The Houston Comets, the WNBA’s first true dynasty, folded after the 2008 season when ongoing ownership and financial issues led the league to shut the franchise down.

Quick Scoop: What happened to the Houston Comets?

  • The Comets were one of the original eight WNBA teams, launching in 1997 and immediately becoming a powerhouse built around Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson.
  • They won four straight WNBA titles from 1997–2000, a run that still stands as one of the most dominant streaks in pro basketball history.
  • After their dynasty years, key stars retired or moved on, attendance dipped, and the team changed hands, creating instability behind the scenes.
  • By 2008, persistent ownership and financial problems meant the franchise could no longer be sustained, and the league ultimately disbanded the Comets after that season.

Rise of a WNBA dynasty

The Houston Comets exploded onto the scene in 1997, winning the league’s inaugural championship and igniting local fan support in Houston. Led by Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson, and coach Van Chancellor, they became the WNBA’s first iconic “superteam.”

From 1997 through 2000, the Comets captured four consecutive titles, with Cooper winning Finals MVP all four times and Swoopes becoming the league’s first three‑time regular-season MVP. Their success helped elevate national attention for women’s basketball and set the standard for what a WNBA dynasty could look like.

The slow decline

Once Cooper retired and injuries and roster changes started to hit, the Comets were no longer the unbeatable force they had been. They stopped making deep playoff runs, and the buzz that surrounded their early years gradually faded as new WNBA powers emerged.

Off the court, the franchise dealt with changing ownership and financial strain, an especially tough combination for a women’s pro team in a still- growing league. As attendance and revenue slipped, it became harder to justify the operating costs, even with the team’s historic legacy behind it.

Why the franchise ultimately folded

By 2007–2008, the Comets’ ownership picture was unstable, and the team was eventually taken over and then shut down when a sustainable local buyer could not be secured. The WNBA announced after the 2008 season that the franchise would cease operations, ending Houston’s run as a league city.

No relocation or rebrand followed; the franchise was simply dissolved, and its players were dispersed through a league-wide draft. For many fans, this felt like a jarring end to a team that had once symbolized the league’s promise and peak competitiveness.

Legacy and “latest news” vibe

Even though the Comets no longer exist, their legacy is still very present whenever people talk about superteams or dynasties in the WNBA. Fans and media often cite them when comparing modern contenders, and anniversary pieces still celebrate their titles and the emotional story of teammates like Kim Perrot, who passed away during the dynasty years.

Recent retrospectives and team-history features keep the question “what happened to the Houston Comets” alive as a trending topic among hoop fans, especially around league milestones and expansion talk. In online forum discussion, the Comets are remembered with a mix of pride for their dominance and frustration that a team this historic could disappear so completely from the league map.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.