The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Lynx compete in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team won the WNBA title in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017.
Founded prior to the 1999 season, the team was owned by Glen Taylor, who was also the majority owner of the Lynx’ NBA counterpart, the Minnesota Timberwolves, from 1999 to 2025. The current owners of the Lynx are Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore. The franchise has been home to players such as Katie Smith, Seimone Augustus, native Minnesotan Lindsay Whalen, Maya Moore, Rebekkah Brunson, and Sylvia Fowles.
The Lynx have qualified for the WNBA playoffs in 15 of their 26 years.
On April 22, 1998, the WNBA announced they would add two expansion teams (Minnesota and the Orlando Miracle) for the 1999 season. The team was officially named the Minnesota Lynx on December 5, 1998. The Lynx started their inaugural season in 1999 with 12,122 fans in attendance to watch the first regular-season game against the Detroit Shock at Target Center. The Lynx defeated Detroit 68 – 51 in the franchise’s first game. They finished their first season 15–17 overall and held the same record in 2000.
In 2001, the Lynx took a turn for the worse as they posted a 12–20 record.
The Lynx’ first head coach, Brian Agler, was released during the 2002 season after compiling a 47–67 record in three-plus seasons. Heidi VanDerveer became the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. The team finished the 2002 season with a 10–22 record, worst in franchise history (until 2006).
In 2003, the Lynx hired Suzie McConnell-Serio as head coach. She led the team to finish with a franchise-best 18–16 record and advanced to the WNBA Playoffs for the first time. They matched both of these feats in the 2004 season.
United States
