Los Angeles Sparks: History, Owners, Arenas, Hall of Famers and the Legacy of a WNBA Powerhouse
The Los Angeles Sparks are one of the original franchises of the Women’s National Basketball Association and one of the most important teams in the history of women’s professional basketball.
From the league’s first game in 1997 to three WNBA championships, multiple league MVPs, Hall of Fame players, Olympic champions and generations of outstanding talent, the Sparks have built a legacy that stretches well beyond their championship banners.
The franchise has remained in Los Angeles since the WNBA’s inaugural season and has been home to some of the greatest players in women’s basketball history, most notably Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker.
The Beginning of the Los Angeles Sparks
The Sparks were established for the WNBA’s inaugural 1997 season as one of the league’s original eight franchises.
Their first game was particularly historic. On June 21, 1997, the Sparks hosted the New York Liberty at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood. Penny Toler scored the first basket in WNBA history, giving the Sparks a permanent place in the league’s history from the opening minute of the first game.
Los Angeles finished its first season 14–14. The early years were a period of development, but the arrival and development of Lisa Leslie helped transform the franchise.
By 1999, the Sparks had their first winning season, finishing 20–12 and making their first playoff appearance. The team defeated the Sacramento Monarchs in the opening round before losing to the eventual champion Houston Comets in the Western Conference Finals.
The Sparks were no longer simply an expansion team. They were becoming a contender.
The Owners of the Los Angeles Sparks
The Sparks have had several ownership groups during their history.
Jerry Buss — 1997–2006
The franchise originally belonged to Dr. Jerry Buss, the longtime owner of the Los Angeles Lakers. The Sparks operated as the Lakers’ sister WNBA franchise during their first decade. Buss’s ownership connected the new women’s league with one of the most recognizable basketball organizations in the world. Buss owned the Sparks from the franchise’s beginning in 1997 until 2006.
Gemini Basketball LLC — 2006–2011
In 2006, Buss sold the Sparks to Gemini Basketball LLC.
The ownership group included:
Carla Christofferson, Kathy Goodman, and Lynai Jones.
The new ownership represented a transition from NBA ownership to independent ownership of the WNBA franchise.
Williams Group Holdings — 2011–2014
Williams Group Holdings, headed by Paula Madison, became the team’s controlling ownership group during the next period.
Carla Christofferson and Kathy Goodman remained involved, while Sparks legend Lisa Leslie was also part of the ownership group for a period. The ownership era became increasingly difficult financially, and by the end of 2013 Williams Group Holdings announced that it could no longer continue operating the franchise.
The WNBA became involved in the transition while a new ownership group was sought.
Sparks LA Sports — 2014–present
In February 2014, a group led by Mark Walter and Earvin “Magic” Johnson purchased the Sparks.
The ownership group included:
Mark Walter, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Stan Kasten, Todd Boehly, Bobby Patton, and Eric Holoman.
The purchase was especially important because it kept the Sparks in Los Angeles at a time when the franchise’s future had been uncertain. The current ownership group is known as Sparks LA Sports.
Every Arena the Sparks Have Called Home
The Sparks’ primary home has been downtown Los Angeles for most of their history, but scheduling and arena construction have occasionally required the team to move games to other venues.
Great Western Forum — 1997–2000
The Great Western Forum in Inglewood was the original home of the Los Angeles Sparks. It was the site of the first game in WNBA history involving the Sparks and New York Liberty.
The Forum was the Sparks’ home during their first four seasons.
Staples Center — 2001–2021
The Sparks moved downtown to Staples Center in 2001.
The move immediately became part of the franchise’s greatest era. The Sparks won WNBA championships in 2001 and 2002 during their early years at the arena. Staples Center was renamed Crypto.com Arena in 2021.
Los Angeles Convention Center — 2021
Because of scheduling conflicts involving the Lakers and Clippers during the pandemic-delayed sports calendar, the Sparks played the first 11 of their 16 regular-season home games in 2021 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
The Sparks returned to Staples Center for their final five home games and playoffs.
Galen Center — 2023
The Sparks used USC’s Galen Center for two home games during the 2023 season. One example was the August 23, 2023 home game against the Phoenix Mercury.
Walter Pyramid — 2024
Construction at Crypto.com Arena forced the Sparks to schedule early-season games at the Walter Pyramid at Long Beach State. The Sparks ultimately played two home games there, against Atlanta and Washington, before other scheduled games were moved back to Crypto.com Arena.
Crypto.com Arena — 2001–present
Crypto.com Arena, originally known as Staples Center, remains the Sparks’ primary home. The arena has witnessed all three Sparks championships associated with their downtown era: 2001, 2002 and 2016. The Sparks have continued their relationship with the arena, with a lease extension keeping them there through 2029.
The Sparks’ WNBA Hall of Fame Players
The WNBA does not operate a separate Hall of Fame comparable to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. For this article, the Hall of Fame category refers to players who have been inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and whose major professional legacy includes their time with Los Angeles. Under that standard, the two defining Sparks players are Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker.
Lisa Leslie
Lisa Leslie is the foundational superstar of the Los Angeles Sparks. Drafted by Los Angeles in 1997, Leslie spent her entire WNBA career with the Sparks from 1997 through 2009.
Her Sparks accomplishments include:
Three WNBA MVP awards
Two WNBA championships
Two WNBA Finals MVP awards
Eight All-Star selections
Eight All-WNBA First Team selections
Two Defensive Player of the Year awards
Four Olympic gold medals
The first dunk in WNBA game history
Leslie was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.
She finished her Sparks career with 6,263 points and remains the franchise’s all-time leader in games played, rebounds, steals and points. Leslie was more than simply a great Sparks player. She became one of the faces of the entire WNBA.
Candace Parker
Candace Parker arrived in Los Angeles as the No. 1 overall selection in the 2008 WNBA Draft. She immediately produced one of the most remarkable rookie seasons in professional basketball history. In 2008, Parker became the first WNBA player to win both Rookie of the Year and league MVP in the same season. She eventually won two WNBA MVP awards, in 2008 and 2013, and led the Sparks to the 2016 WNBA championship while winning Finals MVP. Parker played 13 seasons with Los Angeles, from 2008 through 2020.
In 2026, Parker was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
It is important to distinguish Parker’s Los Angeles accomplishments from what she accomplished elsewhere. Her 2021 WNBA championship came with the Chicago Sky, and her 2023 championship came with the Las Vegas Aces. Her WNBA MVP awards were earned as a Los Angeles Sparks player, not as a Chicago Sky player.
WNBA Rookie of the Year Awards Won by Sparks Players
The Sparks have produced two WNBA Rookie of the Year winners.
2008 — Candace Parker
Parker had one of the greatest rookie seasons in league history.
She won:
WNBA Rookie of the Year
WNBA Most Valuable Player
in the same season.
No other WNBA player has duplicated that combination in a single season.
2012 — Nneka Ogwumike
Nneka Ogwumike was selected No. 1 overall by the Sparks in the 2012 WNBA Draft.
She won Rookie of the Year after helping return Los Angeles to the playoffs.
Ogwumike later became a WNBA MVP, winning the award in 2016.
Sparks Players Who Won the WNBA MVP
The Sparks have produced an extraordinary number of league MVP seasons.
Lisa Leslie
2001
2004
2006
Candace Parker
2008
2013
Nneka Ogwumike
2016
That gives the Sparks six regular-season WNBA MVP awards.
The franchise also has three Finals MVP performances:
Lisa Leslie — 2001
Lisa Leslie — 2002
Candace Parker — 2016
The Three Sparks Championships
The Sparks have won three WNBA championships.
2001
The Sparks won their first championship by sweeping the Charlotte Sting in the WNBA Finals.
Lisa Leslie was the Finals MVP.
It was the culmination of the franchise’s development during its first five seasons.
2002
Los Angeles repeated as champion, defeating the New York Liberty. The championship featured Nikki Teasley’s famous game-winning shot in Game 2. Lisa Leslie again won Finals MVP. The Sparks became the second team in WNBA history to win back-to-back championships.
2016
Fourteen years after their second championship, the Sparks returned to the top. Los Angeles defeated the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA Finals. Nneka Ogwumike hit the decisive shot in the final seconds of Game 5, while Candace Parker was named Finals MVP. It was the franchise’s third championship.
The Legacy of the Los Angeles Sparks
The legacy of the Sparks cannot be measured solely by their three championships. The franchise helped establish Los Angeles as one of the great markets for women’s professional basketball. Lisa Leslie became a symbol of the league’s early years. Candace Parker represented another generation of elite women’s basketball. Nneka Ogwumike became both an MVP-level player and an important voice for WNBA players.
The Sparks have also produced numerous other outstanding players, including DeLisha Milton-Jones, Mwadi Mabika, Nikki Teasley, Ticha Penicheiro, Kristi Toliver, Alana Beard and Chelsea Gray.
Alana Beard, for example, won consecutive WNBA Defensive Player of the Year awards with Los Angeles in 2017 and 2018.
The franchise has also been closely connected with the growth of women’s basketball. From Leslie’s historic first dunk to Parker’s historic rookie season to Ogwumike’s MVP campaign, the Sparks have repeatedly produced moments that became part of the larger history of the WNBA.
Most Outstanding Coach: Michael Cooper
If one coach is to be highlighted as the most outstanding coach in Sparks history, Michael Cooper has the strongest championship résumé.
Cooper coached the Sparks during the franchise’s greatest early dynasty, including the 2001 and 2002 championship seasons. He also won the WNBA Coach of the Year award in 2000. His tenure helped transform the Sparks from an improving young franchise into a championship organization.
The Sparks’ official historical materials list Cooper as head coach from 2000–2004 and again from 2007–2009.
Cooper’s importance is particularly significant because he coached the team during the era in which Lisa Leslie and the Sparks became one of the defining combinations in early WNBA history.
Most Outstanding Player: Lisa Leslie
For the overall legacy of the Los Angeles Sparks, Lisa Leslie stands as the franchise’s most outstanding player.
Candace Parker has an extraordinary case, particularly because she won two MVP awards, Rookie of the Year and a championship Finals MVP with Los Angeles.
Nneka Ogwumike also has a compelling claim because of her MVP season and long-term importance to the organization.
But Leslie’s combination of longevity, individual awards, championships, franchise records and historical significance sets her apart. She spent all 12 of her WNBA seasons with Los Angeles. She won three league MVP awards, two championships and two Finals MVP awards. She was an eight-time All-Star and eight-time First Team All-WNBA selection.
Most importantly, Leslie helped establish the Sparks as a major WNBA franchise from the league’s first season.
Her career also contains one of the league’s most recognizable milestones: on July 30, 2002, she became the first player to dunk in a WNBA game. The Sparks have since retired her No. 9 jersey.
The Players Who Built the Sparks Tradition
While Leslie and Parker are the most recognizable names, the Sparks’ history is much larger than two superstars.
Players such as Mwadi Mabika and DeLisha Milton-Jones were essential to the first championship era.
Nikki Teasley supplied one of the most memorable shots in WNBA Finals history.
Nneka Ogwumike became an MVP and one of the franchise’s most important leaders.
Alana Beard established herself as one of the league’s premier defenders.
Chelsea Gray developed into an elite point guard and played a major role on the 2016 championship team.
The Sparks’ official Legends program recognizes numerous players and contributors from the franchise’s history, demonstrating the depth of the organization’s tradition.
A Franchise That Helped Define the WNBA
The Los Angeles Sparks have been part of the WNBA from the beginning.
They played in the league’s first game.
They produced the first player to dunk in a WNBA game.
They produced six regular-season MVP awards.
They produced two Rookie of the Year winners.
They won three WNBA championships.
They developed multiple Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers.
And they remained in Los Angeles through ownership changes, financial uncertainty, arena changes, a pandemic and several generations of players.
The Sparks’ history is therefore bigger than a list of championships.
It is the story of a franchise that helped establish women’s professional basketball as an important part of the Los Angeles sports landscape.
From Lisa Leslie’s first season in 1997 to Candace Parker’s arrival in 2008, Nneka Ogwumike’s MVP season in 2016 and the generations of players who followed, the purple and gold have created a tradition that remains one of the defining legacies of the WNBA.
The Los Angeles Sparks are not simply one of the original WNBA franchises. They are one of the franchises that helped define what the WNBA became.
Artie Fischal
