As the Sparks remain #RootedInLA in 2021, let’s take a look back at how we got here. These are some highlights from the teams and players of 90’s:

• Notable Players:
  • Lisa Leslie: The player that many recognize as one of the greatest in franchise and league history, Lisa Leslie’s Hall of Fame Career began in 1997 in the WNBA Elite Draft. In 1997, Leslie averaged 15.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
  • Mwadi Mabika: The guard joined the Sparks in 1997 hailing from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She averaged 10.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game throughout her career. She was a floor general, and one of the first athletes from her home country who played in the league.
  • Tamecka Dixon: The guard averaged 12 points, 2 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. She increasingly improved every single season to eventually become a WNBA All-Star in 2000. Never too flashy, Dixon and Mabika made the perfect back court team early-on.
  • Haixia Zheng: The First ever Chinese born WNBA Player, Zheng was a 6-foot-8 center. She had strong fundamentals down low and blazed a trail for Chinese Basketball players both male and female.
  • Delisha Milton-Jones: She was drafted by the Sparks in 1999 fourth overall, and made an impact immediately averaging 9.9 points, and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting a career best 53% from the field. Milton-Jones played for 17 seasons in the WNBA.
• Important Games/Event:
  • WNBA Is Established (April 24, 1996): Following success at the 1996 Olympic Games, WNBA President Val Ackerman and NBA Commissioner David Stern worked together to establish the league.
  • First Annual WNBA Draft (June 1997): The Sparks draft Lisa Leslie in the WNBA Elite Draft. Then, the team drafted Haixia Zheng, and Tamecka Dizon among other players.
  • First ever WNBA Game (June 1997) : The Sparks played against the New York Liberty at The Forum in Los Angeles. That was the game that started it all.
  • First Playoff Appearance (1999): After missing the postseason their first two seasons, the Sparks made it in 1999. Los Angeles lost to the Houston Comets in the Conference Finals.
• USA Basketball:
  • 1996 Olympics: Team USA dominated at the Games eventually winning the Gold Medal. Many of the stars on Team USA and other countries played in the League during its inaugural season in 1997. Former NBA Star Dikembe Mutumbo discovered Mabika in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and helped her get into the league. Zheng also dominated for China averaging 18.1 points and nine rebounds while shooting 58 percent from the field.
• Milestones/Awards:
  • First WNBA All-Star: Lisa Leslie made the team during the first ever WNBA All-Star game in 1999. There was no game before that season.
  • 1997 All-WNBA First Team: Lisa Leslie averaged 15.9 points, and 9.5 rebounds per game in the league’s first season.
  • 1997 Sportsmanship Award: Haixia Zheng came into a league and a country where she was fighting a language barrier, and still managed to begin cementing her legacy as a great player, and an even better teammate.
  • 1998 All-WNBA Second Team: Lisa Leslie averaged 19.6 points, and 10.2 boards per game.
  • 1999 All-WNBA Second Team: Lisa Leslie averaged 15.6 points and 7.3 rebounds, and shot 47.3 percent from the field.
  • 1999 All-Star Game MVP: Lisa Leslie made her all-star debut in the league’s first ever All-Star Game, and it did not disappoint. Leslie had 17 points and five rebounds.

As the league was in its infancy in the 1990s, the Los Angeles Sparks set the foundation for a dynasty built on the bedrock of some of the most important players, milestones, and trailblazers in league history.