The Los Angeles Sparks are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Womens National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the leagues inaugural 1997 season began. Like some other WNBA teams, the Sparks have the distinction of not being affiliated with an NBA counterpart, even though the market is shared with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers. As of 2015, the Sparks are the last franchise to win back to back titles.
History
Lakers owner Jerry Buss owned the Sparks from 1997 to 2006 when Williams Group Holdings purchased the team. It was previously the sister team of the Los Angeles Lakers. As of 2014, the Sparks are owned by Guggenheim Partners, who also owns the MLBs Los Angeles Dodgers.