Teresa Weatherspoon Transcript

Teresa Weatherspoon: Opening Statement: I’m over whelmed. I think that is the one thing that I can say to everyone today is that I’m truly overwhelmed. I’m sure that all of you all know that I played with New York for quite some time, but now it’s time to bleed purple and gold. I’m truly thankful for the opportunity to be with such an incredible organization, a championship team. I just want to be able fit in, to bring what I know I can bring to the game. The love, the passion, and the intensity each and everyday, not only in the games, but the practices. I want to be the leader that this organization really and truly believes that I can be. I’m just happy now to be bleeding purple and gold and I’m ready to do this thing.

Q: Must of us know how long you’ve been synonymous with New York and your probably the first marquee player under the new free agency to take advantage of it. Do you feel this is the tip of the iceberg? Do you think this is a good thing for the league?

Weatherspoon: I don’t know how good of a thing it is for the league, but I know how good it is for me. This is a great opportunity for me to pursue a dream that I’ve always wanted to pursue and that’s to win a championship ring. In what ever matter, shape, form or fashion it has to be done. I’m just thankful for the opportunity given to me by Penny Toler, coach (Michael) Cooper and the organization itself. I’m taking full advantage of that opportunity and I know just how good it is for me.

Q: Penny and Cooper, your thoughts on free agency and the fact that it has allowed you to acquire a player of Spoons caliber?

Penny Toler: Everybody always says, wouldn’t you like to have the number one pick? I always tell everybody, no because if I have the number one pick my job might be in jeopardy. I want to continue to win and if we’re picking last then we’re picking last. From a GM’s stand point, I’m loving free agency right now. As you see, getting a player of Spoons caliber through free agency, it’s another way to acquire good players, even if you don’t have a number one pick. So for me, I’m happy about everything, I’m ecstatic.

Michael Cooper: From my point of view, first of all I’m just very, very happy and excited that we were able to acquire a player of Teresa’s caliber. Going back to my playing days, she’s similar to me. A defensive minded person and to me defense wins championships. When the players went with the league in signing the collective bargaining agreement and free agency became an option, it’s business now and the business is winning championships and we’re blessed and fortunate to have a good core group, so obviously we would like to have the number one pick, as far as every colligate year, but for us it’s about adding pieces to the puzzle and Teresa is a very important piece that we get to add to our team. Someone who is going to bring tenacity on defense, someone who is going to add to the leadership that we already have, but now we have it even more. We’re happy and excited about it and I’m like Teresa, let’s get it on.

Q: How difficult was it to walk away from New York since you’ve been apart of the Liberty since the team joined the league over seven years ago?

Weatherspoon: I don’t think anyone in there right mind would think it was easy for me to walk away from somewhere that I’ve been for seven years. I gave my heart and my soul, not only on the court, but off the court because I felt it was very important to do those things, like reaching out to our young people. It wasn’t only difficult to leave the arena and the organization itself, it was very difficult to walk away from the family environment that I’ve created from being here in New York City. It’s going to always be difficult. It’s always going to be difficult for me. The one thing that I’ve been taught growing up is when you move on, you don’t look back because if you do you’re going to run into something. I want to turn my head and look forward and look for things that are brighter ahead.

Q: To Cooper, you’ve talked a little about Spoon, she hasn’t lost a step, but she didn’t get some of the minutes that she had in prior years, how will you use her on your squad?

Cooper: One of the things that I’ve appreciated and most admired about T-Spoon is her physical condition. She looked like a player that always kept in great condition. The type of defense we want to play and the transition and the running up and down the floor, it’s going to be impossible for many of our players that have played 35 or 40 minutes a night, but she will get significant minutes with us. I feel very comfortable and confident that she could come in and lead our team. Every time we play the New York Liberty she will play extensive minutes.

Q: For Cooper, do you see Weatherspoon teaching your younger players?

Cooper: Of course. We have a point guard in Nikki Teasley who is still young and she’s still trying to find her way in this league. That’s one of the responsibilities that I would like to see Spoon take on. Showing her the ropes, especially defensively, as well as what it takes to run a team. They’ll work hand and hand and work well together and don’t be surprised to see them both on the court at the same time

Q: How will the cultural transition in going from the West coast to the East coast effect you?

Weatherspoon: I’m from a place with only 882 people and I got myself adjusted to the East coast, I’m going to be even better on the West coast. I won’t have to wear coats. I’m going to adjust fine. I know I have people who will help me make the adjustment. I’m going to be fine. I’m going to enjoy myself.

Q: For Toler, Do you have enough budget left after this move to be able to look for a couple more veterans or now that you have Weatherspoon, are you going to look for younger players to fill out the rest of your bench?

Toler: I never know what this team is going to look like, so I just sit back and I watch and let the cards fall where they fall and I’ll see what we’re putting on the floor April 25.

Q: For Cooper, You definitely feel Weatherspoon can play your up-tempo game. Are there other veteran players who you feel that can play the style you want or is your thinking that I’ll look for some younger athletic players to develop?

Cooper: Right now this is the first piece in the puzzle and we have some other things that we’re looking to do and then we have the colligate draft. Right now we feel very comfortable and confident if we were to put this team on the floor with Teresa, we feel we could go win a championship. Today, that’s all we are looking forward to and then we’ll go where things go.

Q: In talking about free agency, do you think that when a player is given the option of free agency, they have to do what’s best for them even though it doesn’t always mean what may be best for their fans back home?

Weatherspoon: You sometimes have to think about yourself and what’s important to you and what’s going to make you happy. That’s exactly what I’ve had to do. Like I said earlier, it’s very, very difficult to walk away from a city that has truly embraced me with what ever I’ve done. They truly have embraced me. This is a difficult thing for me, but I always have to keep in mind that in order for me to be happy, I have to do what is best for me and if I’m happy I can defiantly go out and give the people the excitement and the joy that they look for and that’s exactly what I want to do. I don’t want to half-ass anything. I want to do everything full out and that’s the way I’m going to approach this whole thing.

Q: Were the negotiations emotional because of having to leave New York or were you immediately excited about the idea, how much did you have to think about making the decision?

Weatherspoon: I was excited, but I immediately told myself, no way. I can’t walk away from seven years of blood, sweat and tears. No way. When your cards are dealt to you and you take a 12 man card and you roll those cards over and you don’t see your face anymore, you have to make a decision. I’ve been given an opportunity from a championship team and I better not be stupid. My mama never told me I was stupid. I might do some crazy things, but I’m not stupid. Penny, coach Cooper and I were going back and forth over the phone and I wouldn’t even say something’s sometimes because I was just listening, I was in a listening mode more than anything because my heart was so full. But when I took a look back and thought about it, I had to go.

Q: Do you want to end your career in LA now or do you have a time table how much longer you want to play?

Weatherspoon: I’m just playing. I love to play. I enjoy playing and until they kick me out, then I’ll go.

Q: Was the decision to leave about the opportunity to contribute and win a title and not anything monetarily?

Weatherspoon: You’re so right. It has nothing to do with that. It has nothing to do with time. It has nothing to do with starting. It has nothing to do with that. It has to do with me pursuing a dream and that’s a ring. That’s what my decision was based on and has nothing to do with any of those things that you might hear or somebody might say, it has nothing to do with that. I want to share the knowledge that I’ve gained playing this game. I have no problem with sharing knowledge, I’m not going to keep anything covered, I want to share the knowledge and I want to be helpful. And when I walk away, I can look back at the game in many ways, not just one, of how I tried to contribute. That is the greatest thing about the game, you can give in so many different ways and that’s what I want to do and I’ve been given an opportunity again and I’m going to take full advantage.

Q: Did it cost you monetarily to follow that dream?

Weatherspoon: It doesn’t even matter. I’m given an opportunity to follow my dream. This is rich within itself.