WNBA Celebrates 30th Season With Historic Rematch of Inaugural Sparks-Liberty Game

On Sunday night in Los Angeles, the WNBA is stepping back in time to celebrate how far it has come. Exactly 29 years after the league's first-ever tipoff, the Los Angeles Sparks are hosting the New York Liberty in a highly anticipated rematch that serves as the emotional centerpiece of the WNBA's milestone 30th season.[1][3]

The atmosphere surrounding today's matchup is a stark contrast to the nervous energy of June 21, 1997. On that Saturday afternoon, 14,284 fans packed the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California, to watch Lisa Leslie's Sparks take on Rebecca Lobo's Liberty. It was the largest crowd to see a women's basketball game in Los Angeles since the 1984 Olympics, and 3.7 million viewers tuned in on NBC to witness the birth of a fully backed women's professional league.[2][7]

That inaugural game was a scrappy, physical affair that the Liberty ultimately won 67-57. Leslie, who admitted to barely sleeping the night before, shot just 35 percent from the field. Looking back, the pioneers of that era have spoken openly about the immense pressure they felt. "I did feel the burden of carrying the league," Leslie recalled, while Lobo described the sheer relief of simply getting the first game behind them so they could focus on basketball.[1][2]

Fast forward to 2026, and the burden of survival has been entirely replaced by the momentum of explosive growth. The WNBA's 30th season tipped off in May with 15 active franchises, including highly anticipated debuts for two new expansion teams: the Portland Fire and the Toronto Tempo. The league has already announced plans to expand to 18 teams by 2030.[3][4]

The financial realities of the league have also transformed. In 1997, the maximum player salary was $50,000, and the season consisted of just 28 games. Today, following a transformational new Collective Bargaining Agreement reached in March 2026, the league is operating with unprecedented player investment, multi-million-dollar franchise valuations averaging $427 million, and a schedule that will expand to 50 games by 2027.[1][4]

Perhaps the most visible sign of the WNBA's evolution is its media footprint. In 2026, the league boasts a record 216 nationally televised games distributed across a massive portfolio of partners, including ABC/ESPN, CBS, Prime Video, NBC/Peacock, and ION. Sports media analysts note that this consistent, primetime accessibility has been the primary engine turning the WNBA from a niche product into a mainstream cultural fixture.[4][5]

ESPN is leaning heavily into nostalgia for Sunday's anniversary broadcast. Hannah Storm, who called the play-by-play for the inaugural 1997 game, is hosting the pregame coverage. Joining the broadcast booth is Rebecca Lobo herself, offering a unique full-circle perspective as a player who took the court in the league's very first contest.[6]

On the court, the visual tribute is just as striking. The Liberty and Sparks, along with other charter franchises, are wearing Nike "Court Origins" edition uniforms throughout the season. The retro designs reinterpret the color-blocked aesthetics of the 1997 season within modern athletic silhouettes, connecting the league's early identity to its current cultural dominance.[3][8]

As the WNBA celebrates its past, the focus remains firmly on the future. The 30th season is not just a victory lap for the pioneers who willed the league into existence; it is a launchpad. With a new labor deal secured, expansion markets thriving, and a new generation of superstars drawing record crowds, the WNBA has definitively proven that the pressure of 1997 did indeed create diamonds.[1][4][8]