Offseason
 | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2010) |
| 1997 Los Angeles Sparks season | |
|---|---|
| Coach | Linda Sharp |
| Arena | Great Western Forum |
| Attendance | 8,931 per game |
| Results | |
| Record | 14–14 (.500) |
| Place | 2nd (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
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.
| | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2010) |
| Pick | Player | Nationality | WNBA Team | College/HS/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Lisa Leslie (C) |  United States | Los Angeles Sparks | Southern California |
| 8 | Penny Toler (G) | United States | Los Angeles Sparks | Long Beach State |
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College/HS/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Jamila Wideman | Guard | United States | Stanford |
| 2 | 14 | Tamecka Dixon | United States | Kansas | |
| 3 | 19 | Katrina Colleton | |||
| 4 | 30 | Travesa Gant |
The Sparks and WNBA's first game was played on June 21, 1997, in Los Angeles. The Sparks lost to the New York Liberty, 67–57. The attendance at the Forum was 14,284. [3]
| Western Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix Mercury x | 16 | 12 | .571 | 9–3 | – |
| Los Angeles Sparks o | 14 | 14 | .500 | 8–4 | 2.0 |
| Sacramento Monarchs o | 10 | 18 | .357 | 4–8 | 6.0 |
| Utah Starzz o | 7 | 21 | .250 | 3–9 | 9.0 |
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June
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July
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August
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| Player | Games Played | Minutes | Field Goals | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lisa Leslie | 28 | 902 | 160 | 266 | 74 | 39 | 59 | 445 |
| Penny Toler | 28 | 907 | 144 | 94 | 143 | 36 | 3 | 368 |
| Tamecka Dixon | 27 | 715 | 115 | 81 | 55 | 49 | 5 | 320 |
| Haixia Zheng | 28 | 557 | 110 | 123 | 17 | 11 | 20 | 259 |
| Linda Burgess | 28 | 492 | 73 | 117 | 9 | 20 | 13 | 183 |
| Katrina Colleton | 28 | 613 | 55 | 60 | 45 | 35 | 9 | 136 |
| Mwadi Mabika | 21 | 325 | 53 | 54 | 22 | 23 | 6 | 126 |
| Heidi Burge | 22 | 282 | 32 | 69 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 87 |
| Jamila Wideman | 28 | 633 | 25 | 57 | 103 | 24 | 1 | 84 |
| Daedra Charles | 28 | 282 | 27 | 48 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 64 |
| Travesa Gant | 2 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kim Gessig | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 club of the league's Western Conference. 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.
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 Bally Sports 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 professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). 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 as of 2023 has spent one season with the Las Vegas Aces, winning a championship with each team.
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Virginia Marlita "Penny" Toler is an American basketball executive and former player who served most recently as the general manager of the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Toler holds the distinction of scoring the first field-goal and the first free throw in WNBA history.
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