The
Los Angeles Sparks are a
WNBA basketball team that was formed in
1997, being one of the teams that participated in the league's inaugural game. They play at the
Staples Center[?].
Golden with purple lines on the side at home, with the name Sparks written across in purple. Green with purple lines on the side on the road, with the name Sparks in purple.
2001,
2002
The Sparks beat the
New York Liberty on 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 dissapointing season in 1997, but they roared back in
1998, earning a playoff berth with the help of
Lisa Leslie. In
1999 and
2000, they also made the playoffs, 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, beating the
New York Liberty to become back to back champions.