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On this day in 1997, the WNBA, the new women’s professional basketball league, played its first regular-season games with three matchups taking place.
In the first game, the New York Liberty defeated the Los Angeles Sparks at the Forum, 67-57. Future Hall of Famers Rebecca Lobo and Teresa Weatherspoon led the Liberty in the victory while Lisa Leslie paced the Sparks with 16 points.
Following the inaugural game between the Liberty and Sparks, the Houston Comets defeated the Cleveland Rockers while the Sacramento Monarchs beat the Utah Starzz. Of the six teams that played, only the Liberty and Sparks currently remain in the WNBA.
Over 20 years since the inception of the WNBA, the league has continued to grow in popularity, culminating in a historic new Collective Bargaining Agreement set to begin this season. The league has seen record attendance and viewership numbers and is becoming more popular than ever.
The WNBA announced this week its plans to begin the 2020 season with a 22-game schedule set to tipoff in July without the presence of fans at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. The 2020 season will be the shortest in WNBA history, though players will receive their full pay.
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