Los Angeles Sparks, Los Angeles

When the Los Angeles Sparks tipped off for the first time on June 21, 1997, they didn't just signal the start of a new franchise—they signaled the start of a completely new league. Ever since that historic moment against the New York Liberty, the Sparks have been the class of the WNBA, filling their trophy case with MVP awards, coaching trophies, and those little gold stars that are given to playoff teams.

In 2001, the Sparks had an especially banner season. That year, they became the league's first team to go undefeated at home, and they won the franchise's first championship, securing an all-Los Angeles sweep of professional basketball titles. The accolades kept coming in 2011, when the WNBA included four Sparks players on its roster of "Top 15 Players of All Time."