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The Los Angeles Sparks are a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1997, they are one of the original WNBA teams and were one of the teams that participated in the league's inaugural game. Since their inception, the Sparks have been a focal point of the league. Despite this, they had little early success and went through several coaches. After the team signed former Los Angeles Lakers star Michael Cooper as head coach and made some key roster changes, the team made a quick turnaround. Since then, they have been one of the most consistently successful teams in the WNBA. The team's major star has always been USC standout Lisa Leslie, who has led the Sparks since being signed to the team in 1997. The Sparks are the sister team of the Los Angeles Lakers. Uniform: Golden with purple lines on the side at home, with the name Sparks written across in purple. Purple with golden yellow lines on the side on the road, with the name Sparks in Yellow.
Franchise History The Sparks lost to the New York Liberty in the WNBA's inaugural game. Sparks player Penny Toler scored the league's first two points with a lay-up in that game. The Sparks had what many considered to be a disappointing season in 1997, finishing with a record of 14-14, thanks to a loss to the Phoenix Mercury in the final game of the season, which eliminated the Sparks from playoff contention. In 1998, the Sparks finished only 12-18, missing the playoffs once more. They earned playoff berths with the help of Lisa Leslie in 1999 and 2000 (with records of 20-12 and a league-best 28-4, respectively), but their hopes ended in frustration those years, particularly when they got eliminated by the Houston Comets. In 2001, former Los Angeles Lakers player Michael Cooper coached the Sparks to their first championship, after the Sparks were able to finally eliminate the Comets in the playoffs, and beat the Charlotte Sting for the championship. In 2002, Leslie became the first woman to dunk in the league and the Sparks returned to the WNBA Finals, defeating the New York Liberty to become back-to-back champions. They returned to the Finals in 2003, but lost to the Detroit Shock in three games. The 2004 season marked a season of change for the Sparks. They signed two standout players, Tamika Whitmore and Teresa Weatherspoon, who had played for their rival team the New York Liberty. In addition, their coach Michael Cooper left midseason to seek a coaching job in the NBA. While the Sparks finished with one of the league's best regular season records, they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Sacramento Monarchs. In 2005, the Sparks made the playoffs in the Western Conference in the fourth and final playoff berth. Once again, they played the Sacramento Monarchs. They lost the series, 2-0. As of 2006, the Sparks are the only team to have both won and loss in a WNBA Finals series. Other teams had never loss or had never won. The Sacramento Monarchs joined them in 2006 when they lost to the Shock Former University of Tennessee star Chamique Holdsclaw was a key addition to the team's roster in 2005. She came to the Sparks in a trade that sent Delisha Milton-Jones and a first-round draft pick to the Washington Mystics. With Lisa Leslie, they formed one of the most formidable duos in the league. In time with Los Angeles-style announcing, sportscaster Larry Burnett tours with the team and has been doing play-by-play with the Sparks for the last six years. Season-by-Season Records |- |Los Angeles Sparks || || || || |- |1997 || 14 || 14 || .500 || || |- |1998 || 12 || 18 || .400 || || |- |1999 || 20 || 12 || .625 || Won First Round Lost Conference Finals || Los Angeles 71, Sacramento 58 Houston 2, Los Angeles 1 |- |2000 || 28 || 4 || .875 || Won First Round Lost Conference Finals || Los Angeles 2, Phoenix 0 Houston 2, Los Angeles 0 |- |2001 || 28 || 4 || .875 || Won First Round Won Conference Finals Won WNBA Finals || Los Angeles 2, Houston 0 Los Angeles 2, Sacramento 1 Los Angeles 2, Charlotte 0 |- |2002 || 25 || 7 || .781 || Won First Round Won Conference Finals Won WNBA Finals || Los Angeles 2, Seattle 0 Los Angeles 2, Utah 0 Los Angeles 2, New York 0 |- |2003 || 24 || 10 || .706 || Won First Round Won Conference Finals Lost WNBA Finals || Los Angeles 2, Minnesota 1 Los Angeles 2, Sacramento 1 Detroit 2, Los Angeles 1 |- |2004 || 25 || 9 || .735 || Lost First Round || Sacramento 2, Los Angeles 1 |- |2005 || 17 || 17 || .500 || Lost First Round || Sacramento 2, Los Angeles 0 |- |2006 || 25 || 9 || .735 || Won First Round Lost Conference Finals || Los Angeles 2, Seattle 1 Sacramento 2, Los Angeles 0 |- |Totals || 218 || 104 || .677 || |- |Playoffs || 24 || 16 || .600 || 2 WNBA Championships || Stats updated August 27, 2006 Hall of Famers none Retired numbers Not to be forgotten Current Roster Coaches and others Head Coaches: | ||||||||
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