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Kym Hampton, the first scorer for the New York Liberty in the WNBA's inaugural season, reflects on Coach Nancy Darsch's initial skepticism about the team. Despite early doubts, the team developed a strong identity and made history together.
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New York Liberty player Kym Hampton
Credit: Corey Sipkin/NY Daily News Archive via Getty
Kym Hampton was the first player to score for the New York Liberty in the inaugural WNBA season
Hampton says the 1997 team embraced a gritty, defensive identity and understood they were making history together
She remains proud of the league's growth and celebrated the Liberty's first championship win in 2024 with tears of joy
When the New York Liberty selected Kym Hampton as the No. 4 pick in the 1997 WNBA elite draft, she knew she was part of history.
Nearly three decades later, Hampton tells PEOPLE that âthe vibe was truly different" going into that inaugural season. Hampton says that all her teammates knew the stakes were high and that they "were there to take care of business."
"We knew how important this was without even saying it. No one ever talked about, 'This is really important. We're creating history here'... no one even said that, but I think there was just an underlying understanding that we all had."
The inaugural 1997 WNBA draft was a three-part process to form the eight-team league. First, there was an initial player allocation, where they assigned two high-profile players to each roster to create immediate star power. Next, there was an "elite" draft of established professional veterans, most of whom played overseas, which is when Hampton was selected. After that, there was a four-round regular draft for college players to round out the teams.
While the Liberty would go on to make the first-ever WNBA championship, Hampton, who was 34 when she was drafted, admits that not everyone had much faith in the team at its inception.
Kym Hampton recalled that Coach Nancy Darsch 'not really liking' the inaugural New York Liberty team initially.
The 1997 New York Liberty team embraced a gritty, defensive identity while recognizing they were making history.
Kym Hampton celebrated the Liberty's first championship win in 2024 with tears of joy.
Kym Hampton expressed pride in the league's growth and the historical significance of the Liberty's inaugural season.

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Head coach Nancy Darsch of the New York Liberty in 1997
Credit: Nathaniel S. Butler/WNBAE/Getty
"We knew very early on what our team identity was. We were the oldest team in the league," she shares. "And I distinctly remember [head coach] Nancy Darsch not really liking the team because she wanted to rely more on the collegiate players, because she felt like, âWho are these players?' "
Along with Hampton, the team was anchored by Rebecca Lobo, Teresa Weatherspoon, Sophia Witherspoon, and Vickie Johnson.
"Carol Blazejowski, who happened to have been the general manager, I think she was the vice president as well, she understood and knew about players, she probably put her foot down and picked the team," she adds.
However, when the team started winning, Hampton jokes that the coach quickly came around.
âWhen we started out 7-0, Nancy was like, âOh, okay. That's what it is,'" she remembers.
The identity of the original iteration of the New York Liberty, according to Hampton, was âblue-collar basketball.â
Kym Hampton in 2019
Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty
âWe knew we didn't have the big names, Lisa Leslie, and all that. We did have Rebecca Lobo, but she was new. She was fresh, coming out of college," the athlete explains. "We took some of that pressure off of her and just made it more about a team thing. We were gritty on defense. You weren't gonna get anything easy if we had anything to do with it, and we tried our best."
"We understood that early on and that's what we lived by,â Hampton adds.
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Hampton went down in New York Liberty history as the first player to ever score points for the team, and from early on, she knew they were building âsomething really different.â
Hampton, who played basketball overseas for 12 years before being drafted, was with the New York-based team for three seasons before retiring in 2000 due to a knee injury.
While they were never able to win it all, she watched the team finally hoist the championship trophy in 2024, and admits it brought tears to her eyes.
âWe have always been one of the premier teams in the league. Getting back to that and maintaining that and creating that culture is just so important,â Hampton says.
âI'm super happy about where things are,â she adds. âWhen you stop and look at it, these women are the best in the world at what they do. It's entertaining, it's great basketball. And so I know that there's a time and a place for everything."
"I feel proud that fans are just coming out and they're supporting and they're seeing it for what it is, outside of any and everything else, women's basketball is exciting," she adds.
Hampton is not only proud of the way the league has developed, but is also "proud of the women, the way they carry themselves, how they understand the call and how important it is to show up every game and to play."
âIt's an amazing thing. As an auntie, I feel completely proud of everything and everybody.â
Read the original article on People