The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. They compete in the Eastern Conference as a member of Women's National Basketball Association. The team was founded 1997, and its name is Alana Beard. Their first-ever WNBA championship came in 2010 and the Mystics are the defending champions. Below are some facts about the team.
Alana Beard
Alana Beard, a rookie to the WNBA, received the second overall selection in the 2004 WNBA Draft. The Mystics finished last in the Eastern Conference's 2003 season with a record of 9-25. Beard joined the team in the hopes of helping the team. Beard shared that she was proud of her team and the friendships she made with them. Her performance in the WNBA was a reflection of this.
Changes to the team
The Washington Mystics made many controversial changes before the 2011 season. The team was not as strong after finishing the greatest season in franchise history. The Mystics traded Skylar and Courtney Smith, who were star forwards, to Angela Taylor, the general manager and head coach. Taylor was succeeded by Trudi lacey, who became the new head coach.
First-ever WNBA Finals
Washington Mysoltics won the first WNBA Finals. They came back after going down 2-0 in the Game 1. The Mystics were led by Elena Delle Donne's 22 points in Game 5. The six-foot-five forward, who is 6'5" and five feet tall, won the MVP Award. This was the first time that a WNBA player has been awarded the MVP. Emma Meesseman and Andre Iguodala, both star players on the team, scored at least 20 point. They were thus voted the top team in finals.
Organisational changes
The Mystics made many controversial changes before the 2011 season. Angela Taylor, assistant coach was dismissed after the owners failed to agree to a new contract. Julie Plank was not available to take over GM/coaching duties. Trudi Lacey was chosen GM. Sheila Johnson (owner of Mystics) did not comment on Taylor's departure. She said that Taylor was still having issues with human resources.
Modifications to the uniforms
The Washington Mystics have recently undergone a significant change in their uniforms. The previous uniforms were white with gold and black outline. The Mystics switched over to dark blue jerseys in 2010 and 2011. In 2013, the team kept Inova as its jersey sponsor. However, the partnership ended in 2015. The jerseys now include the team name, city and logo. In 2016, the Mystics made the jerseys more colorful, going all out on matchups.