Houston's women's basketball pioneers are getting their own tea party this week. The third annual Legends of the Ball Inc.'s Sneaker Tea kicks off Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at Kingwood Country Club, bringing together trailblazers from the Houston Comets and the Houston Angels for a morning built around stories, sneakers, and nostalgia.
The event is designed to celebrate the history of women's basketball in Houston, according to Click2Houston. Guests scheduled to attend include members of the 2018 Women's Basketball Hall of Fame class, along with special guests from the 1997 Houston Comets and the 1978 Houston Angels. Organizers promise attendees will hear the untold stories, struggles, and triumphs of the women who built the game locally.
Seats are still available as of Tuesday, per the same report, with tickets priced at $60. Attendees are also encouraged to wear their favorite sneakers to the tea, a nod to the event's name and its basketball roots.
Two Teams, Two Different Eras of Houston Hoops Glory
The 1997 Houston Comets guests arrive with a championship pedigree that still resonates nationally. The Comets won the WNBA's first-ever title that year, beating the New York Liberty 66-51 in Houston, according to WNBA.com. That victory launched a run of four consecutive league championships for the franchise.
The dynasty's third title, in 1999, came against the same Liberty squad. The station's report recounts how Teresa Weatherspoon and Kym Hampton of the New York Liberty battled Cynthia Cooper and Sheryl Swoopes of the Houston Comets for a loose ball during Game 3 of the 1999 WNBA Finals in Houston. The Comets won that game 59-47 at home on September 5, 1999, completing the three-peat, as detailed by Andscape. Cynthia Cooper scored 24 points and grabbed six rebounds in that clinching game, earning her third straight Finals MVP award, while Sheryl Swoopes added 11 points in the win. Per Basketball-Reference, Houston entered that decisive game holding a 2-1 series edge over New York.
Angels Predate the WNBA by Nearly Two Decades
The 1978 Houston Angels represent an even earlier chapter of the city's basketball history, one that unfolded almost 20 years before the WNBA existed. The Angels captured the league title during the Women's Professional Basketball League's inaugural season in April 1979, according to Fun While It Lasted. They clinched that championship by defeating the Iowa Cornets 111-104 in a decisive fifth game played at the University of Houston's Hofheinz Pavilion.
The league itself ran from 1978 to 1981, but the Angels only lasted through its first two seasons. The team folded after the 1979-80 season, with its demise officially announced in October 1980, per the same source. That short but championship-laden run is part of what Legends of the Ball Inc. is working to preserve through events like Wednesday's tea.
The nonprofit behind the gathering describes itself on Instagram as a 501(c)(3) organization that promotes the historic and social relevance of the sport, according to its Legends of the Ball Inc. account, which has drawn more than 1,000 followers. For Houston sports fans hoping to hear firsthand accounts from both the Comets' championship era and the Angels' pioneering seasons, Wednesday morning at Kingwood Country Club offers a rare chance to do it over tea.
