Liberty’s Ring of Honor Welcomes Vickie Johnson

If the WNBA has one defining on-court moment through its 15 years of existence, you can bet the farm that Vickie Johnson and Teresa Weatherspoon had something to do with it. Beloved on and off the floor and in and out of New York, the Liberty greats helped build the foundation of the team and the league.

It’s no surprise then that Johnson and Weatherspoon head the talented and beloved first class that will be inducted into the Liberty’s new Ring of Honor. In addition to T-Spoon and Johnson, Kym Hampton and Sue Wicks will also be honored.

Ring of Honor induction ceremonies will take place throughout the season, beginning tonight when the organization celebrates the career and contributions of Johnson. A New York guard from 1997 to 2005, Johnson played in 282 games while scoring 3,246 career points, 1,053 rebounds and 787 assists. In my mind, there’s no one more deserving than Johnson to be the first into the team’s hall of fame.

Tonight’s induction will take place during the Liberty game against San Antonio. Ironically, in the house for the Ring of Honor ceremony will be Silver Star All-Star Becky Hammon. Hammon is widely considered one of the Liberty greats, having amassed more than 2,300 points during her career in New York (1999-2006).

Upcoming scheduled inductions are July 17 (Weatherspoon), July 28 (Wicks) and Aug. 30 (Hampton).

In a unique set of circumstances, the special Ring of Honor committee will welcome a fifth retired Liberty player to the special group but it has given the responsibility of naming the final member to the fans. The ballot for the only remaining spot in the Ring of Honor includes Rebecca Lobo, Tari Phillips, Crystal Robinson, Tamika Whitmore and Sophia Witherspoon.

Online voting for the fifth honoree will take place July 11 to 22. It’s a pretty significant achievement to be nominated for the spot, even bigger to win. Take a moment over the holiday weekend and the days after to think about your vote. I know I will.

I will reveal my vote for the final spot as well as the reasoning behind my selection in a blog post next week.