The Seattle Reign were the first professional women’s basketball team in Seattle, playing from 1996 to 1998 in the American Basketball League (ABL). The ABL was founded in 1996, with Seattle as one of eight founding teams. The league collapsed partway through the 1998 season under the financial pressure of competing with the rival Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), which was better funded and had higher average game attendance than the ABL. Many ABL players transferred to the WBNA, including several Reign players who later played for Seattle’s WNBA team, the Storm (founded in 2000).

This image shows Reign player Andrea Nagy stealing the ball from Atlanta Glory player Margo Graham during a game on December 12, 1996, which Atlanta won 101-88. Nagy, like many other ABL players, later played in the WNBA.

Caption information source: “Seattle Reign’s league dies – bankruptcy sidelines women’s basketball teams,” by Ronald Tillery, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 23, 1998, page A1.
Caption information source: “No Glory for Reign in first home loss,” by Jim Moore, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 13, 1996, page E1.