[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 20 (Monday, May 22, 2000)]
[Pages 1113-1114]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
 Remarks Honoring 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 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

[[Page 1114]]

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