“Welcome to the Great Western Forum, and a festive atmosphere here in Los Angeles. It is a sellout and then some,” Hall of Fame broadcaster Hannah Storm said on NBC’s broadcast of the first-ever WNBA game.
The camera pans from a Ferris wheel to a young girl shooting a basketball in the massive parking lot outside the then-Great Western Forum in Inglewood, CA.
“They had to open the upper decks to accommodate tickets here at the Forum and are expecting a crowd of some 12,000 people.”
Families line up
outside the doors, handing over their tickets and anxiously gathering inside the building.
“All of them here to witness the latest chapter in the history of women’s sports—the debut of the WNBA.”
The broadcast shows the WNBA logo on the court floor as someone runs across it.
It’s June 21, 1997, and the New York Liberty, led by center Rebecca Lobo, are set to face the Los Angeles Sparks, starring center Lisa Leslie. The two were teammates on the gold medal-winning 1996 US Olympic team in Atlanta and are now facing each other in the league’s inaugural game.
League president Val Ackerman walks to center court with the basketball, shakes hands with Leslie and Liberty center Kym Hampton standing on either side of her and tosses the ball up for the ceremonial tipoff, which Leslie wins.
Moments later, Leslie wins the actual tipoff as well.
And that’s where it begins.
The crowd erupts with newfound excitement as fans watch the professionals race up and down the court.
Playing for something much bigger than a win against former Olympic teammates. Playing for the first victory to go down in history. Playing to start it all.
“You have to remember, all eight teams in the WNBA have only had about three weeks to play,” the broadcast noted.
“And some of the foreign players have just gotten in, and they’ve only had about two or three practices with the team, so they’re still trying to gel.”
It doesn’t look like either team is struggling to put the pieces together. The players become more vocal with each possession, comfortably spacing the floor and pushing the pace while Los Angeles establishes itself defensively early on.
The Sparks’ Penny Toler gets the ball near the right corner, drives toward the basket …
“And the first basket in WNBA history is scored by Penny Toler out of Long Beach State!,” the broadcaster announces.
The crowd erupts in cheers and applause, nearly drowning out the announcers as the race to the finish officially begins.
The matchup continues as New York turns up the heat on both ends of the floor in the second half. The Liberty master the plan of keeping Los Angeles off the offensive boards while creating problems defensively.
Closing out an exciting and nerve-racking afternoon, New York claims a 67-57 victory to secure the league’s first win.
Lobo, who finished with 16 points, six rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes, 23 seconds, earned Buick Regal Player of the Game honors. In a postgame interview, she was asked what she thought was the most important thing that happened that day.
“The most important thing is that it wasn’t the prettiest of basketball games,” Lobo replied. “But, I think we showed a little bit of what we can do, we got a great crowd out here, and it’s only gonna get better.”
Leslie also scored 16 points while adding 14 rebounds and two assists for the Sparks.
A crowd of 14,284 fans packed the arena to watch women who had dreamed of showcasing their talent to the world. Another 5.04 million viewers tuned in from home, ready to support the start of something big.
The game shattered attendance expectations, which were around 7,000, quickly erasing doubts surrounding what the league could become.
The world showed up for women’s basketball. They sent a message to the players. They wanted this.
And they stood with them as they became the first ones to pave the way for future generations of women to see what was possible through their athleticism. That they could build successful careers and, in their own ways, transform the league.
“People can say whatever they want,” Lobo said ahead of the inaugural tipoff. “…but they should turn on the game and make their judgments.”
And with that, the now 30-year story of the WNBA began.
