Dallas Wings

Dallas Wings
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Team information
Conference	Western Conference
History	Detroit Shock (1998-2009) Tulsa Shock (2010-2015) Dallas Wings (2015-present)
Arena	College Park Center
City	Arlington, Texas
Colors	Dark Blue, White, Lime Green
Owner	Bill Cameron
Head coach	Fred Williams
Accolades
Championships	3 (2003, 2006, 2009 as Detroit Shock)
Conference titles	4

The Dallas Wings are an American women's professional basketball team of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Dallas, Texas. The team was founded in 1998 as the Detroit Shock. They were one of the league's first expansion franchises. They were also the first WNBA expansion franchise to win a WNBA Championship. On October 20, 2009, the WNBA officially announced that the Shock would move to Tulsa. The Shock are one of three WNBA teams to not share a city with an NBA counterpart; it does, however, have an NBA D-League team (the Tulsa 66ers).

Franchise history

The Detroit Shock (1998–2009)

Main article: Detroit Shock

File:DetroitShocklogo 1998-2002.jpg

Detroit Shock logo used from 1998-2002

The Early Years (1998–2002)

The Shock were one of the first WNBA expansion teams and began play in 1998. The Shock quickly brought in a blend of rookies and veterans. The Shock's first coach was hall of famer Nancy Lieberman. They would start out their inaugural season 0-4, but would put together an amazing expansion season, and finish 17-13, missing out on the postseason by one game.

After the 2000 season, head coach Lieberman was fired and replaced by Greg Williams. In the 2001 WNBA Draft, the Shock drafted Deanna Nolan with the #6 pick. She later developed into the team star.

The 2002 Shock started the season 0-10, at which point Williams was fired and replaced by former Detroit Pistons legend Bill Laimbeer. The team finished the season 9-23, but Laimbeer's ideas influenced the team's front office. There were rumors the Shock would fold after the awful season. Laimbeer convinced the owners to keep the team around for another year, convinced that he could turn things around.

The Bill Laimbeer era (2003–2008)

After massive changes to the roster, Laimbeer predicted before the 2003 season that the Shock would be league champions, and his prediction would unbelievably come true. The Shock finished with a 25-9 record and winning the #1 seed by 7 games. In the playoffs, the Shock defeated the Cleveland Rockers 2-1 for their first playoff series win in franchise history. In the Conference Finals, the Shock swept the Connecticut Sun 2-0 to reach the WNBA Finals. Despite the achievements, the Shock were viewed as huge underdogs to the two time defending champion Los Angeles Sparks. The Shock emerged victorious in the series, winning a thrilling Game Three, 83-78. That game drew the largest crowd ever in WNBA history (22,076, later tied in 2007). Detroit became the first team in WNBA history to go from last place one season to WNBA champions the very next season.

Detroit Shock logo used from 2003-2009

After coming up short in 2004 and 2005, The 2006 Shock finished 23-11 record and winning the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Shock swept the Indiana Fever in the first round. In the Conference Finals, the Shock defeated the Connecticut Sun once again, winning the series 2-1. In the Finals, the Shock faced the defending champion Sacramento Monarchs and won the series 3-2, and their second WNBA Title.

In 2007, the Shock sought to defend their title and repeat--something they were unable to do in 2004. They captured the #1 seed in the East for the second time in franchise history. The Shock advanced to the WNBA Finals once again. They were defeated, however, by the Phoenix Mercury in five games. The 2008 Shock posted a 22-12 regular season record, the best record in the East yet again. In the WNBA Finals, the Shock were faced up against the San Antonio Silver Stars, who had not lost to an Eastern Conference team all season. Surprisingly, Detroit swept San Antonio, capturing their 3rd championship in franchise history, and last in Detroit.

The final Detroit Shock season (2009)

The Shock were named favorites for 2009, but they had a rough road getting there. Bill Laimbeer resigned as head coach early in the season, and they even found themselves in the bottom of the standings. However, interim coach Rick Mahorn and the Shock bounced back in the second half of 2009 and eventually would place them in the playoffs for the seventh straight year at 18-16. In the first round, the Shock swept the Atlanta Dream to advance to their fourth straight Eastern Conference Final, once again facing their rival, the Indiana Fever. In the East Finals, the Shock were defeated by the Indiana Fever in three games, missing the Finals for the first time since 2005.

The Tulsa Shock (2010–present)

Relocation (2010)

Tulsa had been mentioned as a possible future city for WNBA expansion, but efforts did not come together until the middle of 2009. An organizing committee with Tulsa businessmen and politicians began the effort to attract an expansion team. The group was originally given a September 1 deadline. WNBA President Donna Orender extended that deadline to sometime in October. The investment group hired former University of Arkansas head coach Nolan Richardson as the potential franchise general manager and head coach. This move was viewed as strange by some, considering that Tulsa hadn't even secured a franchise before hiring a coach. The investors claimed it was to show the league they were serious about wanting a team. On October 15, 2009, the group made its official request to join the league.

On October 20, 2009, WNBA President Donna Orender, lead investors Bill Cameron and David Box, Tulsa mayor Kathy Taylor, Oklahoma governor Brad Henry, and head coach Nolan Richardson were present for a press conference announcing that the Detroit Shock would relocate to Tulsa. On January 23, 2010, the franchise announced that the franchise will remain as the Shock. The colors are now black, red, and gold.

Tough times (2010–present)

The Shock team that moved to Tulsa was much different than what investors thought they were purchasing. Detroit's four best players did not make the move to Tulsa. Cheryl Ford decided to sit out due to lingering injuries. Taj McWilliams-Franklin signed a free agent contract with New York. Deanna Nolan decided to take time off from playing in the WNBA, perhaps for good. Katie Smith, whom was believed to be contracted with the Shock (which only turned out to be a verbal agreement), signed with Washington. Along with all the absences, new head coach and general manager Nolan Richardson had his own ideas about what he wanted the roster to look. By the middle of the 2010 season, there were no Detroit players left on the team.

Richardson' first draft pick, Amanda Thompson, was a bust; she only played seven games (no starts) and was waived only a month into the season. Another key signing, disgraced Olympic track star Marion Jones, turned out to be less than hoped for as well; she hadn't played a meaningful basketball game since her days at North Carolina 13 years earlier.

A lack of continuity plagued the team; at times it seemed Richardson made roster moves on a game-to-game basis. The players also found it difficult to adjust to Richardson's frenetic "40 minutes of hell" style. The Shock finished with an awful 6-28 record, dead last in the league. They missed the playoffs for the first time since 2002 in Detroit. Having such a bad record meant the Shock qualified for the draft lottery, and they were awarded the number two pick in the 2011 Draft.

The Shock selected 19-year-old Australian center Liz Cambage with hopes to build a successful team around her. The team also signed veteran and one of the original WNBA players, Sheryl Swoopes. The roster changes were not enough, however, and after the team started the season with a dreadful 1-10 record, head coach Richardson stepped down. Assistant coach Teresa Edwards took his place on an interim basis. Jones was waived a few days later. Things did not improve for the Shock, who entered the All-Star break with a 1-14 record. Later in the season, the Shock set a new mark for futility when they embarked on a 20 game losing streak, the longest losing streak in the history of the WNBA.

Uniforms

• Detroit: White with the team's logo of the stylized Detroit Shock name, in black and blue, over a WNBA basketball at home. Blue with the word "Detroit" across the front for the road jersey.
• Tulsa: Gold with team logo of stylized Tulsa Shock, in black and gold at home. Black with the word "Tulsa", in gold, diagonally in the front for the road jersey.

Players

Current roster

Template:WNBA Tulsa roster

Owners

• 1998-2009: William Davidson
• 2010-present: Bill Cameron, David Box, Chris Christian, Pat Chernicky, Sam and Rita Combs, Pat and Don Hardin, Paula Marshall, Stuart and Linda Price, Katie and Scott Schofield

Hall of Famers

• Lynette Woodard
• Nancy Lieberman (head coach)

Former players

• Jennifer Azzi
• Carla Boyd
• Kara Braxton, now a member of the Phoenix Mercury
• Sandy Brondello
• Dominique Canty, now a member of the Chicago Sky
• Swin Cash, now a member of the Seattle Storm
• Cheryl Ford
• Alexis Hornbuckle, now a member of the Minnesota Lynx
• Tasha Humphrey
• Shannon Johnson
• Taj McWilliams-Franklin, now a member of the Minnesota Lynx
• Astou Ndiaye-Diatta
• Deanna Nolan
• Wendy Palmer
• Plenette Pierson, now a member of the New York Liberty
• Elaine Powell
• Ruth Riley, now a member of the San Antonio Silver Stars
• Sheri Sam
• Katie Smith, now a member of the Seattle Storm

Coaches and others

Head Coaches:

• Nancy Lieberman (1998–2000)
• Greg Williams (2001–2002)
• Bill Laimbeer (2002–2009)
• Rick Mahorn (2009)
• Nolan Richardson (2010–present)

All-Stars

• 1999: Sandy Brondello
• 2000: Wendy Palmer
• 2001: None
• 2002: None
• 2003: Swin Cash, Cheryl Ford, Deanna Nolan
• 2004: Cheryl Ford, Deanna Nolan
• 2005: Swin Cash, Cheryl Ford, Deanna Nolan, Ruth Riley
• 2006: Cheryl Ford, Deanna Nolan, Katie Smith
• 2007: Cheryl Ford, Deanna Nolan, Kara Braxton
• 2008: No All-Star Game
• 2009: Katie Smith
• 2010: None

Radio and Television

All home games during the 2010 season are shown on COX3 or Fox Sports Oklahoma. Some games are carried nationally by ABC, ESPN2, or NBA TV.

External links

• Template:WNBATeam

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