Former Comets stars Sheryl Swoopes (left) and Cynthia Cooper, pictured with former Texans lineman Chester Pitts. were honored at Tuesday’s Rockets game to celebrate the return of the WNBA to Houston in 2027.
Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer
Tears found Cynthia Cooper-Dyke’s eyes when she went to the free-throw line and Houston Comets fans showered with their love and chants of “M-V-P”.
The memory still resonates for the former superstar guard, who fondly recalled the raucous atmosphere at Comets games. Those games were the first times Cooper-Dyke, who played for USC and professionally overseas before coming to Houston, had fans show up early to watch her and teammates warm up, take a picture or get an autograph. She, Tina Thompson and Sheryl Swoopes made history with the franchise, winning the first four WNBA championships.
But for nearly two decades, their legacies had no official home after the Comets were disbanded in 2008. Cooper-Dyke, Thompson and Swoopes were among many in the region who watched as the WNBA expanded to other cities and worried Houston would miss out.
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Those fears disappeared once Cooper-Dyke heard the Connecticut Sun would move to Houston and begin playing as the Comets in the 2027 season. She said she jumped out of her chair when first hearing the news and called her former teammates, who shared the glee. Cooper-Dyke, Thompson and Swoopes were honored at Tuesday’s Rockets-Knicks game at Toyota Center, where the Comets used to and will once again play.
“Now the city of Houston gets a chance to experience the energy that now is the W,” Cooper-Dyke said before the game. “They’ll get a chance to see some of the great stars come here to play: The Caitlin Clarks, the Angel Reeses, the A’Ja Wilsons, the Sabrina Ionescus or Breanna Stewarts, they’ll all come here.”
A highlight video of the trio showed on the big screen, replaced by their current selves stood at halfcourt. The crowd roared as Swoops was announced as a three-time MVP and Thompson as the first WNBA draft pick. Cooper-Dykes went last, putting her hands to her ears to beckon the assembled thousands before hyping them up as she had so many times before: Raising the roof.
“There’s some 28-year-old fans, some 25-year-old fans who never had an experience in a WNBA game here in Houston. They haven’t seen the sea of red or heard 16,000 people chanting ‘M-V-P,’ ” Cooper-Dyke said. “They haven’t seen the entire city of Houston raise the roof during our parades.
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“They’ll get a chance to experience that now.”
Cooper-Dykes thanked the Fertitta family, whose company bought the Sun for $300 million, ESPN and the Connecticut Insider reported. The $300 million is the highest for which a team has been sold in the WNBA.
“I’m so glad we have a home for our trophies, for our legends,” Cooper-Dyke said.
The Comets were one of the league’s inaugural eight teams in 1997 and played their last game on Sept. 15, 2008, in San Marcos after Hurricane Ike hit the Houston area. The franchise suspended operations months later.
The league has grown dramatically since, expanding to 13 teams and 18 soon — Portland and Toronto join next season, with Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029) and Philadelphia (2030) following. Following jumps in television viewership and attendance, the league and players’ association agreed on a new collective bargaining agreement that dramatically increased player salaries.
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Rockets coach Ime Udoka showed up to his pregame press conference wearing a white and orange sweatshirt with the WNBA logo and “HOU” written underneath. He said he was excited to have the WNBA in the market — noting it was extra special because his sister, Mfon Udoka, played for the Comets.
Rockets star Kevin Durant said after the game he was “so happy” to see the return.
“Comets are a historic franchise, a historic brand that kick-started the WNBA,” he said. “Feel for the people in Connecticut though because they definitely supported their team through and through — but they got UConn women’s basketball.”