WNBA's Inaugural Game in 1997 Was a Mix of Relief, Exhaustion, and Excitement
The WNBA's first game on June 21, 1997, evoked a range of emotions from participants, including relief, exhaustion, and excitement as one player put it, 'It really had all come to life.'
Michael Voepel Jun 19, 2026, 07:00 AM ET Close Michael Voepel is a senior writer who covers the WNBA, women's college basketball and other college sports. Voepel began covering women's basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996. Follow on X
_Originally reported by [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/49111560/wnba-30th-anniversary-inaugural-game-liberty-sparks-lisa-leslie-rebecca-lobo-val-ackerman)._
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