NEW YORK –The New York Liberty’s Director of Player and Franchise Development, Teresa Weatherspoon has been hired by the New Orleans Pelicans, the team announced today. The team has added Weatherspoon to its staff as a two-way player development coach.
“As one of the most respected and inspirational players to ever play in the WNBA, Teresa has a long-standing tenure with the New York Liberty franchise as both a player and a member of the coaching staff,” said the Liberty’s owner Joseph Tsai. “She will always be a part of the Liberty family.”
During her eight-year WNBA career, Weatherspoon appeared in 254 games with the New York Liberty and Los Angeles Sparks averaging 5.0 points, 5.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game.
A Liberty legend and Ring of Honor member, Weatherspoon joined the New York Liberty in the WNBA’s inaugural season in 1997 after being selected 10th overall in the WNBA Elite Draft. A four-time All-Star, she helped lead New York to four WNBA Finals appearances (1997, 1999, 2000, 2002).
Named one of the Top-20 best and most influential players in WNBA history in 2016, she was also the first player in the league to post 1,000 points and 1,000 assists for her career. Weatherspoon is a five-time WNBA All-Star (1999-2003) and two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (1997, 1998).
Internationally, Weatherspoon is a six-time Italian League All-Star (1989-1994), two-time Russian League champion (1995, 1996) and an Olympic gold medalist (1988).
She played collegiately for Louisiana Tech University (1984-1988) where she was named to the Kodak All-America Team twice (1987, 1988). In 1988, she led the team to an NCAA Championship and was named the recipient of the Wade Trophy. She was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
Weatherspoon began her coaching career as the head coach of the Westchester Phantoms of the American Basketball Association in 2007. In 2008, she joined the coaching staff of Louisiana Tech, where she was the head coach from 2008-2014, leading her alma mater to three postseason berths, including back-to-back Western Athletic Conference titles and NCAA Tournament berths in 2010 and 2011.
After serving as a consultant with the New York Liberty during the 2014 WNBA season, she joined the coaching staff as the first Director of Player Development in franchise history for 2015. Weatherspoon was inducted into the 2019 class of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.