Honoring the Houston Comets on the occasion of the basketball team's 2027 return to the WNBA.

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By: Ward Johnson
H.R. No. 11

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, The Houston Comets franchise is celebrating a return

to the Women's National Basketball Association in 2027, providing a

fitting opportunity to honor the team's rich history; and

WHEREAS, One of the eight original WNBA teams in 1997, the

Comets are being relaunched in Houston after the franchise folded

in 2008 following more than a decade of operation; in 2026, the

Connecticut Sun WNBA team was purchased by Houston Rockets owner

Tilman J. Fertitta and his company, Fertitta Entertainment, with

plans to relocate the Sun and its players and staff to Houston; the

move received unanimous approval from league owners, and in 2027,

the reestablished Comets will join the Rockets in playing at the

newly renovated Toyota Center in downtown Houston; and

WHEREAS, Over the course of their legendary 12-season run,

the Houston Comets built a hardwood dynasty, helping lay the

foundation for women in professional basketball; led by future

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Cynthia Cooper,

Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson, and head coach Van Chancellor, the

Comets captured the league's first four championship trophies,

becoming only the fifth team in professional sports history to win

four or more consecutive titles; and

WHEREAS, The Comets were an enormously popular draw, and

their home attendance eclipsed well past 12,000 during the team's

four-year stint as WNBA champions; the Comets, who initially

competed at the Compaq Center and then at the Toyota Center, were

disbanded in 2008 following ownership change and a move to the

smaller Reliant Arena; the 2027 campaign marks the Comets'

momentous return to the Toyota Center, where their four

championship banners still hang from the rafters; and

WHEREAS, The Houston Comets have made significant

contributions to the Lone Star State's proud legacy of athletic

excellence, and the franchise's return to the Bayou City is an

exciting development for basketball fans in Texas and beyond; now,

therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 90th Texas

Legislature hereby honor the Houston Comets on the occasion of the

team's 2027 return to the WNBA and extend to the players, coaches,

management, and staff sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it

further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be

prepared for the franchise as an expression of high regard by the

Texas House of Representatives.