The Last Dynasty?

Houston is still the WNBA's only team to build a dynasty

This is the second in a four-part series about the first decade of the Houston Comets.

By Damien Pierce
HoustonComets.com

HOUSTON -- Cynthia Cooper was never regarded as a selfish player during her five-year WNBA career.

However, she has become a tad more egocentric in retirement.

Cooper has her fingers crossed that no other team in the WNBA will ever become as dominating as the Houston Comets were in the late 1990s.

"There is a chance there could be another dynasty in the WNBA since there is so much talent in the league with players like (Phoenix guard) Diana Taurasi," Cooper said. "It would be good for the league and I do want what's best for the league. But there is a selfish part of me that hopes there is never another WNBA dynasty like the one we had in Houston."

She might not have to worry about it.

Nearly six years after their dominating four-year run, the Houston Comets are still the one and only franchise to reign over the WNBA.

Behind the clutch shooting of four-time WNBA Finals MVP Cynthia Cooper and the slashing of another MVP in Sheryl Swoopes, the Comets cruised to four consecutive championships beginning in 1997 to become the league's first dynasty.

No other team has caught up to Houston's trophy collection over the league's first 10 years and few people associated with the league believe another team will match the Comets' feat of four straight titles.

"It's going to be hard," Comets forward Tina Thompson said. "When you look at the talent and revolution of our league, I don't see it happening. After the Sparks went back to back, no other team has won back-to-back titles."

Despite seeing talented and young stars like Seimone Augustus and Taurasi enter the league, chances are pretty good that no other team will have the same collection of talent that the Comets had during their championship years.

After landing Swoopes and Cooper when the league was in the development stages, Houston locked up forward Tina Thompson in the 1997 WNBA draft with the No. 1 overall pick.

Just like that, the Comets had a trio of stars to win championships.

"We had a core group, right away," Thompson said. "We had good nucleus of young and veteran players. We were going to win a few titles with Sheryl Swoopes and Cynthia Cooper. It was inevitable."

During their four-year run, the Comets won their first five playoff games and had a 16-4 record over the period in the postseason. Nine of those victories were by double digits.

Houston's final run championship run might have been its most dominating. Despite having a permanent bull's eye on their back, the Comets won six straight games to win the title.

After winning the league's first four championships, Houston established itself as the WNBA's highest profile team.

"I don't know if that will happen again," Swoopes said. "It makes me feel very special to know that I was a part of the first dynasty if there ever is another dynasty in the WNBA."

Since the league has expanded from eight teams to 14 teams, it's unlikely that such talent will ever settle in one WNBA city again. Rosters are spread out and the talent is more divided than before.

Cooper and Co. can probably rest easy that their run won't matched in the near future.

"It's hard," Swoopes said. "A lot of teams understand now that it's hard to win back-to-back, let alone four in a row. I just think it would difficult because the talent is so much better. Individuals have gotten better and teams have gotten better. I was lucky to be playing with one of the best teams this league will ever have."


Read the first part of the series, the birth of the franchise.