sport 1997 los angeles sparks season
The 1997 WNBA season was the first season for the Los Angeles Sparks . The Sparks finished in second place in the Western Division with a record of 14 wins and 14 losses . The Los Angeles Sparks are a professional ___MASK80___ team based in Los Angeles , California , playing in the Western Conference in the Women ' s National ___MASK80___ Association ( WNBA ). They are the current WNBA champions after defeating the Minnesota Lynx , 3 - 2 , in the 2016 WNBA Finals . The team was founded before the league ' s inaugural 1997 season began . Like some other WNBA teams , the Sparks have the distinction of not being affiliated with an NBA counterpart , even though the market is shared with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers . As of 2015 , the Sparks are the last franchise to win back - to - back titles . The Utah Starzz were a Women ' s National ___MASK80___ Association ( WNBA ) team based in Salt Lake City , Utah . They began play in the 1997 WNBA season as one of the league ' s eight original teams . The Starzz relocated , in 2003 , to San Antonio where the team became the San Antonio Silver Stars . The Starzz was the sister team to the NBA ' s Utah Jazz . The New York Liberty is a professional ___MASK80___ team based in New York City , playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women ' s National ___MASK80___ Association ( WNBA ). The team was founded in 1997 and is one of the eight original franchises of the league . The team is owned by The Madison Square Garden Company , who also owns the Liberty ' s National ___MASK80___ Association ( NBA ) counterpart , the New York Knicks . Home games are played at Madison Square Garden in the borough of Manhattan . The Charlotte Sting was a Women ' s National ___MASK80___ Association ( WNBA ) franchise based in Charlotte , North Carolina and it was one of the league ' s eight original teams . The team folded on January 3 , 2007 . The Phoenix Mercury is a professional ___MASK80___ team based in Phoenix , Arizona , playing in the Western Conference in the Women ' s National ___MASK80___ Association ( WNBA ). The team was founded before the league ' s inaugural 1997 season began ; it is one of the eight original franchises . The team is owned by Robert Sarver , who also owns the Mercury ' s NBA counterpart , the Phoenix Suns . The 1997 WNBA Season was the Women ' s National ___MASK80___ Association ' s first in existence . It started off with 8 franchises : Charlotte Sting , Cleveland Rockers , Houston Comets , Los Angeles Sparks , New York Liberty , Phoenix Mercury , Sacramento Monarchs , and the Utah Starzz . It featured an inaugural game between the New York Liberty and the Los Angeles Sparks . The Sparks lost to the New York Liberty , 67 - 57 . The attendance at the Forum was 14 , 284 . The season ended with the Comets defeating the Liberty in a one - game series 65 - 51 . Cynthia Cooper was named MVP of the game . The Sacramento Monarchs were a ___MASK80___ team based in Sacramento , California . They played in the Women ' s National ___MASK80___ Association ( WNBA ) from 1997 until folding on November 20 , 2009 . They played their home games at ARCO Arena . The Houston Comets were a Women ' s National ___MASK80___ Association ( WNBA ) team based in Houston , Texas , United States . Formed in 1997 , the team was one of the original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league ' s existence . The Comets were the first dynasty of the WNBA and won more championships than any other team in the WNBA . The team was folded and disbanded by the league in 2008 because new ownership could not be found . Los Angeles ( ___MASK67___ for " The Angels "), officially the City of Los Angeles and often known by its initials L . A ., is the second - most populous city in the United States ( after New York City ), the most populous city in California and the county seat of Los Angeles County . Situated in Southern California , Los Angeles is known for its mediterranean climate , ethnic diversity , sprawling metropolis , and as a major center of the American entertainment industry . Los Angeles lies in a large coastal basin surrounded on three sides by mountains reaching up to and over . The Women ' s National ___MASK80___ Association ( WNBA ) is a professional ___MASK80___ league in the United States . It currently is composed of twelve teams . The league was founded on April 24 , 1996 , as the women ' s counterpart to the National ___MASK80___ Association ( NBA ). League play started in 1997 ; the regular season is currently played from June to September with the All Star game being played midway through the season in July and the WNBA Finals at the end of September until the beginning of October . The Cleveland Rockers was a Women ' s National ___MASK80___ Association ( WNBA ) team based in Cleveland , Ohio , that played from 1997 until 2003 . The Rockers were one of the original eight franchises of the WNBA , which started in 1997 . The owner was Gordon Gund , who at the time also owned the NBA ' s Cleveland Cavaliers . In September 2003 , Gund announced that his Gund Arena Company would no longer operate the Rockers . The team folded after the 2003 season as the league was not able to find new ownership for the team .