Washington Mystics
2025 Washington Mystics season
Conference	Eastern
Leagues	WNBA
Founded	1998[1]
History	Washington Mystics 1998–present
Arena	CareFirst Arena
Location	Washington, D.C.
Team colors	Red, navy blue, silver, white[2][3][4]
Main sponsor	GEICO[5]
President	Michael Winger
General manager	Jamila Wideman
Head coach	Sydney Johnson
Assistants	Jessie Miller Emre Vatansever
Ownership	Monumental Sports & Entertainment (Ted Leonsis)
Championships	1 (2019)
Heroine Explorer Third

TheWashington Mystics are an American professionalbasketball team based inWashington, D.C. The Mystics compete in theWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of theEastern Conference. The team was founded prior to the1998 season, and is owned byTed Leonsis throughMonumental Sports & Entertainment, which also owns the Mystics'NBA counterpart, theWashington Wizards. The team plays in theCareFirst Arena in theCongress Heights neighborhood of Washington DC.Sheila C. Johnson, co-founder ofBET and ex-wife ofCharlotte Sting ownerRobert L. Johnson, is the managing partner.^[6]

The Mystics have qualified for theWNBA Playoffs in 13 of its 23 seasons of existence, and the franchise has been home to such high-quality players as two-time WNBA MVPElena Delle Donne,Tennessee standoutChamique Holdsclaw, athletic shooting guardAlana Beard, and nearbyMaryland productCrystal Langhorne. Until 2018, the Mystics were the only current WNBA franchise that had never made it to theWNBA Finals. They lost in the semifinals twice, toNew York in2002 and to the eventual championMinnesota Lynx in2017. After reaching the WNBA Finals for the first time in2018, they won their first championship in2019.

On October 1, 1997, the city of Washington, D.C. was selected as a potential city for a WNBA expansion team. On November 11, the selection was made official, with the team to begin play during the1998 season. On December 16, 1997,Abe Pollin, chairman of Washington Sports and Entertainment (WSELP), announced that the team would be known as the Washington Mystics, in keeping with the magic theme shared by theNBA'sWashington Wizards.^[1] The league held their firstexpansion draft for the Mystics and theDetroit Shock on February 18, 1998.^[7]

The Mystics finished the 1998 season with a WNBA worst 3–27 record, despite being led by OlympianNikki McCray. Although they did not make the playoffs that year, the team had high expectations after draftingUniversity of Tennessee starChamique Holdsclaw in 1999. Washington improved but again failed to make the playoffs as they finished with a 12–20 record. Holdsclaw would lead the team to the playoffs in 2000, making the playoffs with a record of 14–18, losing to theNew York Liberty in a first-round sweep.

After being tied for the worst record in the WNBA in 2001 with a 10–22 record, coachTom Maher and General Manager Melissa McFerrin both resigned. With the future of the franchise up in the air, Mystics assistant coachMarianne Stanley took over as head coach. With the duo of Holdsclaw and rookie guardStacey Dales-Schuman, the Mystics made the playoffs in 2002 with a 17–15 record. They would sweep theCharlotte Sting in the first round, but lose to New York again in the Eastern Conference Finals 2 games to 1. This would be the only time the Mystics would win a playoff series until 2017.

In 2003, the Mystics would make a franchise second-worst record in franchise history with a 9–25 record, last in the Eastern Conference.

Rumors of Holdsclaw being unhappy playing in Washington came to a head in 2004 when the Mystics star was sidelined with an unspecified ailment, later revealed to be a bout withdepression. With their all-star out, rookie andDuke University standoutAlana Beard led a depleted Mystics team to a surprising playoff appearance, the third in Mystics history. They finished the 2004 season at 17–17, but lost in the first round to theConnecticut Sun in 3 games.

The 2005 season saw deep changes in the Mystics organization. Former star Holdsclaw joined theLos Angeles Sparks and the team was sold by Washington Sports and Entertainment toTed Leonsis.^[8] In 2005, the team finished the regular season with a record of 16–18 and failed to make the playoffs.

In 2006, the Mystics posted an 18–16 record thriving under star guardAlana Beard who was drafted in2004. The Mystics entered the playoffs as the 4th seed. In the first round, Washington was ultimately swept by theConnecticut Sun, the first-seeded team in theEast.

The Mystics finished with a 16–18 record in 2007. In a more competitive conference, the team was satisfied by its near-.500 finish. However, at the end of the season, the Mystics had the same record as theNew York Liberty. Since the Liberty won the regular-season series against the Mystics, Washington lost the tiebreaker and was eliminated from playoff contention.

In 2008, the Mystics looked to build on their near-playoff appearance in a tough Eastern Conference. They draftedCrystal Langhorne ofMaryland with the 6th pick in the2008 WNBA draft. Plagued again by coaching problems, the Mystics fell to the bottom of the East again, finishing only in front of the expansionAtlanta team. The Mystics had gone through 10 coaches in 11 years of existence, the most in the WNBA. The Mystics front office knew it needed to completely clean out the entire coaching and management staff.

During the 2008/2009 WNBA off-season, the Mystics released general managerLinda Hargrove (replaced by Angela Taylor) and interim coach Jessie Kenlaw (replaced by Julie Plank). Under the new general manager, underperforming players were waived as new players were signed. With the second pick in theHouston dispersal draft and the2009 WNBA draft, the Mystics selectedMatee Ajavon andMarissa Coleman, respectively. The Mystics hoped to take advantage of the team changes and finally find consistency in their play.

By the time the season began, the Mystics surprisingly started 3–0. They went 13–18 since the first three games, but their 16–18 record was good enough to reach the playoffs. However, in their playoff comeback, the eventual conference championIndiana Fever was too much for Washington to handle and the Mystics were swept in the first round. This would be the final season Alana Beard played a game for the Mystics, as she suffered two season-ending injuries in the 2009 and 2010 offseasons, respectively.

The Mystics had their best season ever in2010. Led byLindsey Harding,Katie Smith, andCrystal Langhorne, the Mystics took first place in the East with a record of 22–12. However, despite holding a 3–1 edge in regular-season games, they were swept in the first round, including a 24-point blowout in the elimination game, by the eventual WNBA Finals runner-up, theAtlanta Dream.

Prior to the2011 season, the Mystics made many controversial changes. Coming off their best season in franchise history, many had hoped the team would finally see some consistency; this was not the case. General manager Angela Taylor could not reach an agreement on a new contract and after head coachJulie Plank refused a request to handle both coach and GM duties which was reported as a cost-cutting measure, Mystics assistant coachTrudi Lacey was named to both positions.^[9] When asked if the departure of Plank and Taylor was one of the mistakes she said she had learned from at the 2012 WNBA draft lottery, Mystics owner Sheila Johnson said she couldn't discuss that matter, citing ongoing "human resource issues".^[10] After the coach/GM change Harding and Smith both demanded trades to specific teams which were granted (toAtlanta andSeattle, respectively).^{[11][12][13][14]} In addition, starting small forwardMonique Currie tore her ACL while playing in Europe in January and was lost for most of the WNBA season.^[15] As a result of this off-season turmoil, the Mystics record in 2011 fell to 6–28 from 22-12 the year before. Alana Beard also left in free agency, leaving Crystal Langhorne at center and not much else.

After an even worse season in 2012 (5–29), Trudi Lacey was fired as the Mystics coach and GM.^[16] Although having the best odds of the four teams involved in the lottery held on September 26, 2012 for the 2013 WNBA draft, the Mystics ended up with the 4th pick, missing out on drafting one of the three highly touted players available in the2013 WNBA draft; which wasBrittney Griner,Elena Delle Donne andSkylar Diggins.^[17]

Despite missing out on a top 3 draft pick, the Mystics remained positive and continued their rebuilding phase while adding some young talent with future potential to their roster. Prior to the2013 WNBA season, the Mystics draftedTayler Hill andEmma Meesseman in the2013 WNBA draft. After the firing of Trudi Lacey, the Mystics hiredMike Thibault as their new head coach and GM.

In the 2013 WNBA season, the Mystics were 17-17 and made the playoffs losing in the first round.^[18]

Prior to the2014 WNBA season, the Mystics draftedBria Hartley andStefanie Dolson in the2014 WNBA draft. In the 2014 WNBA season, Meesseman became the starting center for the Mystics. They finished 16-18 and made the playoffs but lost in the first round yet again.^[19]

In the2015 WNBA season the Mystics made a change in their starting line-up by putting Dolson at center and Meesseman at power forward. The Big-women duo would have breakout seasons as they both were selected into the2015 WNBA All-Star Game. Later on, in the season, the Mystics finished 18-16 and made the playoffs, but were once again a first-round exit.^[20]

Going into the2016 WNBA season, the Mystics kept acquiring and developing young talent. They draftedKahleah Copper in the2016 WNBA draft and put Hill in the starting line-up. Hill would have a breakout season, leading the Mystics in scoring with a career-high 15.4 ppg and was second place in voting for theWNBA Most Improved Player award. The Mystics would unfortunately not make the playoffs, finishing with a disappointing 13–21 record but showed signs of promise in the future. Meesseman continued to improve after her breakout season, averaging a career-high 15.2 ppg. Also on September 7, 2016, the Mystics scored a franchise record of 118 points along with 16 three-pointers (another franchise record) in a 118–81 victory over theChicago Sky.^[21]

On September 28, 2016, they won the second overall pick in the2017 WNBA draft.^[22]

During the 2016–17 off-season, the Mystics were busy in the trade market. With enough trade assets, they were determined to make a trade for a superstar player. First, on January 30, the team executed a three-way deal with theNew York Liberty andSeattle Storm, sending Bria Hartley andKia Vaughn to the Liberty and receiving the Storm's #6 pick in the 2017 draft.^[23] This proved the prelude to an even larger deal as it freed up cap space to land a superstar on their team. Officially announced on February 2, the Mystics traded Kahleah Copper,Stefanie Dolson and the second overall pick in the2017 WNBA draft to the Chicago Sky in exchange for 2015 league MVPElena Delle Donne.^[24] Also during the off-season in free agency they would sign three-point specialistKristi Toliver (who had just won a championship with theLos Angeles Sparks in the previous season), upgrading their roster into a championship contender.^[25] However, with Meesseman missing some games due to overseas commitment, andTayler Hill out with atorn ACL midway through the season, the Mystics were the number 6 seed in the league with an 18–16 record. The Mystics defeated theDallas Wings 86–76 in the first round elimination game. In the second round elimination game, the Mystics defeated theNew York Liberty 82–68, advancing past the second round for the first time in franchise history, coming off a record-setting performance by Toliver, as she drained 9 three-pointers in the win. In the semi-finals, the Mystics were defeated by theMinnesota Lynx in a 3-game sweep, who would go on to win the2017 WNBA championship.

In the2018 WNBA season, the Mystics played without their starting power forward Emma Meesseman, who played for Team Belgium in the FIBA World Tournament. The Mystics made some adjustments in their starting lineup to compensate for her absence. One month into the season, Tayler Hill made her return to the team after recovering from her ACL injury, but she was traded a month later to theDallas Wings in exchange forAerial Powers. That trade helped the Mystics boost their roster's wing depth. The Mystics finished as the #3 seed in the league with a 22–12 record, receiving a bye to the second round. In the second-round elimination game, they defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 96–64, advancing to the semifinals for the second year in a row. In the semifinals, the Mystics defeated the #2 seededAtlanta Dream in an intense five-game series, advancing to the WNBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. In the finals, they were swept by the Seattle Storm.

Meesseman returned in the2019 WNBA season, and her return powered the Mystics towards achieving an unprecedented regular season record of 26–8, leading the entire league in total wins and losses and earning them the top spot in the playoffs. With a dogged determination to come back to the Finals and high hopes that a Finals title would at last be within their grasp, the Mystics began their playoff run skipping the two single-elimination rounds to a semifinal series against theLas Vegas Aces, just more than a year after Washington and Las Vegas's NHL teams, theCapitals and theGolden Knights, competed in the2018 Stanley Cup Finals with the former emerging victorious. The Mystics held off the Aces on the first two home games for an insurmountable 2–0 series lead, before finishing them off in Game 4 after the Aces made a desperate bid to extend the series with a Game 3 defeat. The Mystics then returned to the Finals against theConnecticut Sun, a team that had the second-best record in the regular season that was no less hungry for a championship, having come a win short of one before. This time, the Mystics prevailed through five intense games, by winning the odd-numbered ones and losing the even-numbered ones, with the availability and health of playoffs MVP Elena Delle Donne becoming a crucial factor in the outcome. The Sun were able to tie the series twice by exploiting Donne's early exit in Game 2 due to a back injury, then drawing upon unrelenting resolve and willingness to learn from mistakes after a Game 3 loss to deny the Mystics an opportunity to close the series early on their home court. The Mystics finally earned their first-ever championship by erasing multiple deficits in the final tiebreaker game, before breaking through in the crucial final quarter to hold on to an 89–78 victory. Meesseman was honored as the Finals MVP.

Delle Donne did not play during the 2024 season, and on April 4, 2025, she announced her retirement from professional basketball via Instagram.

Following the departures of general managerMike Thibault and head coachEric Thibault in October 2024, the Mystics hiredJamila Wideman as GM andSydney Johnson as head coach in December.^[26] The team used three first-round picks —Sonia Citron (No. 3),Kiki Iriafen (No. 4), andGeorgia Amoore (No. 6) — as part of a youth-focused roster overhaul.^[27] Four home games were moved toEagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia, andCFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, Maryland, following multiple 2024 sellouts.^[28] At the August trade deadline, Washington tradedBrittney Sykes to theSeattle Storm andAaliyah Edwards to theConnecticut Sun in deals that returned veteranAlysha Clark, guardJacy Sheldon, andfuture draft assets.^[29]

• 1998–2010: white with black and gold outlines at home, dark blue with black and gold outlines on the road.
• 2011–2012: white with red and blue outlines at home, red with white and blue outlines on the road. Both jerseys display theInova Health System name on the front.^[30]
• 2013–2014: A new number font was introduced; Inova retained as a jersey sponsor.
• 2015–present: Inova sponsorship expires, and the team name (home jerseys) and city name (road jerseys) return.
• 2016: As part of a league-wide initiative for its 20th season, all games featured all-color uniform matchups. The Mystics retired the white uniform for this season in favor of a red jersey, while retaining the blue jersey as its dark-colored uniform.

The Washington Mystics led the WNBA in home attendance in the years 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2009.^[31] To celebrate the fans turning out for games, six banners were hung from theVerizon Center rafters celebrating each year the Mystics were "Attendance Champions."

The banners were mocked for years^{[32][33][34][35]} beforeTed Leonsis, CEO ofMonumental Sports & Entertainment, announced in a 2010 blog that the banners would be taken down, reasoning that the "only banners we should display revolve around winning a division or conference or league championship."^[36]

The Mystics are now unlikely to lead the WNBA in attendance, since their current home of the CareFirst Arena seats only 4,200. It has been the league's smallest home venue since 2019, with the current second smallest beingCollege Park Center, the home arena of theDallas Wings, seating 7,000. In 2024 the Mystics played 16 of their 20 home games in CareFirst Arena and 4 in the largerCapital One Arena, which has a capacity of 20,356.

Washington Mystics roster v t e
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Height Weight DOB From Yrs G 8 Amoore, Georgia  5' 6" (1.68m) 2001-04-03 Kentucky R F/C 0 Austin, Shakira 6' 5" (1.96m) 190 lb (86kg) 2000-07-25 Mississippi 3 G/F 22 Citron, Sonia 6' 1" (1.85m) 2003-10-22 Notre Dame R F 32 Clark, Alysha 5' 11" (1.8m) 167 lb (76kg) 1987-07-07 Middle Tennessee 12 C 31 Dolson, Stefanie 6' 5" (1.96m) 235 lb (107kg) 1992-01-08 Connecticut 11 F 21 Engstler, Emily 6' 1" (1.85m) 180 lb (82kg) 2000-05-01 Louisville 3 F 44 Iriafen, Kiki 6' 3" (1.91m) 2003-08-26 USC R G 5 Melbourne, Jade 5' 10" (1.78m) 145 lb (66kg) 2002-08-18 Australia 2 G 33 Olsen, Lucy 5' 10" (1.78m) 2003-05-26 Iowa R G 4 Sheldon, Jacy  5' 10" (1.78m) 140 lb (64kg) 2000-08-23 Ohio State 1 F 24 Scott, Madison 6' 2" (1.88m) 2001-12-27 Mississippi R G 1 Sutton, Sug 5' 8" (1.73m) 140 lb (64kg) 1998-12-17 Texas 3 G – Alarcón, Txell (DP) 5' 10" (1.78m) 2003-07-31 Spain – F – Claessens, Nastja (DP) 6' 1" (1.85m) 2004-12-02 Belgium –	Head coach Sydney Johnson (Princeton) Assistant coaches Jessie Miller (UIC) Barbara Turner (Connecticut) Emre Vatansever Player development Clinton Crouch (Saint Francis) Athletic trainer Christina Kennedy Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured  WNBA roster page
East ATL CHI CON IND NY WAS West DAL GS LV LA MIN PHO SEA

Nationality		Name		Years pro		Last played		Drafted
		Sara Krnjić		0		N/A		2011
		Jelena Milovanović		1		2014		2009

• Nicky Anosike (2011)
• Alana Beard (2004–2011)
• Kiesha Brown (2002–2005)
• Vicky Bullett (2000–2002)
• Keri Chaconas (1998)
• Marissa Coleman (2009–2011)
• Kahleah Copper (2016), now a member of thePhoenix Mercury
• Monique Currie (2007–2014)
• Stacey Dales (2002–2004)
• Lindsey Harding (2009–2010)
• Bria Hartley (2014–2016), now a member of thePhoenix Mercury
• Chamique Holdsclaw (1999–2004)
• Asjha Jones (2002–2003)
• Zuzana Žirková (2003)
• Crystal Langhorne (2008–2013)
• Kara Lawson (2014–2015)
• Nikki McCray (1998–2001)
• Taj McWilliams-Franklin (2008)
• Chasity Melvin (2004–2007, 2009–2010), now an assistant coach of thePhoenix Mercury
• Coco Miller (2001–2008)
• DeLisha Milton-Jones (2005–2007)
• Murriel Page (1998–2005)
• Nakia Sanford (2003–2010)
• Katie Smith (2010), now an assistant coach of theMinnesota Lynx
• Nikki Teasley (2006–2007)
• Kristi Toliver (2017–2019), now a member of theLos Angeles Sparks
• Kia Vaughn (2013–2016), now a member of thePhoenix Mercury

• Abe Pollin, owner of theWashington Wizards (1998–2005)
• Monumental Sports & Entertainment/Ted Leonsis, owner of theWashington Wizards (2005–present)

• Melissa McFerrin (1998–2001)
• Judy Holland-Burton (2002–2005)
• Linda Hargrove (2005–2008)
• Angela Taylor (2009–2010)
• Trudi Lacey (2011–2012)
• Mike Thibault (2013–2024)
• Jamila Wideman (2025–)

All Mystics game are broadcast onMonumental Sports Network and online through the Monumental Sports Network.^[37] Broadcasters for Mystics games are Meghan McPeak and Christy Winters Scott.

Some Mystics games are broadcast nationally onESPN,ESPN2,Ion Television,CBS,CBS Sports Network andABC.^[38]

• A sellout for a basketball game atCapital One Arena is 20,356.
• A sellout for a game at theCareFirst Arena is 4,200.

• 1998 Expansion Draft: Heidi Burge (2), Penny Moore (4), Deborah Carter (6), Tammy Jackson (8)
• 1998: Murriel Page (3), Rita Williams (13), Angela Hamblin (23), Angela Jackson (33)
• 1999: Chamique Holdsclaw (1), Shalonda Enis (13), Andrea Nagy (25), Jennifer Whittle (37)
• 2000: Tausha Mills (2), Tonya Washington (18)
• 2001: Coco Miller (9), Tamara Stocks (25), Jamie Lewis (41), Elena Karpova (44)
• 2002: Stacey Dales-Schuman (3), Asjha Jones (4), LaNisha Cartwell (33), Teresa Geter (36)
• 2003Miami/Portland Dispersal Draft: Jenny Mowe (8)
• 2003: Aiysha Smith (7), Zuzana Zirkova (21), Trish Juline (32), Tamara Bowie (36)
• 2004Cleveland Dispersal Draft: Chasity Melvin (2)
• 2004: Alana Beard (2), Kaayla Chones (15), Evan Unrau (28)
• 2005: Temeka Johnson (6), Erica Taylor (19), Tashia Moorehead (32)
• 2006: Tamara James (8), Nikki Blue (19), Myriam Sy (33)
• 2007Charlotte Expansion Draft: Teana Miller (6)
• 2007: Bernice Mosby (6), Megan Vogel (19), Gillian Goring (33)
• 2008: Crystal Langhorne (6), Lindsey Pluimer (19), Krystal Vaughn (33)
• 2009Houston Dispersal Draft: Matee Ajavon (2)
• 2009: Marissa Coleman (2), Camille Lenoir (23), Jelena Milavanovic (24), Josephine Owino (28)
• 2010Sacramento Dispersal Draft: Kristin Haynie (6)
• 2010: Jacinta Monroe (6), Jenna Smith (14), Shanavia Dowdell (18), Alexis Gray-Lawson (30)
• 2011: Victoria Dunlap (11), Karima Christmas (23), Sarah Krnjic (35)
• 2012:Natalie Novosel (8), LaSondra Barrett (10), Anjale Barrett (26),Briana Gilbreath (35)
• 2013: Tayler Hill (4), Nadirah McKenith (17), Emma Meesseman (19)
• 2014: Stefanie Dolson (6), Carley Mijovic (30), Kody Burke (32)
• 2015: Ally Malott (8), Natasha Cloud (15), Marica Gajić (32)
• 2016: Kahleah Copper (7), Lia Galdeira (19), Danaejah Grant (31)
• 2017: Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (6), Jennie Simms (18), Mehryn Kraker (27)
• 2018: Ariel Atkins (7), Myisha Hines-Allen (19),Rebecca Greenwell (31)
• 2019: Kiara Leslie (10), Sam Fuehring (34)
• 2020: Jaylyn Agnew (24), Sug Sutton (36)
• 2021: No Draft Picks
• 2022:Shakira Austin (3),Christyn Williams (14)
• 2023:Stephanie Soares (4), Elena Tsineke (20), Txell Alarcón (32)
• 2024:Aaliyah Edwards (6),Kaylynne Truong (21),Nastja Claessens (30)
• 2025:Sonia Citron (3),Kiki Iriafen (4),Georgia Amoore (6),Lucy Olsen (23), Zaay Green (32)

• Sports in Washington, D.C.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toWashington Mystics.

• Official website

• Washington Mystics
• 1998 establishments in Washington, D.C.
• Basketball teams established in 1998
• Basketball teams in Washington, D.C.
• Monumental Sports & Entertainment
• Women's National Basketball Association teams

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use American English from November 2025
• All Wikipedia articles written in American English
• Use mdy dates from November 2025
• Pages using Template:College with unsupported name
• Commons category link is on Wikidata
• Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia