A Rage in Philadelphia
The Women’s Professional Team Arriving in Philadelphia in 2030 Won’t Be Philly’s First.
Last week’s announcement from the WNBA that a team will be added to Philadelphia in 2030 marks its first additional professional sports team since the Union came to our City in 2008. And while the new occupants of the Wells Fargo Center will be the first WNBA franchise in Philadelphia , they are actually not the first professional women’s basketball team.
When the Syracuse Nationals arrived in Philadelphia in 1963, replacing the Philadelphia Warriors, who had won two NBA Titles here, they brought with them a title of their own from 1955. Transforming into the Philadelphia 76ers and playing initially at Philadelphia Arena , they would soon capture the love of the fans.
Following the popularity of the undefeated UConn Huskies Women’s College Basketball Team in the year 1995 , both the American Basketball League and the NBA were founded during the same time as the WNBA was forming.
However, Philadelphia’s first female professional basketball team did begin its life in our city. The Rage began life in Richmond, Virginia with University of Virginia star and US Olympian Dawn Staley, Bayonne New Jersey’s Adrienne Goodson, as well as Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Lisa Leslie, and even long-jumper Jackie Joyner-Kersee.
The team even advanced to the annual American Basketball League Finals at the end of the 1996–1997 season.
In 1997 , the Rage moved to Philadelphia and even called the historic Palestra as their home. Although they went 13–31 in their inaugural season in Philadelphia , the Rage bounced back in 1998 with an opening 9–5 mark — the ABL collapsed in December of 1999.
Besides the dissolution of the ABL in 1999 , the larger tragedy of the Philadelphia Rage was the suicide of backup point guard Katrina Price in Texas four weeks later. Before joining the Rage — Price had been a standout player at Stephen F. Austin — becoming the school’s leading scorer and a three-time First-team All-Southland player as well as a 2× Southland Player of the Year.
As a part of USA Basketball , Price was part of a team that won a silver medal in Taipei. She was drafted number seven in 1998 by the ABL.
In five years , Philadelphia will get its second opportunity to be a home for Women’s Professional basketball.
PHOTO: Vintage Philadelphia/Facebook Group
Discover more from Philadelphia Sports Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Categorized:More PHL