Last night, the Los Angeles Sparks beat the New York Liberty 98-97 in Los Angeles. Nneka Ogwumike, the head of the WNBA’s players’ union, sank the game-winning shot. It was more than a typical regular-season game. The June 21 face-off marked the league’s 30th season. The WNBA’s first-ever game, between these same two teams, took place on that date in 1997.
It was emotional for Ogwumike, who has played for 15 years—or half the league’s existence. Both teams honored the players who were part of that very first game. Lisa Leslie and Kym Hampton were at center court for the pregame tip-off. “It’s emotional seeing all of these legends in the building. People who didn’t get paid their value, and they’re still coming here and supporting us,” Ogwumike said after the game. “I’m so grateful.”
Other stakeholders—namely, ESPN—celebrated their role in the WNBA’s 30 seasons too. Before Sunday’s game, I spoke to Rebecca Lobo, one of the league’s first stars and an original player for the New York Liberty. She’s been an ESPN women’s basketball analyst since 2004, shortly after she retired from the sport. She remembers that very first game—driving across L.A. and seeing her face on a billboard with the debut season’s tagline, “We got next.” For the first time, she played with celebrities sitting courtside. Now 52, her career has been tied to the WNBA for more than half her life, she realizes.
