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50-591: [REDACTED] Look up sparks  or Sparks in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Sparks may refer to: Places [ edit ] Sparks, Georgia Sparks, Kansas Sparks, Kentucky Sparks, Maryland Sparks, Nebraska Sparks, Nevada Sparks, Oklahoma Sparks, Texas Sparks, Bell County, Texas Sparks, West Virginia Books [ edit ] Sparks (Raffi novel) (1884) Sparks (Ally Kennen novel) , 2010 Sparks! ,

100-627: A 15–19 record. Thompson would become a free agent and sign with the Seattle Storm. In the 2012 season, the Sparks significantly improved, making it back to the playoffs since 2010, finishing second in the Western Conference with a 24–10 record. That same year they drafted Rookie of the Year and future MVP Nneka Ogwumike with the number-one pick. However, the Sparks were eliminated 2–0 in the first round by

150-509: A 17–17 record. They barely made the playoffs as the number-four seed. In the first round, the Sparks were outplayed and swept by the eventual champion Monarchs. In 2006, the Sparks played much better, posting a 25–9 record. In the playoffs, they defeated the Seattle Storm in three games. However, in the Western Conference finals, the Sparks' season was ended by the Monarchs for the third year in

200-495: A 1970 album by Melvin Sparks Songs [ edit ] "Sparks" (Stevie Appleton song) "Sparks" (Beach House song) "Sparks" (Cover Drive song) "Sparks" (Hilary Duff song) "Sparks" (Röyksopp song) "Sparks" (Coldplay song) "Sparks", a song by Kylie Minogue from Kiss Me Once "Sparks", a song by Neon Hitch from Eleutheromaniac "Sparks", a song by Parkway Drive from Atlas "Sparks",

250-440: A 1970 album by Melvin Sparks Songs [ edit ] "Sparks" (Stevie Appleton song) "Sparks" (Beach House song) "Sparks" (Cover Drive song) "Sparks" (Hilary Duff song) "Sparks" (Röyksopp song) "Sparks" (Coldplay song) "Sparks", a song by Kylie Minogue from Kiss Me Once "Sparks", a song by Neon Hitch from Eleutheromaniac "Sparks", a song by Parkway Drive from Atlas "Sparks",

300-518: A 19–15 record. They would start off their playoff run against the rival championship-defending Minnesota Lynx. They would defeat the Lynx 75–68, advancing to the second round. In the second round elimination game, the Sparks lost 96–64 to the Washington Mystics , ending their run of two consecutive finals appearances. According to Matthew Shapiro of WNBA.com, the Sparks are the most historic franchise in

350-757: A canned alcoholic beverage sold in the United States Sparks Steak House , a restaurant in New York City Other uses [ edit ] Sparks (name) , a family name (including a list of people and fictional characters) Sinthusa or sparks, a genus of butterflies of the Indomalayan realm Sparks, a common nickname given to an electrician Sparks (fire) , an incandescent particle See also [ edit ] SPARCS Spark (disambiguation) Sparks Street , Ottawa, Canada Sparx (disambiguation) Topics referred to by

400-566: A canned alcoholic beverage sold in the United States Sparks Steak House , a restaurant in New York City Other uses [ edit ] Sparks (name) , a family name (including a list of people and fictional characters) Sinthusa or sparks, a genus of butterflies of the Indomalayan realm Sparks, a common nickname given to an electrician Sparks (fire) , an incandescent particle See also [ edit ] SPARCS Spark (disambiguation) Sparks Street , Ottawa, Canada Sparx (disambiguation) Topics referred to by

450-520: A decade with a dominant 92–75 game 3 victory. Even though they expected to clinch a championship on their home floor, they lost game 4 in a disappointing finish of 85–79. Game 5 was truly historic, against all odds, and swarmed with Minnesota fans, the 2016 WNBA MVP , Nneka Ogwumike grabbed an offensive rebound and made the game-winning shot to put the Sparks ahead 77–76 with 3.1 seconds remaining. The Sparks won their first championship since 2002 and their third championship in franchise history. Candace Parker

500-570: A fictional football team in Footballers' Wives Sparks, one of the four protagonists in SuperKitties Music [ edit ] Sparks (band) , a rock band led by brothers Ron and Russell Mael Sparks (Sparks album) , their 1971 debut album Sparks (Imogen Heap album) (2014) Sparks (Fiction Plane album) (2010) Sparks (Sahara Hotnights album) (2009) Sparks (Roberto Paci Dalò album) (2007) Sparks! ,

550-459: A fictional football team in Footballers' Wives Sparks, one of the four protagonists in SuperKitties Music [ edit ] Sparks (band) , a rock band led by brothers Ron and Russell Mael Sparks (Sparks album) , their 1971 debut album Sparks (Imogen Heap album) (2014) Sparks (Fiction Plane album) (2010) Sparks (Sahara Hotnights album) (2009) Sparks (Roberto Paci Dalò album) (2007) Sparks! ,

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600-503: A graphic novel by Ian Boothby and Nina Matsumoto Film and TV [ edit ] Sparks (film) , a 2013 film Sparks (TV series) , a 1996-1998 American television series starring Terrence Howard and James Avery Sparks (Matrix character) , a character in Enter the Matrix and The Matrix Revolutions Sparks (G.I. Joe) , a fictional character in the G.I. Joe universe Sparks,

650-407: A graphic novel by Ian Boothby and Nina Matsumoto Film and TV [ edit ] Sparks (film) , a 2013 film Sparks (TV series) , a 1996-1998 American television series starring Terrence Howard and James Avery Sparks (Matrix character) , a character in Enter the Matrix and The Matrix Revolutions Sparks (G.I. Joe) , a fictional character in the G.I. Joe universe Sparks,

700-614: A handful of people in the greater L.A. area and was certainly nowhere near the team's home arenas. In 2003 , the team left KWKU for KLAC , which had summer time slots available after the Anaheim Angels ' radio broadcasts had just left. That lasted until 2006 , when KLAC switched the broadcasts to XETRA , which carried the same format KLAC had before. In 2007 , the game broadcasts moved again, this time to KTLK , when XETRA switched its language of broadcasts from English to Spanish. The Sparks and Clear Channel Communications (licensee of

750-716: A local television channel in the Southern California area, after agreeing to a multi-year broadcast deal with Time Warner Cable in March 2012 which was later acquired by Charter Communications in May 2016. Broadcasters for the Sparks games are Larry Burnett and Lisa Leslie . Previously, Sparks games were found on Fox Sports West and Prime Ticket and former analysts have included Derek Fisher and Ann Meyers . Some Sparks games are broadcast nationally on ESPN , ESPN2 , Ion Television , CBS , CBS Sports Network and ABC . Currently,

800-534: A row. After the 2006 season ended, team owner Jerry Buss announced he was selling the Sparks. On December 7, 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported the sale to an investor group led by Kathy Goodman and Carla Christofferson. Goodman is a former executive for Intermedia Films . Christofferson is a litigation attorney for the O’Melveny & Myers law firm and was Miss North Dakota USA in 1989. The day after

850-487: A song by t.A.T.u. from Waste Management "Sparks", a song by The Who from Tommy "Sparks", a song by Kim Wilde from Catch as Catch Can Organizations [ edit ] Central Sparks , an English women's cricket team Los Angeles Sparks , a Women's National Basketball Association team Sparks, the youngest age bracket of the Girl Guides of Canada Brands [ edit ] Sparks (drink) ,

900-433: A song by t.A.T.u. from Waste Management "Sparks", a song by The Who from Tommy "Sparks", a song by Kim Wilde from Catch as Catch Can Organizations [ edit ] Central Sparks , an English women's cricket team Los Angeles Sparks , a Women's National Basketball Association team Sparks, the youngest age bracket of the Girl Guides of Canada Brands [ edit ] Sparks (drink) ,

950-655: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages sparks [REDACTED] Look up sparks  or Sparks in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Sparks may refer to: Places [ edit ] Sparks, Georgia Sparks, Kansas Sparks, Kentucky Sparks, Maryland Sparks, Nebraska Sparks, Nevada Sparks, Oklahoma Sparks, Texas Sparks, Bell County, Texas Sparks, West Virginia Books [ edit ] Sparks (Raffi novel) (1884) Sparks (Ally Kennen novel) , 2010 Sparks! ,

1000-506: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Los Angeles Sparks Lakers owner Jerry Buss owned the Sparks as a sister team to the Los Angeles Lakers from 1997 to 2006. Since 2014, the Sparks have been owned by Sparks LA Sports, a group consisting of Mark Walter , Magic Johnson , Stan Kasten , Todd Boehly , Bobby Patton , and Eric Holoman. The Sparks have qualified for

1050-706: The Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles , California . The capacity for a Sparks game is 13,141 because the upper level is closed off (capacity for a Lakers game is 18,997). The Sparks have played in the Crypto.com Arena since 2001 . They previously played at The Forum but stayed there for two years after the Lakers departed for Crypto.com Arena until the venue was purchased by a local church. Current injuries are not updated. Currently, some Sparks games are broadcast on Spectrum SportsNet ,

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1100-462: The Minnesota Lynx . The team was owned by Williams Group Holdings ( Paula Madison , majority owner) and Carla Christofferson, Nicholas J H, and Lisa Leslie (minority owners) until January 2014 when it was abruptly announced that WGH would relinquish all control. Paula Madison said that since becoming an owner in 2007, she and her family had lost $ 12 million, including $ 1.4 million in 2013. The team

1150-587: The New York Liberty . When the season began, the Sparks got off to a great start, but coach Cooper left at mid-season to seek a coaching job in the NBA . The loss of their coach was a factor in the team's so-so finish to the season, which ended with a record of 25–9. During the playoffs, the team lost in three games to the Sacramento Monarchs . The Sparks never recovered through the 2005 season and finished with

1200-683: The Seattle Storm 2–1 to reach the Western Conference Finals and compete against the San Antonio Silver Stars . The Sparks were on track to win game 2 of the series, but Silver Star Sophia Young made a turn-around bank-shot with a second left on the clock to force the series to a deciding game three. The Sparks lost game three, and the Silver Stars moved on to the WNBA Finals . Following the 2008 season, Parker announced that she

1250-516: The WNBA Playoffs in twenty of their twenty-four years in Los Angeles, more than any other team in the league. The franchise has been home to many high-quality players such as 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) center and Tennessee standout Candace Parker , flashy point guard Nikki Teasley , and nearby USC alums Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson . In 2001 , 2002 , 2003 , 2016 and 2017 ,

1300-652: The 1998 Houston Comets for best all-time. In the playoffs, the Sparks swept the Phoenix Mercury in the first round but lost in the Western Conference Finals again, when they were swept by the Comets. Ultimately, the Sparks were playing in the shadow of the Comets, who won the first four WNBA championships . The 2000–01 off-season saw a move to the Staples Center and a coaching change, when the Sparks hired former Los Angeles Lakers player Michael Cooper as head coach. During

1350-499: The Sparks posted a 24–10 record and went into the playoffs looking for a "three-peat". Both the first and the second rounds were forced to deciding third games, as they beat the Minnesota Lynx and Sacramento Monarchs . The Sparks then faced the upstart Detroit Shock in the Finals. The Shock were on a roll after having been the worst team in the WNBA in 2002 . The Finals were a battle fueled by

1400-483: The Sparks went to the WNBA Finals . They won the title in 2001, 2002, and 2016, beating Charlotte , New York , and Minnesota respectively, but fell short to Detroit in 2003 and Minnesota in 2017. The 1997 WNBA season , the league's first, opened with a game between the Sparks and the New York Liberty at the Sparks home ( The Forum ) in Inglewood . The Sparks lost the game 57–67. Sparks player Penny Toler scored

1450-420: The Sparks were up 2–1 in the Finals. With another opportunity to close out the series at home, the Sparks failed to deliver as they lost Game 4 80–69, extending the series to a deciding Game 5. The Sparks would lose Game 5, failing to win back-to-back championships. In 2018, the Sparks continued to hold onto their core, but would underperform during the season, this time they would finish as the number 6 seed with

1500-488: The Sparks' first playoff berth, as the Sparks posted a 20–12 record. The Sparks won their first playoff game and series with a win over the Sacramento Monarchs . They played in the Western Conference Finals but fell to the defending champion Houston Comets , 2 games to 1, in the three-game series. The 2000 season was a record one, as the Sparks had a 28–4 record, the best in league history, and second only to

1550-458: The Sparks. Parker began the season on maternity leave, and Leslie suffered a knee injury early in the season. Both Leslie and Parker returned to the court in July, however, sparking a 10–2 run which turned an 8–14 start into an 18–16 regular-season record and clinching the Sparks' tenth playoff appearance in their 13-year history. In the first round of the playoffs, the Sparks defeated the Seattle Storm for

Sparks - Misplaced Pages Continue

1600-570: The WNBA. After the 2018 season, Brian Agler resigned as the coach of the Sparks. One month later, the Sparks announced that Derek Fisher had been hired as a replacement. After the 2019 season, Penny Toler was dismissed as general manager. On June 7, 2022, the Sparks and Fisher parted ways as Head Coach and General Manager after the Sparks started the year off 5-7 after bringing in Liz Cambage . Fisher went 54-46 as head coach during his Sparks tenure. The Los Angeles Sparks currently play in

1650-453: The college player of the year, the morning after Parker had led the University of Tennessee Lady Vols to their second-straight NCAA championship. In 2008, the Sparks posted a 20–14 record and finished third in the Western Conference. Parker had won Rookie of the Year and WNBA MVP, becoming the first player in WNBA history to win both awards in the same season. In the playoffs, the Sparks beat

1700-456: The ensuing regular season, the Sparks again posted a 28–4 record. In the 2001 playoffs, the Sparks finally eliminated the Comets, sweeping them in the first round. The Sparks took all three games to eliminate the Monarchs to earn their first berth in the WNBA Finals , in which they swept the Charlotte Sting , 2–0, for their first league championship. In 2002, Leslie became the first woman in

1750-400: The first round, the Sparks made subtle roster changes and improved the following year. Suddenly showing signs of championship contention, they finished with a 26–8 record and made it to the 2016 WNBA Playoffs . By this time, the Sparks had a "Big Three", consisting of Candace Parker , Nneka Ogwumike and Kristi Toliver . They earned the number 2 seed in the league and received a double bye to

1800-553: The league to dunk the ball during a game, and once again the Sparks dominated the regular season, posting a 25–7 record. The Sparks then flew through the playoffs, sweeping both the Seattle Storm and the Utah Starzz . In the finals, the Sparks were matched against the Liberty, who were still looking for their first championship. A late three-pointer in game 2 by Nikki Teasley gave the Sparks their second consecutive championship. In 2003,

1850-463: The league with a 26–8 record with a double-bye to the semi-finals. The Sparks swept the Phoenix Mercury 3-0 in the semi-finals, advancing to the Finals for the second season in a row, setting up a rematch with the Lynx. In Game 1, Gray made a game-winning jumper with 2 seconds left to give the Sparks a 1-0 series lead. In Game 3, Parker set the Finals record for most steals in a game with 5 steals as

1900-418: The league's first two points with a lay-up 59 seconds into the game. The Sparks finished with a record of 14–14. The team did compete for a playoff spot, but because of a loss to the Phoenix Mercury in the final game of the season, the Sparks missed the playoffs. In the 1998 WNBA season , the Sparks finished 12–18, missing the playoffs once more. The 1999 season featured the development of Lisa Leslie and

1950-458: The relationship between head coaches Michael Cooper (Sparks) and Bill Laimbeer (Shock) which stemmed from their days in the NBA . The rough road to the finals and the tough play of the Shock wore down the Sparks, who lost the series two games to one and failed to three-peat. During the 2003-04 off-season, the Sparks signed two players, Tamika Whitmore and Teresa Weatherspoon , who had played for

2000-462: The sale was announced, team star Lisa Leslie announced that she was pregnant and would not play in the 2007 season. The Sparks posted a league-worst 10–24 record, also the worst in Sparks history. They missed the playoffs for the first time since 1998. Before the start of the 2008 season, the team's prospects improved dramatically. Lisa Leslie returned to the team, and on April 9, 2008, the team used its number-one draft pick to select Candace Parker ,

2050-448: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Sparks . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sparks&oldid=1246416225 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

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2100-448: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Sparks . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sparks&oldid=1246416225 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

2150-622: The semi-finals with the WNBA's new playoff format. The Sparks faced off against the Chicago Sky in the semi-finals and defeated the Sky 3 games to 1 to advance to the Finals for the first time since 2003. They faced the number 1 seeded Minnesota Lynx in the finals. They stole game 1 on the road when veteran forward Alana Beard made a game-winning jumper at the buzzer, lifting the team to a 78–76 victory. They lost game 2 79–60, but back in Los Angeles, put themselves one win away from their first title in over

2200-438: The team's games are not on radio; however, the team did bounce around several stations from 1999 to 2008 . The first two years had no broadcasts. Then in 1999, the team signed with KWKU, a sister station to Spanish-language KWKW , licensed to Pomona, California . According to an article in the Los Angeles Times published in this period, KWKU had no switchboard and no website. In addition, its 500-watt signal reached only

2250-424: The team's next franchise player , the 2010 Sparks believed they had the pieces to contend for a championship. However, Parker had season-ending shoulder surgery after the team started 3–7. Without her, the Sparks struggled, finishing 13–21, which was good enough to qualify them for fourth place in the Western Conference, but they were swept by the eventual champion Seattle Storm in the first round. The 2011 season

2300-467: The third time in four years. In the Western Conference Finals, the Sparks' lost to the eventual champion Phoenix Mercury in three games. The end of the 2009 playoff run marked the end of Leslie's career as a player and Cooper's second tenure as Sparks' head coach. In the off-season, former Sparks player Jennifer Gillom became the team's new head coach. With the acquisition of former All-Star point guard Ticha Penicheiro and Parker establishing herself as

2350-509: Was eerily reminiscent of the previous year for the Sparks. The team started 4–3 but again Parker sustained an injury. Following three more losses, the Sparks fired head coach Gillom, promoting previous Sparks coach Joe Bryant . With Parker out until the end of the season, the Sparks headed into the All-Star break 6–8 and in fifth place. The Sparks finished the season three games out of the playoffs with

2400-463: Was named the Finals MVP. Coming into the 2017 season, the Sparks had some changes made in their roster. Toliver left the Sparks in free agency to join the Washington Mystics , Chelsea Gray became the starting point guard, the Sparks traded for Odyssey Sims , drafted Sydney Wiese and retooled most of their bench, but kept their core intact. The Sparks once again finished as the second best team in

2450-440: Was pregnant. To compensate for Parker's absence, the Sparks signed native veteran superstar Tina Thompson (who had previously played for the former rival Houston Comets ) and former Finals MVP Betty Lennox in free agency. With the addition of Thompson and Lennox, the Sparks added more championship experience and veteran leadership to their roster to them help them compete for another title. The 2009 season had started poorly for

2500-423: Was temporarily absorbed by the league, and was then purchased by Sparks LA Sports, a group that included former NBA player Magic Johnson . The 2014 and 2015 seasons would be disappointing for the Sparks as they had continued to be an underachieving playoff team, getting eliminated in the first round both years by the Phoenix Mercury and Minnesota Lynx respectively. After making the playoffs in 2015, losing in

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