When Lisa Leslie thought back to the first game in WNBA history, it reminded her a lot of Sunday’s 30th season celebration. On June 21, 1997, she and her former Los Angeles Sparks teammates had brunch, signed autographs and posed for a photoshoot. On Sunday evening, Leslie even took a ceremonial tip-off against the New York Liberty just as she did in that first game.
The one thing she wished she could have changed wasn’t the 16 points or the dunk she got hung on because the enormity of the day had taken her legs out; it was the result. And 29 years after Los Angeles lost the WNBA’s opening game to the New York Liberty, the Sparks found an iconic way to celebrate that inaugural moment, winning the 30th anniversary game 98-97 on a buzzer-beater by one of their franchise greats, Nneka Ogwumike.
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It’s been a tough decade in Los Angeles, one that hasn’t seen much winning since the franchise brought home its most recent title in 2016. That the Sparks and Liberty have even persisted through the past 30 years is a minor miracle, considering both franchises were on the brink of contraction during the 2010s. Instead, both have survived to celebrate this moment.
Legendary players from L.A. and New York’s early rosters spoke about what Sunday’s milestone meant and what they hoped current players remembered about them. DeLisha Milton-Jones, who played for the Sparks from 1999-2004, said: “I would love for them to attach themselves to the history of it all to understand where they came from, to understand where they need to take it.”
Ogwumike has been involved in half of the league’s seasons, a connector from Milton-Jones to the current era of the Sparks. She understands what the franchise can be, and what depths it can fall to. Leslie and her generation set a standard for L.A., even overextending themselves to do so. The responsibility of Ogwumike and everyone who dons a Sparks jersey now couldn’t be clearer, especially with all of those legends in attendance.
|
Rank |
Team |
Previous rank |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Las Vegas |
1 |
|
2 |
Minnesota |
2 |
|
3 |
Atlanta |
5 |
|
4 |
New York |
3 |
|
5 |
Golden State |
4 |
|
6 |
Dallas |
7 |
|
7 |
Indiana |
6 |
|
8 |
Los Angeles |
8 |
|
9 |
Washington |
10 |
|
10 |
Portland |
9 |
|
11 |
Toronto |
11 |
|
12 |
Chicago |
13 |
|
13 |
Phoenix |
12 |
|
14 |
Seattle |
14 |
|
15 |
Connecticut |
15 |
Trending up
Atlanta Dream
The Dream perked up offensively last week, led by two of Angel Reese’s most efficient offensive performances of the season. Reese has mostly ditched the stretch five experiment and excised 3-pointers from her shot diet — it helps that Naz Hillmon is hitting from long range again and providing spacing at the four — and she’s sticking to the paint. Reese shot 15 of 28 in a two-game set against the Indiana Fever and earned 16 free-throw attempts.
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Atlanta is now tied for the league lead (with the Minnesota Lynx) in offensive rating (112.6 points per 100 possessions) and ranks second overall in net rating. Reese’s 2-point percentage is still below water at 47 percent for the season, lower than her mark of 47.8 percent with the Chicago Sky last season, but it’s ticked up significantly this month as she has reoriented herself on the court.
Washington Mystics
Kiki Iriafen had two game-winners last weekend versus top teams. Against New York, she made herself open in the dunker spot after extra help came to Sonia Citron and finished a lob pass. Against Minnesota, she sealed Nia Coffey inside and went to work, punishing the smaller defender.
It’s been an unheralded sophomore season for Iriafen, even as she’s improved in points, rebounds and shooting percentage since 2025. Now that the Mystics are winning again — and doing so against top opposition — Iriafen’s play is at the forefront. The Mystics are in a weird limbo this season, where they don’t outwardly appear to be trying to win, but their talent is good enough to remain competitive. With two sophomore All-Stars and a rapidly improving rookie class — both Cotie McMahon and Lauren Betts have taken massive steps forward recently — Washington is ruining its draft position in spite of itself.
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Trending down
Seattle Storm
The Storm technically haven’t dropped in the rankings, but a team on a 10-game losing skid has to be considered on a downward trend. Their inability to remain competitive against the Phoenix Mercury, who were without two of its best guards (Monique Akoa Makani and Jovana Nogic), was an eye-opener. Seattle has the WNBA’s worst offensive rating at 97.4 points per 100 possessions.
This season’s goal should be figuring out what they have with their young players, particularly in the frontcourt. Thus far, Dominique Malonga and Awa Fam haven’t complemented each other, posting a minus-15.6 net rating as a duo. They seem to want to occupy the same areas on the court, and navigating actions together has appeared clunky. Malonga didn’t have a training camp and is learning how to play with the rookie Fam on the fly, so there’s no expectation for immediate success together. Losing games will only help Seattle add a strong perimeter player through the 2027 draft to grow with that frontcourt.
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Rookie of the week
María Conde, Toronto Tempo
With injuries to Brittney Sykes and Kiki Rice, Toronto has openings in the guard rotation, giving Conde some playmaking opportunities after she’d functioned more as a frontcourt player earlier in the season. Conde has scored in double figures in each of her last three outings, punctuated by 19 points in the Tempo’s comeback win over Connecticut. Toronto trailed by 15 points to start the fourth quarter, and Conde had the game-winning 3-pointer with 1:38 to play, plus four free throws to ice the victory.
The more she can be trusted as a scorer, the more Conde can leverage her scoring ability to create for teammates, as she did for Marina Mabrey down the stretch of that win.
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Game to circle
Atlanta Dream at Golden State Valkyries
10 p.m. (ET) Wednesday, USA Network / CNBC
It’s a week of sets in the WNBA, as multiple teams play each other twice in succession. The Lynx face the Mystics again after Sunday’s loss to Washington. Indiana and Phoenix have a set, as do Portland and Chicago. The one I’m most excited about is Atlanta versus Golden State. The best test for the improved Dream offense is facing the athletic, active Valkyries defense in Ballhalla, especially as the Valks are loaded with wings to contain Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray. Considering Golden State’s limited post depth — Janelle Salaün has mostly been the backup center and Laeticia Amihere has only recently re-entered the rotation — this is another opportunity for Reese to test her improved efficiency.
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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, Golden State Valkyries, Portland Fire, Toronto Tempo, WNBA, WNBA Highlights
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