The Sacramento Monarchs were a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California . They played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1997 until folding on November 20, 2009. They played their home games at ARCO Arena .
27-567: The Monarchs were one of the WNBA's eight original franchises and were noted early on for standout players Ticha Penicheiro , Ruthie Bolton and Yolanda Griffith . They were the sister franchise of the Sacramento Kings National Basketball Association (NBA) team. They were one of the more successful WNBA franchises on the court, though they often trailed behind perennial Western Conference champions
54-536: A best-of-five playoff series, which brought the city of Sacramento its second major championship in a professional sport. After winning the championship, the Monarchs became the first women's professional team to appear on a Wheaties box. The Monarchs remained strong in 2006, finishing second place in the West. The Monarchs would catch fire in the playoffs, once again sweeping both Houston and then top seeded LA to reach
81-492: A free agent and the Monarchs made the difficult decision not to keep her on the active playing roster, though they did offer her a position in their front office. Edna Campbell , a breast cancer survivor and another fan favorite, was not signed by the Monarchs and later signed with the San Antonio Silver Stars . On March 3, 2005, the Monarchs traded Tangela Smith and a 2006 second round draft pick to
108-463: A free agent for the purpose of her trying to win a spot on team's roster during its pre-season training camp, but eventually waived her. Bolton later joined the Monarchs to work in their promotions and public relations department. The offseason moves immediately paid off for the Monarchs as the team finished with a franchise-best 25–9 win–loss record. Whisenant was later named the WNBA Coach of
135-551: A WNBA championship with the Monarchs in 2005. She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. Penicheiro was born and raised in Figueira da Foz , Portugal . Penicheiro played for several professional clubs through her teenage years, though she did not play at the senior level until after she starred for Old Dominion University college basketball team. She played at Old Dominion from 1994 to 1998 and helped lead
162-452: A four-time WNBA All-Star player, achieving prominence for her adeptness on the court. She notably equaled the WNBA's record for the highest number of assists in a single game on two occasions, further solidifying her reputation as a proficient playmaker. In 1999, Penicheiro's exceptional performance led to her selection as a WNBA first-team player. During this season, she achieved a personal milestone by attaining her highest scoring output in
189-490: Is a Portuguese sports agent and former basketball player. She played for the Sacramento Monarchs of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for most of her professional career. She was a four-time WNBA All-Star and a three-time All-WNBA selection . Regarded as one of the best point guards of all time, she ranks third all-time in career assists and led the league in assists seven times. She won
216-659: Is a supporter of the Special Olympics. She also supports ovarian cancer research in honor of one of her close friends who was diagnosed with the disease. Besides her native Portuguese , she speaks English, Spanish and conversational Italian. Her father, João, is a former basketball player and now coaches her older brother, Paulo, who plays professionally in Portugal. She became an aunt when her brother and sister-in-law gave birth to their son João Miguel in 2009. Penicheiro also enjoys listening to R&B music and Hip-Hop and
243-559: Is a two-time Kodak All-American, selected in 1997 and 1998. She became ODU's second winner of the prestigious Lifetime/Wade Trophy and the first international player to win the honor. A four-time All-CAA honoree, Ticha was named the conference's Player-of-the Year in 1995-96 and 1996-97 while also claiming the Rookie of the Year award in 1994–95. She graduated from Old Dominion in 1998 with degrees in communications and interdisciplinary studies, and
270-682: The Charlotte Sting in exchange for former Stanford University standout Nicole Powell , Olympia Scott-Richardson , and Erin Buescher . After signing two Chinese players, Miao Lijie and Sui Feifei , the Monarchs traded Chantelle Anderson to the San Antonio Silver Stars for a 2006 draft pick. During the 2005 WNBA draft , the Monarchs drafted point guard Kristin Haynie from Michigan State University and Chelsea Newton from Rutgers University . The Monarchs did sign Ruthie Bolton as
297-600: The Houston Comets and the Los Angeles Sparks . However, in 2005, the team brought Sacramento its first championship, winning the WNBA Finals for the only time. The Monarchs made an impact in the WNBA almost immediately. With the hiring of Portuguese national team player Ticha Penicheiro , popular player Ruthie Bolton and prolific scorer Yolanda Griffith , all of whom have been WNBA All-Stars ,
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#1732772305518324-603: The Finals for the second straight season. But in the Finals, they were defeated by the Detroit Shock 3 games to 2, in the first WNBA Finals to go 5 games. In 2007, the Monarchs finished strongly again, but blew a chance to get the #2 seed at the end of the season. They were matched up against the San Antonio Silver Stars . After defeating the Silver Stars in game 1 at home, the Monarchs would lose games 2 & 3 (and
351-696: The Lady Monarchs to the 1997 NCAA Championship game. In 1997, Penicheiro was named to the Final Four All-Tournament team. During her playing time at ODU, Penicheiro collected 1,304 career points and finished her career as ODU's all-time steal leader with 591. She is second all-time at ODU on the career assist list to another ODU great, Nancy Lieberman , with 939. She is the Colonial Athletic Association's all-time leader in both assists and steals. Penicheiro
378-582: The Monarchs as shared tenants for the new Golden 1 Center an intention shared with former Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson , himself a former professional basketball player in the NBA. The Monarchs' first General Manager, has a retired jersey marked "GM", that was hung onto the ARCO Arena 's rafters in 2004. Ticha Penicheiro Patrícia " Ticha " Nunes Penicheiro OIH (September 18, 1974)
405-573: The Monarchs franchise, Penicheiro transitioned to the Los Angeles Sparks . In recognition of her stellar career, fans voted her among the Top 15 players in the WNBA's fifteen-year history in 2011. Despite signing with the Chicago Sky in February 2012, injuries hampered her performance, prompting her decision to retire from the WNBA at the conclusion of the 2012 season. Penicheiro's contributions to
432-535: The Monarchs made the playoffs almost every year during this time, but were eliminated before reaching the WNBA Finals . After losing to the Seattle Storm in the 2004 WNBA Western Conference Championship, the Monarchs made major roster moves to improve the team – obtaining younger players and emphasizing Head Coach John Whisenant's defense-oriented system. Bolton, one of the team's original players, became
459-419: The Monarchs, the Silver Stars came out strong in the extra period and won the game, 86–81, ending the Monarchs' season. In 2009, the Monarchs had one of their worst seasons in franchise history. It also led to the firing of head coach Jenny Boucek during the season, after which she was replaced by John Whisenant , the coach that led the Monarchs to their first championship in 2005. They finished 12–22, last in
486-522: The WNBA, netting 27 points against the Minnesota Lynx . In subsequent years, she maintained her stature in the league, earning a place on the WNBA's second team in 2001. By June 19, 2003, Penicheiro had amassed notable career statistics, including 1,027 points, 1,121 assists, 615 rebounds, and 322 steals in the WNBA. Her remarkable averages of 6.8 points, 7.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.15 steals per game underscored her significant contributions to
513-625: The Year , and Powell received the WNBA Most Improved Player Award . After previous seasons of being eliminated from the WNBA Playoffs by either the Houston Comets or the Los Angeles Sparks , the Monarchs finally defeated both, sweeping both teams en route to their first appearance in the WNBA Finals . The Monarchs won their first ever WNBA Finals by defeating the Connecticut Sun , three games to one in
540-536: The conference and the league. They also missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2002 season and tied the record for the most losses with 22, the same number of losses they made 11 years ago. It was revealed on November 20, 2009, that the Maloof family would no longer operate the Monarchs. The league attempted to re-locate the Monarchs to the San Francisco Bay Area, but on December 8, 2009, it
567-542: The series shifted to San Antonio, and it seemed the series would come to a quick end. But the Monarchs would not back down, blowing out the Silver Stars in Game 2 84–67, forcing the critical Game 3. In Game 3, the Stars came out strong and at one point had a 14-point lead. But the Monarchs put together a furious rally, scoring seven points in the final 90 seconds of play to even the game and force it to overtime. But unfortunately for
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#1732772305518594-540: The series) in San Antonio, ending their two-year run as Western Conference champions. In 2008 the Monarchs were markedly less strong, but hung around the Western Playoff picture all season and finished with the #4 seed. Facing the Silver Stars again in the first round, the Monarchs were hoping for some payback for 2007. The series did not start well for the Monarchs, as they dropped Game 1 at home 85–78. Now
621-570: The sport were further acknowledged with her induction into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. Her enduring impact on women's basketball culminated in her inclusion in the WNBA Top 20@20 list in 2016, commemorating the league's twentieth anniversary. Additionally, she was honored as a member of The W25 , the WNBA's 25th anniversary team, in 2021, solidifying her status as one of the league's most influential figures. Penicheiro
648-474: The sport. Penicheiro retired as the all-time WNBA leader in total assists and assists per game. Penicheiro's legacy in the WNBA is distinguished by her remarkable playmaking abilities, characterized by her consistently flashy style on the court. Notably, she played a pivotal role in leading the Sacramento Monarchs to their inaugural WNBA championship title in 2005. Following the dissolution of
675-569: Was a member of Portugal's national women's basketball team. She was also on the Spartak Moscow Region team, with Tina Thompson , Sue Bird , and Diana Taurasi . She played for Galatasaray Medical Park of Turkey in the 2011–12 season. When inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019, she was an active agent with about 30 clients, among them current WNBA players Kayla McBride and Courtney Vandersloot . Penicheiro
702-465: Was announced that new ownership could not be found and a dispersal draft would be held on December 14, 2009. As of 2024, the Monarchs were the last WNBA team to cease operations. In October 2009, there were plans to relocate the Monarchs to Oakland but they never came to fruition. The ownership group of the Sacramento Kings , led by Vivek Ranadivé , have indicated a desire to bring back
729-531: Was inducted into the ODU Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. Source In 1998, Ticha Penicheiro commenced her professional basketball career with the Sacramento Monarchs, marking her debut as a rookie in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Notably, she secured the third position in the voting for the WNBA Rookie of the Year award. Throughout her tenure, Penicheiro distinguished herself as
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