For the WNBA, it all started with a Los Angeles Sparks game 30 years ago. Now they celebrate their 30th anniversary with another Los Angeles Sparks game. And they had a legend present on the sidelines who played in that game all those years ago.

Lisa Leslie scored 16 points, 14 rebounds, and logged 2 blocks on June 21, 1997. Now, incidentally, against the same team in the New York Liberty, she was present as the Sparks upset the favorites of the match and won by just a point (98-97).

It was quite an emotional night for Leslie, now a WNBA Hall of Famer, a two-time champion, a three-time MVP, and a big-time champion for women’s rights and equity. Speaking on the sidelines during the game, she got visibly emotional as she traced her and the league’s journey over the years.

“I love having the honor of being a role model and I know Bee (Rebecca Lobo) understands that,” Leslie said during the live broadcast by ESPN. “I mean we played ball and we picked it up because we love the opportunity to play. But the impact we get to have is the reward,”

“In the dark times, you know when we know how hard it was to get to those championships, and I think it’s those moments and those conversations that I love most,” she added.

Indeed, it was very hard not just for Leslie, but for WNBA players in general to perform in those initial years. The salaries were low, and the training facilities were a bit subpar. And the Sparks struggled for a number of years before they could establish themselves as a championship team. They won their first championship in 2001.

She went on to remark that the league has grown a lot in terms of the viewing experience it is putting out there, the kind of sponsors it is attracting, and the overall product it has now become.

“The president has been able to do in order to get our league where we are. It’s taken everybody and the hard work and the dedication that these women have to this game. The product that they put out on the floor is so amazing and I’m just really thankful for all the sponsors out there,”… she remarked.

“The sponsors who finally figured it out in a way to supports basketball in a way that it had not been before. And I believe that success along with the television deals is really the biggest difference maker for these women to have the opportunity in the platform to make it even larger than what it ever was,” she added.

This special matchup was capped by a buzzer beater by none other than the Sparks fan favorite, Nneka Ogwumike. She made the shot beyond the arc to hand Sparks the victory on this special anniversary night. They won the game by just a point, to the extreme delight of Leslie and all other legends present for the game.

The WNBA has Become a Brand to Be Reckoned With

Indeed, the WNBA was seen as just a sidekick for the NBA for a lot of its past years. But now, it assumed an identity of its own. So much so that everybody now wants to be a part of it. The league is undergoing a big expansion. Both in terms of size and impact.

The new TV deal is valued at over $2.2 billion. This year, the WNBA has added two more franchises. There are plans to add even more in the next few years. The season length is also expanding. Next season will feature a total of 50 games, up from the current 44.

Stars like Caitlin Clark are gaining global popularity, not just in North America. The league is attracting sponsors from categories that were never seen earlier, like Big tech and fashion. (Google, Salesforce, Coach, and Sephora, to name a few)

All in all, the WNBA has come a long way in the last 30 years. And one can say that the best is yet to come for its players and fans. Lisa Leslie and Co. laid the foundations. And now the onus is on Clark and Co. to carry it forward.