The tempest had already started brewing in the Compaq Center concourses with 2.4 seconds left in Game 2 of the 1999 WNBA Finals. Comets star Tina Thompson flicked a deft effort off the glass, giving Houston a two-point advantage over the Liberty. Hymns swept across the cathedral as the Comets \u2013 the nascent league\u2019s only ever champion \u2013 moved one step closer to adding a third trophy to their collection.<\/p>\n
New York attempted to produce a last-second heave and level the series at one game apiece. The ensuing scheme proved somewhat ideal; the inbound pass found the hands of Teresa Weatherspoon, a diminutive guard who was arguably the league\u2019s best passer.<\/p>\n
Weatherspoon turned upstream, evaded her marker and launched an unruly effort from behind the halfcourt line.<\/p>\n
As Weatherspoon recalled in an excellent oral history<\/a>,\u00a0\u201cI let it go and it looked like it took forever \u2014 like it took forever to get there.”<\/p>\n The orb caromed off the backboard and nestled harmlessly into the net. New York players spilled onto the floor as the bleachers fell ghost-quiet.<\/p>\n \u201cAs we were celebrating, you could see confetti starting to fall,\u201d said Liberty guard Kym Hampton.<\/p>\n Houston recovered in Game 3 to capture its third WNBA crown in as many seasons. Still, Weatherspoon\u2019s heroics gave the league its first real defining moment. Twenty-six years later, \u201cThe Shot\u201d is still bearing fruit.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n MORE: Back to The Sporting News’ 140 Greatest Sports Moments of All Time<\/a><\/p>\n SN COVERS: Check out all the classics from Ty Cobb to Kobe Bryant<\/a><\/p>\n