What happened: The Los Angeles Sparks pointed to their place as one of the WNBA's Day-one franchises, looking back to Lisa Leslie's pre-game arrival and the team's locker room ahead of tip-off in 1997. The Sparks have been part of the league since its opening season.
WNBA·ANALYSIS·June 21, 2026 12:14 PM ET
Sparks look back at Lisa Leslie's 1997 arrival as a Day-one WNBA franchise
Los Angeles revisits its 1997 origins.
Wire Report IntelligenceUpdated Jun 211 min read
More on Lisa Leslie
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More on Lisa Leslie
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- Skylar Diggins passes Lisa Leslie for 8th on WNBA all-time free throws made list
- Lisa Leslie greets Los Angeles Sparks ahead of tip-off
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