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WNBA's Greatest Moments Presented by AOL.com

July 20, 2006 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release


WHO: WNBA and AOL.com

WHAT: The WNBA's Greatest Moments by AOL.com

The WNBA's Greatest Moments Presented by AOL.com will allow fans the opportunity to go on line at http://aol.com/wnba and vote for the Greatest Shot, Pass, Milestone, and Inspiring Performance and, ultimately, the single Greatest Moment in the league's 10-year history. The top moment in WNBA lore will be revealed during Game 2 of the WNBA Finals.

WHEN: Voting will commence in conjunction with the 2006 WNBA All-Star Game presented by Vonage, on July 12, 2006, and will conclude on August 23, 2006.

WHERE: http://aol.com/wnba

People can cast their vote for the greatest moments by logging on to www.aol.com/wnba. The results then will be posted on aol.com. The four nominees for the All-Time Greatest Moment will be comprised of the winning moments from each of the aforementioned categories (shots, passes, milestones, inspiring performances).

The nominated moments include:

Week 1: Greatest Shot (Voting: Wednesday, July 12 through Tuesday, July 18) - Teresa Weatherspoon of the New York Liberty hits a miracle shot from half court on September 4, to win Game 2 of the 1999 WNBA Finals and send the series to a third and final game. The shot is accompanied by one of the best live calls in WNBA history.

- Nikki Teasley, then a rookie with the Los Angeles Sparks, hits the game winning three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Sparks the 2002 WNBA Championship over the New York Liberty.

- Brooke Wyckoff, coming off the bench for the Connecticut Sun, nails a three-pointer from the corner to send Game 2 of the 2005 WNBA Finals into overtime.

- In her final season, the Houston Comets' Cynthia Cooper hits a three-pointer that sends the game to overtime on August 26, 2000. The Comets prevail in the extra session over the New York Liberty, 79-73, and capture their fourth consecutive title while Cooper wins her fourth straight WNBA Finals MVP award.

- In Game 3 of the 2003 Finals, Detroit's Deanna Nolan nails a buzzer-beating three-pointer from the corner to defeat the defending champion Los Angeles Sparks. The basket seals the championship for the Shock and completes a magical "worst- to- first" season.

Week 2: Greatest Passes (Voting: Wednesday, July 19, through Tuesday, July 25) - Nikki Teasley, then of the Los Angeles Sparks, completes a sweet behind-the-back pass to Sacramento's Yolanda Griffith for a lay-up in the 2003 All-Star Game.

- Another assist from the 2003 All-Star Game: Seattle's Sue Bird leads a fast break and drops a spectacular no-look pass between her legs to her trailing teammate Lauren Jackson, who scores the uncontested lay-up.

- On June 24, 2005, Indiana's Tan White goes with the behind-the-back, no-look, 360-degree pass to Kelly Miller who drops in the lay-up and gets the foul against Minnesota.

- On August 8, 2001, New York's Teresa Weatherspoon passes behind her back to Tari Phillips for the jumper.

- Against the Utah Starzz on August 12, 2002, Sacramento's Ticha Penicheiro pirouettes and zips a no-look pass to a cutting La'Keisha Frett for the lay-up.

Week 3: Greatest Milestones (Voting: Wednesday, July 26, through Tuesday, August 1) - The WNBA tips-off on June 21, 1997 at the L.A. Forum on NBC. The game features the New York Liberty and the Los Angeles Sparks.

- Lisa Leslie throws down the first dunk in WNBA history as the Los Angeles Sparks take on the Miami Sol on July 30, 2002.

- The Houston Comets are crowned the first-ever champions of the WNBA as they defeat New York in the 1997 WNBA Finals.

- Katie Smith, then a member of the Minnesota Lynx, scores 46 points against Los Angeles on July 8, 2001. The point total still stands as a WNBA single-game record today.

- In 2003, Lauren Jackson of the Seattle Storm becomes not only the first foreign player to be named WNBA MVP, but also the youngest at age 22.

Week 4: Greatest Inspiring Performances (Voting: Wednesday, August 2, through Tuesday, August 8) - Edna Campbell of the Sacramento Monarchs makes a triumphant return to the court on August 13, 2002, after battling breast cancer. Her first basket on the fast break is truly inspirational.

- In a gutsy and emotional performance on August 16, 1999, Houston Comets star Cynthia Cooper scores 42 points against Utah as her best friend and teammate, Kim Perrot, was nearing the end of her battle with lung cancer. Kim passed away three days later.

- On September 27, 2004, Seattle's Sue Bird suffers a broken nose during Game 2 of the Storm's first round playoff series against Minnesota. While Sue would require surgery and be forced to wear a protective face guard, she would not miss a single playoff game (eight games total) en route the Storm's first-ever WNBA Championship. Sue averaged 5.3 assists and 8.5 points throughout the playoffs that year.

- After missing a season of action due to a torn ACL, Houston's Sheryl Swoopes returns to the court with a vengeance, averaging 18.5 points per game and winning the WNBA MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards.

- The Detroit Shock go from worst to first and win the 2003 WNBA Title in dramatic fashion. They lose Game 1 in Los Angeles and barely squeak out a victory in Game 2. Deanna Nolan's three-pointer in the final moments of Game 3 sealed the championship for the Shock in front of 22,076 fans, the largest crowd in WNBA history.

Week 5 & 6: All-Time Greatest Moment (Voting: Wednesday, August 9 through Tuesday, August 23) - The four nominees for the All-Time Greatest Moment will be comprised of the winning moments from each of the above categories.

- The All-Time Greatest Moment will be announced during Game 2 of the 2006 WNBA Finals.

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