[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book I)]
[May 15, 2000]
[Pages 934-936]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks to the 1999 Women's National Basketball Association Champion 
Houston Comets
May 15, 2000

     The President. Please be seated. Good afternoon, and welcome to the 
Rose Garden. I want to thank the Marine Brass for playing for us and 
bringing us in, and also thank three Members from the Texas delegation 
for being here: Representative Ken Bentsen, 
Representative

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Sheila Jackson Lee, and Representative 
Gene Green, thank you for coming.
    I want to welcome the president of the WNBA, Val Ackerman; Coach Chancellor; and 
Leslie and Nanci Alexander. And I know we have all the team here. Sheryl 
Swoopes was here in April of 1993 with the 
Lady Raiders of Texas Tech. How about that? I remember that.
    And I want to say a special word of welcome to Loretta 
Perrot, sister of Kim Perrot. I know we're 
all glad that she's here with the team today, and I welcome her.
    We have a lot of other distinguished athletes and sports figures in 
the crowd today, as well as some students from Ben Murch Elementary 
School, the DC city public school champions. Welcome.
    Today we're here to celebrate the team that refuses to lose, the 
Houston Comets. Three years ago I had the privilege of speaking with 
your team after you had won the first championship, the first in WNBA 
history. In 1998 you took the crown again. And this season, with your 
victory over the Liberty, you're at the top again, joining the ranks of 
Bill Russell's Celtics and Michael 
Jordan's Bulls, becoming only the fourth 
franchise in the history of basketball to win three titles in a row. I 
have--yes, give them another hand. [Applause] That's good.
    Some of you may know, I'm a modestly fanatic basketball fan, and I 
follow the WNBA every season. And I am delighted by the continuing 
progress in both the great quality of play and the enthusiasm of the 
fans, and I think it's only going to get better and better and better.
    I want to say, too, I watched the final series. I saw some or all of 
every one of those games. And I was impressed by the teamwork, as well 
as the star work. I was pretty impressed that in the last game, 
Cynthia and Sheryl 
scored 20 of the first 22 points. I need some people like that on my 
team from time to time around here. [Laughter]
    And I want to say also, though, you don't win three times in a row 
unless you have a team, unless everybody has a role to play and 
everybody plays it, and unless people understand that they all do better 
when they help each other. And that's the sort of spirit that we need 
more of, indeed, in more other teams in our country and in running our 
communities and our Nation.
    Great basketball teams are also led by great coaches. Coach Van 
Chancellor has raised the standard of 
excellence in women's basketball. And in return, he's been named Coach 
of the Year three times in a row. I know, because of the loss of Kim, 
this has not been an easy year for this team. Adversity breaks some 
people. It caused you to break records. You should all be proud of that 
as well.
    Your team has taught America a lot, not just about the game at which 
you excel but about courage and perseverance, self-confidence and 
teamwork. It's no wonder so many young girls are now following your lead 
in taking up basketball. A new generation of women are watching, 
learning, developing better skills, and dreaming loftier dreams.
    Congratulations on a well-deserved victory, and thank you for 
setting an example for all of us to follow.
    And now, I'd like to introduce the president of the WNBA, Val 
Ackerman. Val.

 [At this point, Ms. Ackerman and Coach Van 
Chancellor made brief remarks. Players 
Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson then 
presented a jersey to the President.]

     The President. Well, thank you very much for the unisex jersey 
here. [Laughter] I'll fight with Hillary over the right to wear it.
    Thank you again for your example. I did want to say this about your 
coach: When I first started watching him on 
television, you know, when I saw him working with them and I thought 
about his roots, I thought, it's kind of nice to have a guy winning in 
the WNBA who speaks without an accent. [Laughter] Maybe it's just my 
ear, but it sounds good to me.
     Coach Chancellor. We're from the same 
area.
     The President. I know. That's what I was meaning, you know. You may 
get mine back, before I know it. [Laughter]
    And thank you, Cynthia, for your remarks. 
And I thank all of you. And I will wear this when I work out, and I'll 
always remember this day. I wish you many more championships. We have a 
lot of happy moments here in the Rose Garden, but I have a feeling that 
this is one I'll remember for a good long while.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 6:06 p.m. in the Rose Garden at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Houston Comets President Leslie

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L. Alexander and his wife, Nanci; and Loretta Perrot, sister of team 
member Kim Perrot, who died of cancer.