When the WNBA tipped off in 1997, it needed more than just games. It needed stars who could carry the league on their shoulders. For many, that star was Sheryl Swoopes. She had dropped 47 points in the 1993 NCAA championship. She also signed with Nike as the first woman to get a signature basketball shoe. Then she became the centerpiece of the Houston Comets dynasty. To some fans, she was the face of the league before it even began.
But as a recent Reddit thread shows, not everyone agrees. While Swoopes is remembered as a trailblazer, others say Cynthia Cooper, Lisa Leslie, or even Rebecca Lobo were pushed harder by the league in those opening years. The discussion is still alive. Those early faces shaped how people saw women’s basketball for decades to come.
Sheryl Swoopes as the Chosen Star
The original post praised Swoopes as “the first true face of the WNBA.” She was marketed as the female Michael Jordan. She carried both the skill and charisma that the new league needed. u/Tasty_Sugar_447 remembered how she was marketed that way and noted her historic Nike shoe, the first for a woman basketball player.
Her partnership with Cynthia Cooper and Tina Thompson created a dynasty in Houston. The Comets won four straight championships. Swoopes also won MVPs in 2000, 2002, and 2005. Fans argue that her combination of scoring, defense, and visibility made her the complete package. For many kids in the late 90s, her name was as recognizable as any NBA star.
“She was definitely the face of the league,” one user insisted. They recalled posters, commercials, and highlight reels that made Swoopes unforgettable.
The Case for Cynthia Cooper
Not all fans see it that way. Many pointed out that Swoopes missed much of the first WNBA season because she had just given birth. During that time, Cynthia Cooper carried the Comets and became the real star. u/iamdemirey reminded readers that Cooper scored 25 points in the first game of the Comets’ inaugural season. She went on to win MVP in both 1997 and 1998. She also led the league in scoring for 3 straight years and was Finals MVP all 4 times the Comets won the championship.
u/PlutoandSox wrote that Cooper, a veteran with years in Europe, was the true face in those early years. They called her “a point gawd” who made the Comets unstoppable. Some argued that the league failed to market her as much as they should have because of her age. Even though she dominated the court.
The case of Lisa Leslie and Rebecca Lobo
Another commenter in the thread argued that Lisa Leslie and Rebecca Lobo were the league’s real promotional faces in 1997. The opening night game was Liberty versus Sparks, not Comets. u/Visible_Square9406 noted that the league marketed Leslie versus Lobo heavily that year. It made them the story for fans and broadcasters. u/Super_Silky added that this was clear in the very first WNBA game. The narrative around Leslie and Lobo was “LOUD”. Posters, commercials, and magazine spreads were centered on them. This was especially true since both were coming off their 1996 Olympic gold medals.
Some fans, like u/JustStartinOut, argued that Leslie was the most recognizable face to the general public. She was the one people who didn’t even follow women’s basketball would know. That kind of visibility, they said, was what truly made her the face of the WNBA. In the end, the debate over the WNBA’s first true face shows how many legends built its foundation. Whether it was Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper Lisa Leslie, or Rebecca Lobo, each left a mark that shaped the league.
