Can’t stop what you can’t touch. Washington Mystics forward Chamique Holdsclaw pushes the ball up the floor against the Sacramento Monarchs, sizes up a defender sprinting over to cut her off, then spins seamlessly into the paint for an acrobatic bucket on July 2, 1999. The rookie finished with 22 points, nine boards and seven assists in the contest.

Chamique Holdsclaw

Chamique Holdsclaw spins to the cup for memorable acrobatic layup

Count Ticha Penicheiro among the game of basketball’s greatest magicians. The Sacramento Monarchs point guard drives straight into the paint in transition then unloads a behind-the-back feed to teammate Yolanda Griffith while spinning away from her defender in a July 17, 1999 victory.

Ticha Penicheiro

Ticha Penicheiro wraps ball around back to Yolanda Griffith in transition

Triple. Double. History. Sheryl Swoopes can do it all, so it’s not surprise she’s the one to do it first. The Houston Comets star caps off a transition attack with a casual no-look dime to Cynthia Cooper. Swoopes finished the July 27, 1999 win over the Detroit Shock with 14 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.

Sheryl Swoopes

Sheryl Swoopes records the first triple-double in WNBA history

Stretch-four pioneer Tina Thompson does it all with the rock - it's on the defense to try and keep up. After catching a pass out on the perimeter, the Houston Comets forward makes her defender pay for closing out too aggressively, puts the ball on the floor and takes it straight to the cup for two. Thompson finished with 12 points and six boards in the July 29, 1999 win over the Cleveland Rockers.

Tina Thompson

Tina Thompson puts ball on the floor, drives to the hoop for bucket

Few make their presence felt in the paint more than Yolanda Griffith. Tied in the final seconds of a ball game, the Sacramento Monarchs center reads the rim perfectly off of a teammate’s missed jumper, nimbly leaps through the key to corral the rebound then drains a game-winning jumper. Griffith added 23 points and 16 boards in the August 10, 1999 win.

Yolanda Griffith

Yolanda Griffith outrebounds Sparks buries game-winning putback jump shot

It takes a special level of poise to raise the roof in a conference championship-clinching matchup. Cynthia Cooper just happens to have poise in spades. The Houston Comets legend patiently walks her defender off a teammate’s screen then pulls up from beyond the arc in a win over the Los Angeles Sparks on August 30, 1999. Cooper finished the game with 23 points, 12 dimes and, yes, her iconic late-90s celebration.

Cynthia Cooper

Cynthia Cooper drains triple in series-clinching 1999 Conference Finals battle

Thousands of hoopers have been putting up buckets over the course of the last quarter-century but only one field-goal attempt in WNBA history is referred to as “The Shot”. Down by two points with just 2.4 seconds left in a win-or-go-home Finals matchup, Teresa Weatherspoon sets up for an inbound pass from 94-feet out, beelines up the floor with the ball, then heaves a 60-foot prayer off the glass and through the net. The instant classic game winner gave the New York Liberty a one-point victory over the Houston Comets on September 4, 1999.

Teresa Weatherspoon

Teresa Weatherspoon gives team new life with game-winning miracle in 1999 Finals

As she collects the rock, you just know she’s about to make history. Los Angeles Sparks center Lisa Leslie hauls in an outlet pass on a fastbreak then heads straight to the rack for the first dunk in WNBA history. Leslie added 13 points and eight boards in the July 30, 2002 matchup against the Miami Sol.

Lisa Leslie

Lisa Leslie throws down the first dunk in WNBA history

Knowing how to finish through contact is a necessary trick in any scorer’s bag. Detroit Shock rookie Swin Cash runs the floor for teammate Deanna Nolan, leaps into a catch in the paint then powers through a defender for a tough and-1. Cash dropped 24 points and 14 boards on the Cleveland Rockers in the August 3, 2002 win.

Swin Cash

Swin Cash runs the floor, finishes transition layup through contact

When you’re the WNBA’s all-time leader in three-point field goal percentage at .458, there is no shot you won’t take with confidence. Jennifer Azzi showcases that legendary stroke against the Phoenix Mercury, pushing the ball up the court while facing a rapidly draining clock and unleashing a prayer at halfcourt that beats the buzzer and hits nothing but net. The San Antonio Silver Stars walked away with an 81-70 win on July 5, 2003, aided by Azzi’s 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Jennifer Azzi

Jennifer Azzi drains halfcourt heave to beat clock at halftime

Take your pick of WNBA rookie records and chances are Candace Parker either owns it or isn’t far behind. From the opening tipoff of her career, Parker proved ready, with 34 points in her first game, a WNBA debut record that stands to this day. Here, with the Los Angeles Sparks clinging to a one-point lead with just 15 seconds remaining against the then-defending-champion Phoenix Mercury, Parker shows the poise of a seasoned veteran, using a nifty spin to free herself for a pass and then pivoting her way through traffic for a game-sealing finish. Parker’s historic box score reads as follows: 34 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, two steals, two triples and a block in a 99-94 win on May 17, 2008.

Candace Parker

Candace Parker dominates the stat sheet in first career WNBA contest

No matter the opponent, no matter the season, one thing hoops fans have always been able to rely on is Sue Bird setting up teammates with high-precision dimes. Guiding the Seattle Storm to a 7-0 lead, Bird elects to keep her foot on the gas, literally, flying out in transition before dishing off a no-look shovel pass to her star teammate for an easy transition finish. Bird and the Storm rode that hot start to a wire-to-wire 78-57 victory over the San Antonio Silver Stars on May 30, 2008, with their star point guard setting the table for 10 assists.

Sue Bird

Sue Bird dishes behind-back dime to trailing Lauren Jackson

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