 |
| 2008 Los Angeles Sparks season | |
|---|---|
| Coach | Michael Cooper |
| Arena | Staples Center |
| Attendance | 9,508 per game |
| Results | |
| Record | 20–14 (.588) |
| Place | 3rd (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Lost Western Conference Finals |
The 2008 Los Angeles Sparks season was the 12th season for the Los Angeles Sparks. The Sparks returned to the postseason for the first time since 2006.
The following player was selected in the Expansion Draft:
| Pick | Player | Nationality | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Candace Parker |  United States | Tennessee |
| 15 | Shannon Bobbitt | United States | Tennessee |
| 29 | Sharnee Zoll | United States | Virginia |
| Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 3 | @ Atlanta | 86-80 | Win | 1-0 |
| May 8 | @ Chicago | 84-68 | Win | 2-0 |
| May 11 | @ Minnesota | 106-105 (2OT) | Win | 3-0 |
| Western Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio Silver Stars x | 24 | 10 | .706 | – | 15–2 | 9–8 | 10–10 |
| Seattle Storm x | 22 | 12 | .647 | 2.0 | 16–1 | 6–11 | 13–7 |
| Los Angeles Sparks x | 20 | 14 | .588 | 4.0 | 12–5 | 8–9 | 12–8 |
| Sacramento Monarchs x | 18 | 16 | .529 | 6.0 | 5–12 | 13–4 | 9–11 |
| Houston Comets o | 17 | 17 | .500 | 7.0 | 13–4 | 4–13 | 10–10 |
| Minnesota Lynx o | 16 | 18 | .471 | 8.0 | 10–7 | 6–11 | 8–12 |
| Phoenix Mercury o | 16 | 18 | .471 | 8.0 | 9–8 | 7–10 | 8–12 |
| Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17 | @ Phoenix | 99-94 | Win | 1-0 |
| May 25 | @ Atlanta | 74-56 | Win | 2-0 |
| May 29 | @ Indiana | 78-82 (2OT) | Loss | 2-1 |
| May 31 | @ Washington | 70-59 | Win | 3-1 |
| June 3 | @ Chicago | 81-77 (OT) | Win | 4-1 |
| June 6 | vs. Phoenix | 79-85 | Loss | 4-2 |
| June 11 | vs. Detroit | 80-73 | Win | 5-2 |
| June 13 | vs. Connecticut | 98-93 (OT) | Win | 6-2 |
| June 14 | @ Sacramento | 74-66 | Win | 7-2 |
| June 18 | vs. Chicago | 80-67 | Win | 8-2 |
| June 20 | @ San Antonio | 75-77 | Loss | 8-3 |
| June 22 | vs. Indiana | 77-63 | Win | 9-3 |
| June 24 | vs. Seattle | 76-62 | Win | 10-3 |
| June 26 | vs. Washington | 74-77 (OT) | Loss | 10-4 |
| July 1 | vs. New York | 78-89 | Loss | 10-5 |
| July 3 | vs. Minnesota | 70-88 | Loss | 10-6 |
| July 6 | vs. Phoenix | 91-80 | Win | 11-6 |
| July 9 | vs. Houston | 82-74(OT) | Win | 12-6 |
| July 10 | @ Sacramento | 69-87 | Loss | 12-7 |
| July 12 | @ Seattle | 52-70 | Loss | 12-8 |
| July 14 | vs. San Antonio | 75-62 | Win | 13-8 |
| July 17 | @ Phoenix | 92-99 | Loss | 13-9 |
| July 19 | @ Houston | 72-75(OT) | Loss | 13-10 |
| July 22 | @ Detroit | 84-81 | Win | 14-10 |
| July 24 | @ Connecticut | 61-87 | Loss | 14-11 |
| July 25 | @ New York | 68-69 | Loss | 14-12 |
| July 27 | @ Minnesota | 92-84(OT) | Win | 15-12 |
| August 28 | vs. Sacramento | 78-63 | Win | 16-12 |
| August 30 | vs. San Antonio | 58-53 | Win | 17-12 |
| September 1 | vs. Minnesota | 82-58 | Win | 18-12 |
| September 5 | @ San Antonio | 58-76 | Loss | 18-13 |
| September 6 | @ Houston | 84-66 | Win | 19-13 |
| September 11 | vs. Atlanta | 72-83 | Loss | 19-14 |
| September 14 | vs. Seattle | 65-48 | Win | 20-14 |
Note: GP= Games played; MIN= Minutes; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average
| Player | GP | MPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | APG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shannon Bobbitt | |||||||
| Lisa Leslie [8] | 33 | 32.1 | 8.9 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 2.9 | 15.1 |
| Marie Ferdinand-Harris [9] | 33 | 20.6 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 8.4 |
| DeLisha Milton-Jones | 7 | 230 | 50 | 15 | 7 | 5 | |
| Raffaella Masciardi | 5 | 102 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 0 | |
| Muriel Page | |||||||
| Candace Parker [10] | 33 | 33.6 | 9.5 | 3.4 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 18.5 |
| Sidney Spencer [11] | 33 | 13.7 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 5.3 |
| Los Angeles Sparks roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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WNBA roster page | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Round | Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Conference Semi | September 19 | vs. Seattle | 77-69 | Win | 1-0 |
| September 21 | @ Seattle | 50-64 | Loss | 1-1 | |
| September 23 | @ Seattle | 71-64 | Win | 2-1 | |
| Western Conference Final | September 25 | vs. San Antonio | 85-70 | Win | 1-0 (3-1) |
| September 27 | @ San Antonio | 66-67 | Loss | 1-1 (3-2) | |
| September 28 | @ San Antonio | 72-76 | Loss | 1-2 (3-3) |
The Los Angeles Sparks are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at Crypto.com Arena. The Sparks were 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.
Lisa Deshaun Leslie is an American former professional basketball player. She is currently the head coach for Triplets in the BIG3 professional basketball league, as well as a studio analyst for Orlando Magic broadcasts on FanDuel Sports Network Florida. In 2002, Leslie made history as the first player to dunk during a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) game. Leslie was ranked 5th on ESPN.com's 2021 list of the WNBA's greatest players of all time.
Candace Nicole Parker, nicknamed "Ace", is an American former professional basketball player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest WNBA players of all time, she was selected as the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. She spent 13 seasons on the Sparks, two seasons with the Chicago Sky, and one season with the Las Vegas Aces, winning a championship with each team.
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The 2003 WNBA Finals was the championship series of the 2003 WNBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Detroit Shock, top-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, defeated the Los Angeles Sparks, top-seeded champions of the Western Conference, two games to one in a best-of-three series. This was Detroit's first title.
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