[3][4] The Sparks have qualified for the WNBA playoffs in twenty of their twenty-four years in Los Angeles, more than any other team in the league.

The franchise has been home to many high-quality players such as 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) center and Tennessee standout Candace Parker, flashy point guard Nikki Teasley, and nearby USC alums Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson.

They played in the Western Conference Finals but fell to the defending champion Houston Comets, 2 games to 1, in the three-game series.

The Sparks took all three games to eliminate the Monarchs to earn their first berth in the WNBA Finals, in which they swept the Charlotte Sting, 2–0, for their first league championship.

In 2002, Leslie became the first woman in the league to dunk the ball during a game, and once again the Sparks dominated the regular season, posting a 25–7 record.

The Finals were a battle fueled by the relationship between head coaches Michael Cooper (Sparks) and Bill Laimbeer (Shock) which stemmed from their days in the NBA.

The rough road to the finals and the tough play of the Shock wore down the Sparks,[citation needed] who lost the series two games to one and failed to three-peat.

During the 2003-04 off-season, the Sparks signed two players, Tamika Whitmore and Teresa Weatherspoon, who had played for the New York Liberty.

The loss of their coach was a factor in the team's so-so finish to the season,[citation needed] which ended with a record of 25–9.

On December 7, 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported the sale to an investor group led by Kathy Goodman and Carla Christofferson.

Christofferson is a litigation attorney for the O’Melveny & Myers law firm and was Miss North Dakota USA in 1989.

[5] In the playoffs, the Sparks beat the Seattle Storm 2–1 to reach the Western Conference Finals and compete against the San Antonio Silver Stars.

To compensate for Parker's absence, the Sparks signed native veteran superstar Tina Thompson (who had previously played for the former rival Houston Comets) and former Finals MVP Betty Lennox in free agency.

With the addition of Thompson and Lennox, the Sparks added more championship experience and veteran leadership to their roster to them help them compete for another title.

With the acquisition of former All-Star point guard Ticha Penicheiro and Parker establishing herself as the team's next franchise player, the 2010 Sparks believed they had the pieces to contend for a championship.

Without her, the Sparks struggled, finishing 13–21, which was good enough to qualify them for fourth place in the Western Conference, but they were swept by the eventual champion Seattle Storm in the first round.

In the 2012 season, the Sparks significantly improved, making it back to the playoffs since 2010, finishing second in the Western Conference with a 24–10 record.

[6] The team was temporarily absorbed by the league, and was then purchased by Sparks LA Sports, a group that included former NBA player Magic Johnson.

[7] The 2014 and 2015 seasons would be disappointing for the Sparks as they had continued to be an underachieving playoff team, getting eliminated in the first round both years by the Phoenix Mercury and Minnesota Lynx respectively.

They earned the number 2 seed in the league and received a double bye to the semi-finals with the WNBA's new playoff format.

They stole game 1 on the road when veteran forward Alana Beard made a game-winning jumper at the buzzer, lifting the team to a 78–76 victory.

Game 5 was truly historic, against all odds, and swarmed with Minnesota fans, the 2016 WNBA MVP, Nneka Ogwumike grabbed an offensive rebound and made the game-winning shot to put the Sparks ahead 77–76 with 3.1 seconds remaining.

The Sparks swept the Phoenix Mercury 3-0 in the semi-finals, advancing to the Finals for the second season in a row, setting up a rematch with the Lynx.

In the second round elimination game, the Sparks lost 96–64 to the Washington Mystics, ending their run of two consecutive finals appearances.

[15] On June 7, 2022, the Sparks and Fisher parted ways as head coach and general manager after the team started the year 5-7, despite the acquisition of Liz Cambage.

[20] Before the 2024 season, Raegan Pebley was named the new general manager,[21] while Nneka Ogwumike, the last remaining player from the 2016 championship team, departed the Sparks in free agency.

They previously played at The Forum but stayed there for two years after the Lakers departed for Crypto.com Arena until the venue was purchased by a local church.

Previously, Sparks games were found on Fox Sports West and Prime Ticket and former analysts have included Derek Fisher and Ann Meyers.

The Sparks and Clear Channel Communications (licensee of the last three stations mentioned) chose not to renew their contract after 2008.