Charlotte Sting facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Charlotte Sting
Conference	Eastern Conference
Leagues	WNBA
Founded	1997
Dissolved	2007
History	Charlotte Sting 1997–2007
Arena	Charlotte Coliseum (1997–2005) Charlotte Bobcats Arena (2006)
Location	Charlotte, North Carolina
Team colors	Orange, blue, silver, black, white
Ownership	Robert L. Johnson
Conference titles	1 (2001)

The Charlotte Sting was a professional basketball team for women. They played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They were one of the first eight teams in the league when it started. The Charlotte Sting team stopped playing on January 3, 2007.

The Sting team was first connected to the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets were a men's basketball team in the NBA. But the Hornets moved to New Orleans in 2002. Later, Robert L. Johnson bought the Sting team in 2003. He was also the main owner of a new NBA team in Charlotte.

History of the Charlotte Sting

Early Years: Starting Strong

Charlotte Sting logo from 1997 to 2003.

The Charlotte Sting was one of the first eight teams in the WNBA. They started playing in 1997. At first, they were like a sister team to the Charlotte Hornets. In their first year, the Sting won 15 games and lost 13. They made it to the first WNBA playoffs. But they lost to the Houston Comets, who later won the championship.

In 1998, the Sting had an even better record of 18 wins and 12 losses. They reached the playoffs again. But once more, they lost to the Houston Comets. The Comets went on to win the championship again that year. During the 1998 WNBA season, a Sting player named Kelly Boucher became the first Canadian to play in the WNBA.

After the 1998 season, another basketball league called the American Basketball League closed down. The Sting then added Dawn Staley, a great player from that league. She joined an already strong team with players like Vicky Bullett and Andrea Stinson. However, in 1999, their record dropped to 15 wins and 17 losses. Still, they made the playoffs. They beat the Detroit Shock in the first round. But they lost to the New York Liberty in the Conference Finals.

The 2000 season was tough for the Sting. They only won 8 games and lost 24. This was the first time they did not make it to the playoffs.

In 2001, the Sting started very poorly, losing 10 of their first 11 games. But then, something amazing happened! They only lost four more games after that bad start. They finished the season with 18 wins and 14 losses. They barely made the playoffs as the fourth-place team. But in the playoffs, they surprised everyone. They beat the top-ranked Cleveland Rockers. Then they beat the second-ranked New York Liberty. They won both series in three games. For the first time ever, the Sting made it to the WNBA Finals! However, their winning streak ended there. The Los Angeles Sparks swept them in two games to win the championship.

The Sting had another good season in 2002 with 18 wins and 14 losses. But they were swept by the Washington Mystics in the first round of the playoffs.

After the 2001–2002 NBA season, the Charlotte Hornets moved to New Orleans. The Sting did not move with them. So, for the 2003 season, the Sting did not have a brother team.

Later Years: New Owners and Challenges

After the Hornets moved, the NBA quickly announced a new team for Charlotte. This new team would start playing in the 2004–2005 season. Soon after, Robert L. Johnson was named the owner of this new team. He also bought the Sting. The Sting would then be the sister team to the new Charlotte Bobcats.

The 2003 season saw the Sting make the playoffs again. They had 18 wins and 16 losses. They were tied for second place with the Connecticut Sun. The Sting played the Sun in the playoffs. But they lost in two games.

After the 2003 season, Robert L. Johnson changed the Sting's team colors. They went from the Hornets' teal and purple to the Bobcats' blue and orange. Some people thought the team might get a new name. But a new mascot that looked like a sting made that seem unlikely.

During the time between seasons, the team added some new players. They traded Kelly Miller to the Indiana Fever. In return, they got the third pick in the WNBA Draft. With that pick, the Sting chose Nicole Powell from Stanford University. They picked four players in total, including Kelly Mazzante from Penn State.

The Sting did not make the playoffs in 2004. They had 16 wins and 18 losses. They finished just one game shy of the fourth playoff spot. After the season, the Sting kept trying to build a stronger team. They traded with the Sacramento Monarchs for Tangela Smith. They also got a second-round draft pick for 2006. In this trade, Nicole Powell went to Sacramento. The Sting also won the first pick in the 2005 WNBA Draft. They chose Janel McCarville from Minnesota.

The new-look Sting had a very bad season in 2005. They had the worst record in the league with only 6 wins and 28 losses. During this season, the Sting traded veteran player Dawn Staley to the Houston Comets. Also, Muggsy Bogues, a famous basketball player from Charlotte, became their new head coach late in the season. The 2005 season was also the last time the team played in the Charlotte Coliseum. This had been their home arena since 1997.

The Sting moved into the Bobcats' new home, Charlotte Bobcats Arena, for the 2006 season. The Sting played better in 2006 than in 2005. They had 11 wins and 23 losses. The team had a new arena and was clearly getting better. But even with these improvements, the 2006 season turned out to be the Sting's last season in the WNBA.

End of the Charlotte Sting

On December 13, 2006, the company that owned the Bobcats and Sting gave the Sting team back to the WNBA league. They said that not enough fans were coming to games in Charlotte. They also said the team was losing money, even with the new arena.

Attempted Move to Kansas City

A group of investors in Kansas City wanted to move the Sting team there. The Sting would have played in the Sprint Center. This new arena was set to open in the fall of 2007. Kansas City had not had an NBA team since the Kings moved to Sacramento, California in 1985.

The Sting Team Folds

After many talks between the league and the Kansas City investors, the plans did not work out. On January 3, 2007, the Bobcats announced that the effort to raise money to move the team to Kansas City had failed. The team stopped playing right away. The players then joined other teams in the league through a special process called a dispersal draft.

Season-by-Season Records

Here is a quick look at how the Charlotte Sting performed each season:

Team Uniforms

• 1997–2003: When playing away, the uniforms were teal with white and purple stripes. The word "Sting" was on the chest. At home, they wore white uniforms with teal and purple stripes. The Sting mascot logo was on the shorts, similar to the Charlotte Hornets uniforms.
• 2004–2006: When playing away, the uniforms were orange with blue stripes. The word "Sting" was on the chest. At home, they wore white uniforms with orange stripes. The Sting mascot logo was on the shorts, similar to the Charlotte Bobcats uniforms.

Players and Coaches

Retired Numbers

Some players were so important that their jersey numbers were "retired." This means no other player on the team can wear that number.

Notable Players

Here are some of the well-known players who played for the Charlotte Sting:

• Cass Bauer-Bilodeau
• Vicky Bullett
• Monique Currie
• Edniesha Curry
• Helen Darling
• Shalonda Enis
• Rhonda Mapp
• Kelly Mazzante
• Janel McCarville
• Kelly Miller
• Jia Perkins
• Nicole Powell
• Tracy Reid
• Charlotte Smith
• Tangela Smith
• Dawn Staley
• Andrea Stinson
• Tammy Sutton-Brown
• Tiffany Travis

Final Roster

This was the list of players on the Charlotte Sting team in their last season:

Charlotte Sting Final Roster
Head Coach: Muggsy Bogues
Pos.	No.	Name		College
G	10		LaToya Bond	University of Missouri
G	1		Tasha Butts (IL)	Tennessee
G-F	25		Monique Currie	Duke
G	30		Helen Darling	Penn State
C	42		Tye'sha Fluker	Tennessee
C	33		Yelena Leuchanka (IL)	West Virginia
F-C	4		Janel McCarville	Minnesota
F-G	2		Sheri Sam	Vanderbilt
F-C	50		Tangela Smith	Iowa
C	55		Tammy Sutton-Brown	Rutgers
F	12		Ayana Walker	Louisiana Tech
(IL) – Inactive List

Head Coaches

These are the people who led the Charlotte Sting as head coach:

• Marynell Meadors (1997–1999)
• Dan Hughes (1999)
• T.R. Dunn (2000)
• Anne Donovan (2001–2002) (She is in the Basketball Hall of Fame!)
• Trudi Lacey (2003–August 2, 2005)
• Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues (August 3, 2005 – 2007)

General Managers

These people were in charge of the team's overall operations and player decisions:

• Marynell Meadors (1997–99)
• Bob Bass (1999-2003)
• Bernie Bickerstaff (2003)
• Trudi Lacey (2003–07)

Assistant Coaches

These coaches helped the head coach:

• Dan Hughes (1999)

See also

In Spanish: Charlotte Sting para niños