Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Coop Will Enter Basketball Hall Of Fame

My Comets may no longer be around (and I'm still pissed about how that transpired on the eve of tomorrow's WNBA Draft) but it was nice to hear during the Final Four that Cynthia Cooper is one of the peeps who will be part of the 2010 Naismith Hall of Fame Enshrinement Class.

The others joining Coop are LA Lakers owner Jerry Buss, Bob Hurley, Sr., Karl Malone and Scottie Pippen, along with the 1960 USA Men's Olympic team and the 1992 USA Basketball "Dream Team." Three players who are part of the 2010 Class are posthumously being inducted: Dennis Johnson, Gus Johnson and international star Maciel "Ubiratan" Pereira.

Interestingly enough, I discovered during my 2008 visit to the Hall of Fame that the Rockets and Comets have a joint exhibit in the Hall for the six combined NBA-WNBA titles won from 1994-2000.

She's now the coach of the Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers, but I had the pleasure of watching her work her magic during that Comets dynasty that dominated the initial years of the WNBA from 1997-2000.

Congrats Coop. Couldn't have happened to a more deserving player, and I'm looking forward to the day when Tina Thompson, Sheryl Swoopes, and Janeth Arcain join you there.