There is a curiosity about sports history. Why is it that some are accorded an endless stream of remembrances and loving tributes, but others aren’t?
The latter, regrettably, happened to the Houston Comets.
They were one of the original WNBA franchises when the league was founded in 1996. Propelled by the Big 3 of Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson and Cynthia Cooper, they won the league’s first four championships from 1997 to 2000.
Then in 2008, the franchise was strapped for cash and folded into oblivion.
Because of that, the legacy of the Comets was virtually forgotten, with no place for those championship banners to fly.
And yet, the world of women’s basketball held to the Comets tight and strong.
And with a long-awaited round of WNBA expansion finally coming, with the Golden State Valkyries, Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo to be followed by the franchises in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia, there were calls for Houston to get the Comets back.
Then it happened in late March. The Comets will return for the 2027 WNBA season—30 years after their first title. Houston Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta of Fertitta Entertainment bought the Connecticut Sun for $300 million, thereby leaving Connecticut without a WNBA franchise after this season.
And there is someone who is particularly ecstatic about the Comets’ return: their original head coach, Van Chancellor.
“It’s just so exciting for me,” Chancellor said to Swish Appeal. It’s going to be so great for the season. Our fan base loves the Comets. It’s going to be great for the city. It’s just so good for the team and for bringing it back home.”
Chancellor, a native of Louisville, MS, coached from 1965 to 2011 at the high school, collegiate, professional and international levels. From 1997 to 2006, he was right in the thick of all the ups and downs in Houston as the Comets helped change women’s basketball.
“I don’t think there is any doubt that the city is ready to support the Comets again,” Chancellor said. “That’s going to be a great combo. The Comets are going to have an ownership now that they are willing to invest.”
Undoubtedly, there cannot be a celebration of the Comets without mentioning the dearly departed Kim Perrot. The feisty point guard who proudly wore No.10 was the glue that held it all together, even at times when there was friction amongst the Big 3.
Originally, Chancellor didn’t want Perrot when she first tried out, but eventually she secured a spot on the team. From 1997 to 1999, she was their leader before succumbing to cancer on August 25, 1999. The Comets’ third championship became 3 for 10.
To this day, Chancellor holds a special place in his heart for Perrot. “You are talking about my all-time favorite player, he said. “She is looking down from heaven and smiling. The Comets people loved Kim.”
In anticipation of the Comets’ return, the Big 3—Swoopes, Thompson and Cooper—were recognized during a Houston Rockets game against the New York Knicks at the Toyota Center, the arena where the Comets will play, on March 31.
Moreover, the return to Houston will give the new generation of women’s basketball fans the opportunity to learn about the Comets’ legacy. For Chancellor, that fills him up with immense pride.
“I would want them to know that our team not only won, but they put their hearts and soul into the team,” he said. “I want the new generation to understand that the Comets represented what you want young ladies to represent. They represented our city with tremendous class.”
Houston, there’s no problem here.
