WNBA: No More Houston Comets

WNBA President Donna Orender announced today that the Houston Comets - arguably the most successful franchise in the league's 12-year history - will disband this offseason after not being able to find an owner. The league took over the franchise earlier this year from Houston businessman Hilton Koch.

The Comets won the WNBA's first four championships, from 1997-2000, and have been home to some of the brightest superstars to play the women's game; Sheryl Swoopes and Cynthia Cooper both won MVP awards and Tina Thompson was an all-WNBA player as well.

"You can't ignore the fact that this team was the engine that drove the league," Orender told the Associated Press. "We appreciate the fan base. With the affection the fans in the city have for the team, maybe one day the corporate and city leaders will aggregate their resources and resurrect a formidable franchise."

A dispersal draft for Comets players will take place Dec. 8.

(Photo: Getty Images/Todd Warshaw /Allsport)

Buddy Early is the editor in chief of Sports Out Loud, soon to be Compete, the only gay sports magazine in the United States.

Comments

[Joe Moag]

In this economy, it is hard to imagine a last minute reprieve from Houston's corporate sector.