Last Updated on May 28, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Teresa Weatherspoon earned respect throughout her career for the intensity and toughness she brought to every game, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Even without being the tallest player on the court, her leadership, hustle, and competitive edge helped turn her into one of the defining guards of early women’s professional basketball.

Here is the detailed profile of Teresa Weatherspoon:

Player Profile

  • Full Name: Teresa Gaye Weatherspoon
  • Nationality: American
  • Date of Birth: December 8, 1965
  • Hometown: Pineland, Texas, USA
  • Height: 5 feet 8 inches (173 cms)
  • Weight: 147 lbs (67 kg)
  • Wingspan: 5 feet 9 inches (175 cms)
  • Shoe Size: Size 8 (US)
  • Number: Wore #11 with the New York Liberty and Los Angeles Sparks
  • Position: Point Guard
  • High School: West Sabine High School (Texas)
  • College: Louisiana Tech University (1984–1988)
  • WNBA Draft: Allocated to the New York Liberty in the inaugural WNBA season (1997)
  • Teams Played For:
    • New York Liberty (1997–2003)
    • Los Angeles Sparks (2004)
    • Played internationally in Italy and Russia before joining the WNBA
  • Championship Rings: 0 (played in WNBA Finals but did not win a championship)
  • Parents: Charles and Rowena Weatherspoon
  • Kids: None
  • Siblings: Two brothers and three sisters (Teresa Weatherspoon is the youngest of the six)

Player Archetype / Play Style

Teresa Weatherspoon was a hard-nosed floor general in the pure lead-guard mold: a defensive tone-setter, ball-pressure specialist, and vocal organizer who used toughness, anticipation, and relentless energy to disrupt opposing guards while running the offense as a pass-first creator. At 5-foot-8 and 161 pounds, she was not overpowering physically, but she played bigger than her frame because of her strength, balance, and competitive edge. Offensively, her main value came from controlling tempo, initiating sets, getting teammates involved, and making winning plays rather than hunting her own shot, while her overall style blended grit, leadership, playmaking, and clutch nerve in a way that made her one of the WNBA’s defining early point guards.

Sources:
Basketball-Reference (Basketball Reference)
WNBA.com (WNBA)