2000 WNBA Championship

2000 WNBA Finals
TeamCoachWins
Houston Comets Van Chancellor 2
New York Liberty Richie Adubato 0
DatesAugust 24-26
MVPCynthia Cooper (Houston Comets)
Hall of FamersComets:
Cynthia Cooper (2010)
Sheryl Swoopes (2016)
Tina Thompson (2018)
Liberty:
Becky Hammon (2023)
Rebecca Lobo (2017; did not play)
Teresa Weatherspoon (2019)
Coaches:
Van Chancellor (2007)
Eastern finalsNew York defeated Cleveland, 2–1
Western finalsHouston defeated Los Angeles, 2–0

The 2000 WNBA Championship was the championship series of the 2000 WNBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Houston Comets, second-seeded champions of the Western Conference, defeated the New York Liberty, first-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, two games to none in a best-of-three series. This was Houston's fourth title.

The Comets made their fourth appearance in the Finals in franchise history. The Liberty also made their third Finals appearance.

Going into the series, no other team except the Houston Comets had won a WNBA championship (19971999).

The Comets had a 27–5 record (.844), good enough to receive home-court advantage over the Liberty (20–12). It did not matter, however, as the Comets swept the Liberty.

Road to the finals

Houston Comets New York Liberty
27–5 (.844)
2nd West, 2nd overall
Regular season 20–12 (.562)
1st East, 4th overall
Defeated the (3) Sacramento Monarchs, 2–0 Conference Semifinals Defeated the (4) Washington Mystics, 2–0
Defeated the (1) Los Angeles Sparks, 2–0 Conference Finals Defeated the (2) Cleveland Rockers, 2–1


Regular season series

The Comets and the Liberty split the regular season series:

May 29
Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived October 21, 2000)
New York Liberty 68, Houston Comets 84
July 23
Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived October 22, 2000)
Houston Comets 64, New York Liberty 69

Game summaries

All times listed below are Eastern Daylight Time.

Game 1

August 24
Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived October 23, 2000)
Houston Comets 59, New York Liberty 52
Scoring by half: 29–22, 30–39
Pts: Cooper (20)
Rebs: Swoopes, Thompson (8)
Asts: Cooper (5)
Pts: Phillips (24)
Rebs: Phillips (15)
Asts: Weatherspoon (5)
Madison Square Garden, New York
Attendance: 19,563
Referees:
  • Sally Bell
  • Dennis DeMayo
  • Gary Zielinski

Game 2

August 26
Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived October 23, 2000)
New York Liberty 73, Houston Comets 79 (OT)
Scoring by half: 25–27, 39–37 Overtime: 9–15
Pts: Phillips (20)
Rebs: Phillips (7)
Asts: Weatherspoon (8)
Pts: Swoopes (31)
Rebs: Thompson (8)
Asts: Cooper (7)
Compaq Center, Houston
Attendance: 16,285
Referees:
  • June Corteau
  • Courtney Kirkland
  • Michael Price

Rosters

2000 Houston Comets Finals roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHeightWeightFrom
F4Arcain, Janeth5' 11" (1.8m)147 lb (67kg)Brazil
G14Cooper, Cynthia5' 10" (1.78m)150 lb (68kg)USC
F23Jackson, Tammy6' 2" (1.88m)190 lb (86kg)Florida
C00Johnson, Tiffani6' 4" (1.93m)195 lb (88kg)Tennessee
G3Kelley-Gibson, Jawann5' 9" (1.75m)137 lb (62kg)Maryland
C40Lamb, Monica6' 5" (1.96m)206 lb (93kg)USC
G21Rizzotti, Jennifer5' 6" (1.68m)146 lb (66kg)Connecticut
F22Swoopes, Sheryl6' 0" (1.83m)145 lb (66kg)Texas Tech
F7Thompson, Tina6' 2" (1.88m)178 lb (81kg)USC
F13Valdemoro, Amaya6' 1" (1.85m)160 lb (73kg)Spain
G4Washington, Coquese5' 6" (1.68m)138 lb (63kg)Notre Dame
Head coach
Van Chancellor (Mississippi State)
Assistant coaches
Kevin Cook
Alisa Scott

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured
2000 New York Liberty Finals roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHeightWeightFrom
G22Bibby, Jessica5' 7" (1.7m)139 lb (63kg)Australia
F13Ferragut, Marina6' 3" (1.91m)190 lb (86kg)Spain
CFirsova, Olga6' 8" (2.03m)215 lb (98kg)Kansas State
F42Francis, Desiree5' 10" (1.78m)193 lb (88kg)Iowa State
G25Hammon, Becky5' 6" (1.68m)136 lb (62kg)Colorado State
G55Johnson, Vickie5' 9" (1.75m)150 lb (68kg)Louisiana Tech
C50Lobo, Rebecca 6' 4" (1.93m)185 lb (84kg)Connecticut
F24Phillips, Tari6' 1" (1.85m)200 lb (91kg)University of Central Florida
F3Robinson, Crystal5' 10" (1.78m)175 lb (79kg)Southeastern Oklahoma State University
G11Weatherspoon, Teresa5' 8" (1.73m)161 lb (73kg)Louisiana Tech
F44Whitmore, Tamika6' 2" (1.88m)190 lb (86kg)Memphis
F23Wicks, Sue6' 3" (1.91m)174 lb (79kg)Rutgers
Head coach
Richie Adubato (William Paterson)
Assistant coaches
Pat Coyle (Rutgers)
Jeff House

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured