The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional women's basketball team based out of Los Angeles that plays in the Women's National Basketball Association's Western Conference. The team started playing its first games in 1997 during the league's inaugural season, and plays at the Staples Center, which is also home to its NBA counterpart, the Los Angeles Lakers. Having won its first Championship in 2003, the team has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the WNBA.