Perrot, who succumbed tocancer in 1999; and college starsMichelle Snow andTina Thompson.

The Comets were one of the founding teams in the WNBA. Their first four seasons were marked by dominant success in the league, as they became the WNBA's first dynasty.^[5] They capped off the league's inaugural season in 1997 with a win over theNew York Liberty in the WNBA championship game to win the WNBA's first championship.

When the league expanded the next season, the Comets were moved from the Eastern Conference to the Western Conference. In 1998, they finished 27–3 – a .900 winning percentage, a WNBA record that still stands. They went on to repeat as champions, defeating thePhoenix Mercury in the first-everWNBA Finals, which had become a three-game championship series.

In 1999, led by what was already known as theBig Three, (Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson), the Comets survived a stunning last-second, half-court, buzzer beater by the Liberty'sTeresa Weatherspoon in Game 2 -- as it appeared the Comets were set to win the title -- to beat the Liberty in three games and win their third straight title, this one after the death of teammateKim Perrot, who died ofcancer.

In 2000, behind league MVP Sheryl Swoopes and eventual WNBA Finals MVP Cynthia Cooper, the Comets beat the Liberty again, this time in two games, to win their fourth straight title cementing themselves as the greatest WNBA team ever assembled. This was the Comets' last championship and lastFinals appearance in franchise history.

The Comets suffered two blows before the 2001 season--Cooper retired and Swoopes tore her ACL. Despite playing without the two biggest stars from their title runs, Houston made the playoffs with a 19–13 record before falling in the first round to the eventual championLos Angeles Sparks. In 2002, Swoopes won her second MVP and the Comets finished 24–8, but lost to theUtah Starzz in 3 games.

In 2003, they qualified to the playoffs for the 7th straight year, but they lost in the first round to the Sacramento Monarchs in 3 games. They missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history with a record of 13–21 in 2004, but returned in 2005 with a 19–15 record, finishing 3rd. In the first round, the Comets knocked out the 2004 defending championSeattle Storm in 3 games, but lost in the conference finals to theSacramento Monarchs in a sweep, which Sacramento later became WNBA Champions in 2005. Houston would return to the playoffs with an 18–16 record, but lost to the 2005 defending champion Sacramento Monarchs in another sweep. 2006 was the last playoff appearance for the Houston Comets.

After the Comets' season ended in 2006, the team went through a major front-office changes during the off-season. In October 2006, team owner Leslie Alexander – who also owned theHouston Rockets -- announced he was selling the Comets, and longtime head coachVan Chancellor resigned in January 2007.

On January 31, 2007, the WNBA Board of Governors approved the sale of the team toHilton Koch, a Houston-basedmattress andfurniture businessman. Two weeks later, Comets assistant coach Karleen Thompson was named to become the team's new head coach and general manager for the 2007 season.

For the 2007 season, they would miss the playoffs for the second time in franchise history after starting the season 0–10, resulting in a 13–21 record.

On December 12, 2007, team owner Hilton Koch announced that the Comets would be moving from theToyota Center toReliant Arena for the 2008 WNBA season.^[6] This resulted in a loss of fans. The Toyota Center drew 13,000 fans, but the Reliant Arena could only house 7,200. In 2008, the Comets' final year, they only drew an average 6,000 fans per game and sold out four games.^[7]

In 2008, Koch put the team up for sale, with an asking price of $10 million, however no investors stepped up. The WNBA took over management of the Comets and disbanded the team in December 2008.^[8] They stated that they would only be suspending operations in 2009, which some people saw as a sign that the franchise could be revived if an investor came in. Comets players were sent off to other teams in a dispersal draft.^[9]

League president Donna Orender said that the collapse of the Comets was not a sign that the WNBA was in trouble. Cynthia Cooper said that the loss of the Comets was "disturbing news" and that the Comets were integral to the WNBA.^[7]

The Comets played their final home game on September 15, 2008 at theStrahan Coliseum on the campus ofTexas State due toHurricane Ike. They defeated theSacramento Monarchs 90–81. They finished the season 17–17 and missed the playoffs for the third time in their history.^[7]

In April 2024, theHouston Rockets, now owned byTilman Fertitta, submitted to the WNBA to revive the Comets franchise and intends to retain the team's branding if successfully landing an expansion bid.^[10]

• Leslie Alexander (1997–2006)
• Hilton Koch (2007–2008)
• WNBA (2008)

2008Houston Comets roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Height Weight From G 1 Ajavon, Matee 5' 10" (1.78m) 160 lb (73kg) Rutgers G/F 00 Byears, Latasha 5' 11" (1.8m) 206 lb (93kg) DePaul G 20 Dixon, Tamecka 5' 9" (1.75m) 148 lb (67kg) Kansas G 15 Hodges, Roneeka 5' 11" (1.8m) 165 lb (75kg) Florida State G/F 17 Holmes, Sequoia 6' 1" (1.85m) 155 lb (70kg) UNLV G 41 Johnson, Shannon 5' 7" (1.7m) 152 lb (69kg) South Carolina F 21 Lyttle, Sancho 6' 4" (1.93m) 175 lb (79kg) Houston G 4 Mabika, Mwadi 5' 11" (1.8m) 165 lb (75kg) Democratic Republic of the Congo G/F 99 Maïga-Ba, Hamchétou 6' 1" (1.85m) 160 lb (73kg) Old Dominion C 2 Snow, Michelle 6' 5" (1.96m) 158 lb (72kg) Tennessee F 7 Thompson, Tina 6' 2" (1.88m) 178 lb (81kg) USC G 5 White, Erica 5' 3" (1.6m) 135 lb (61kg) LSU F 8 Williams, Mistie 6' 3" (1.91m) 184 lb (83kg) Duke	Head coach Karleen Thompson (USC) Assistant coaches Ryan Weisenberg (California Poly.) Laurie Byrd (Eastern Michigan) Athletic trainer Courtney Watson Strength and conditioning coach Virgil Campbell Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured  WNBA roster page

• Tiffani Johnson
• Matee Ajavon
• Janeth Arcain
• Octavia Blue
• Latasha Byears
• Dominique Canty
• Cynthia Cooper, now the head coach of theTexas Southern Tigers Women's Basketball Team
• Tamecka Dixon
• Ukari Figgs
• Nekeshia Henderson
• Sonja Henning
• Tammy Jackson
• Shannon Johnson
• Amanda Lassiter
• Edwige Lawson
• Tynesha Lewis
• Rebecca Lobo
• Sancho Lyttle
• Mwadi Mabika
• Hamchétou Maïga
• Kim Perrot
• Jennifer Rizzotti, now the head coach of theGeorge Washington Colonials Women's Basketball Team
• Michelle Snow
• Dawn Staley, now the head coach of theSouth Carolina Gamecocks Women's Basketball Team
• Sheryl Swoopes, now assistant coach ofTexas Tech Red Raiders Women's Basketball Team
• Lindsay Taylor
• Tina Thompson, formerly the head coach ofVirginia Cavaliers Women's Basketball Team
• Amaya Valdemoro
• Coquese Washington, now assistant head coach ofNotre Dame Fighting Irish Women's Basketball Team
• Kara Wolters

Head coaches:

• Van Chancellor (1997–2007) (served as the women's head basketball coach atLouisiana State University from 2007 to 2011)
• Karleen Thompson (2007–2008)

General managers

• Carroll Dawson (1997–2007)
• Karleen Thompson (2007–08)

• Houston Comets
• Basketball teams established in 1997
• Basketball teams disestablished in 2008
• Defunct Women's National Basketball Association teams
• Basketball teams in Houston

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