When the WNBA was established in 1997, it was just the beginning of a league that led social justice movements, and inspired generations of young people to play the sport. The LA Sparks have been a part of this league since the beginning. In the lead up to the WNBA’s twenty-fifth season, the LA Sparks will dive back into the history of our incredible league.

At the league’s inception, there were eight teams including: Charlotte Sting, Houston Comets, Cleveland Rockers, New York Liberty, Utah Starzz, Sacramento Monarchs, Phoenix Mercury, and Los Angeles Sparks. All eight teams were owned by the NBA, and were trailblazers in what would soon become the most dominant basketball league in the entire world.

When Title IX passed in 1972, the idea of most young women playing sports past middle school was unlikely. In 1990, a young Lisa Leslie was dominating on court at Morningside High School in Inglewood. Leslie once scored 101 points in the first half of a high school game, and won the state championship in 1991. Her dominance continued at USC in sync with the WNBA’s establishment. By the time Leslie was drafted in 1997, women’s college basketball gave the sport and the WNBA the visibility it needed to make an impact.

The New York Liberty played against the Sparks in the WNBA’s inaugural game on June 21, 1997- the two biggest markets, going head-to-head. Lisa Leslie won the jump ball, and the rest is history.

The Los Angeles Sparks unveiled the WNBA to the world. That is why one cannot think of the WNBA without thinking of the Sparks. They represented unity in a league in it’s complete and utter inception.

The rise of the WNBA meant stronger USA Women’s basketball and giving young girls in the United States and around the world role models. Since 1996, USA Basketball has not lost one international match. They are the five-time defending Olympic Champions with every intent to extend that streak in the Tokyo Games this summer.

LA Sparks legends such as Leslie, Delisha Milton-Jones, and Mwadi Mabika, among others paved the way for today’s stars both on the court and in the Player’s Unions. Now, Sparks stars Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike serve as the current WNBA Players Union President and Vice President. They are leading negotiations for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, and representing the voices of an entire league, just as our franchise’s first stars did over two decades ago.

When the community celebrates the 25th season, the Spark will be celebrating 25 years of calling the City of Angels home. We will be celebrating the Title IX warriors who cracked open the door for the WNBA’s existence.