WNBA reaches milestone: 15th season
Each time Sheryl Swoopes wishes son Jordan a Happy Birthday, she could do the same to the WNBA.
The two were born in the same summer, back in 1997.
Swoopes the basketball player — and especially Swoopes the Mom — can’t help but wonder where the last 15 years have gone.
The WNBA, defying the odds and the critics, opened its 15th season on Friday with a game between the Minnesota Lynx and the Los Angeles Sparks.
Today, the Chicago Sky visits the Indiana Fever in its season opener (6 p.m., Comcast CN100) while Swoopes and the Tulsa Shock take on the Silver Stars in San Antonio.
Swoopes, who was one of the WNBA’s biggest stars during its inaugural season despite missing the first half because of maternity leave, is humbled to be celebrating another league milestone.
Swoopes appeared to be done playing basketball after being waived by the Seattle Storm during the winter of 2009, following her 12th season. She had missed the last two WNBA seasons and was seemingly on the path to retirement.
But that changed when Tulsa came calling this off-season with the promise of a spot on its roster.
Just like that, the 40-year-old Swoopes, who helped the Houston Comets win the WNBA’s first four championships, is back in the spotlight.
“I was in a place in my life where I really wasn’t looking to come back to the WNBA,” said Swoopes, a three-time league MVP who was frequently referred to as the female Michael Jordan. “But then I really thought about it. This was a challenge I was ready for and wanted to accept.
“I know it’s going to be a challenge. But when I was 10 or 15 years younger, it was still a challenge. I’m not really looking at this season any differently.”
Well, maybe a little bit differently.
Swoopes’ teammates and opponents are certainly different. And not just because they’re actually different people.
“The talent level today is so much better,” Swoopes said. “It’s so different today than it was 14 years ago. I’ve seen the WNBA grow tremendously.”
Meanwhile, younger WNBA players such as Los Angeles Sparks forward Candace Parker have simply grown up with the WNBA. They barely know a sports landscape without it.
Parker, who starred at Naperville Central and then at the University of Tennessee, was 11 years old during the summer of 1997 and remembers watching Swoopes play.
“I feel really blessed to have grown up in a generation where it’s hard to remember when there wasn’t a WNBA, Parker said. “I can remember watching the games. It’s great for little girls to have female athletes to look up to.
“Each year it’s gotten bigger and stronger with more talent , and in the 15th year it’s going to be even more exciting.”
Crystal ball:Most experts are giving Seattle the best odds of hoisting the WNBA championship trophy at the end of the summer. That would be two titles in a row for the Storm.The defending champions welcome pretty much everyone back from an amazing run that included only 6 losses during the regular season. Atlanta, Seattle#146;s opponent in the Finals, remains the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. I think you also can#146;t count out: Ÿ Los Angeles, which is an instant contender with the return of Candace Parker from injury.Ÿ Phoenix, which should benefit from a rejuvenated Diana Taurasi.Ÿ Indiana, which is loaded with hungry veterans such as Tamika Catchings.Ÿ Minnesota, which used the No. 1 pick in April#146;s draft to pick up Maya Moore, whom some consider the best college player of all time.In the very least, the Sky should make the cut for its first playoff berth in its six-year history.Next week:Watch for my Sky season preview. And come out to Allstate Arena next Friday (7:30 p.m.) for the Sky#146;s home opener against the Connecticut Sun.pbabcock@dailyherald.comŸ Patricia Babcock McGraw, who covers the WNBA for the Daily Herald, also provides color commentary for Sky broadcasts.BKW19502470Former WNBA all-star Sheryl Swoopes, left, is now a member of the Tulsa Shock. Swoopes, 40, is in her 12th season in the league and first since a back injury cut short her 2007 season at just three games.Associated PressBKW