Cleveland Rockers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cleveland Rockers
Conference	Eastern
Leagues	WNBA
Founded	1997
Dissolved	2003
History	Cleveland Rockers 1997–2003
Arena	Gund Arena
Location	Cleveland, Ohio
Team colors	Black, blue, silver, orange, white
Ownership	Gordon Gund
Championships	0
Conference titles	0

The Cleveland Rockers was a professional basketball team for women. They played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was based in Cleveland, Ohio. They played from 1997 to 2003.

The Rockers were one of the first eight teams in the WNBA. The league started in 1997. Gordon Gund owned the team. He also owned the Cleveland Cavaliers, an NBA team. In 2003, the Rockers stopped playing. The league could not find a new owner for the team.

Team History

The city of Cleveland got one of the first WNBA teams in 1996. The team was named the Cleveland Rockers. This name came from Cleveland's famous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 1997, the Rockers started with great players. These included Isabelle Fijalkowski and Lynette Woodard. Lynette Woodard was the first female player for the Harlem Globetrotters.

In their first season (1997), the Rockers won 15 games and lost 13. They did not make the playoffs that year. In 1998, they had a strong season. They won 20 games and lost 10. They even won the Eastern Conference title. But they lost to the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA semifinals.

The Rockers had their best regular season in 2001. They won 22 games and lost only 10. They won the Eastern Conference again. Their defense was very strong that year. They allowed opponents to score only 55.9 points per game. This was a WNBA record. However, they lost in the first round of the playoffs. They were defeated by the Charlotte Sting.

In 2002, the team's record dropped. They won 10 games and lost 22. In 2003, the Rockers improved. They finished with 17 wins and 17 losses. This earned them a spot in the playoffs. But they lost in the first round to the Detroit Shock. The Shock went on to win the championship that year. 2003 was the last time the Rockers made the playoffs. They are the only WNBA team to reach the playoffs in their final season.

Why the Team Stopped Playing

After the 2002 season, the Gund family bought the Rockers. This seemed to make sure the team would continue. But even though the team played well and many fans came to games, the Gund family decided not to own the Rockers anymore after the 2003 season.

No one else in Cleveland wanted to buy the team. So, the Rockers had to stop playing in December 2003. The players were then chosen by other teams in a special "dispersal draft" in January 2004. The Cleveland Rockers played for seven seasons. Their total record was 108 wins and 112 losses. The next WNBA team to stop playing was the Houston Comets in 2008. They also closed because they couldn't find an owner.

Season-by-season records

Hall of Famers

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

FIBA Hall of Famers

Famous Players

Coaches and Other Staff

Head Coaches:

• Linda Hill-MacDonald (1997–1999)
• Dan Hughes (2000–2003)

General Managers:

• Wayne Embry (1997–99)
• Jim Paxson

Assistant Coaches

• Mike Wilhelm (1997–99)
• Lisa Boyer (1998-2002)
• Cheryl Reeve (2003)