DENVER — Denver is no stranger to professional women's basketball.
It was the league before the league, and the Colorado Xplosion put Denver on the map. The American Basketball League (ABL) formed in the fall of 1996, immediately following the success of the '96 Olympic Gold Medal team. The league even signed seven of its players, including Dawn Staley.
"It was the best of the best," former player Shelley Sheetz said. "We had the best players and this was obviously prior to the WNBA even starting. It was a great league."
Colorado was right in the center of the action and at the top of the western conference leaderboard.
"There was a lot of great energy around women's basketball in the state when the ABL started," Sheetz said.
Sheetz was signed as a key member of the original Colorado Xplosion team, following her All-American career at the University of Colorado. She was instrumental in bringing in big crowds to both McNichols Arena and the Denver Coliseum.
"It was great!" she said. "It was a lot of the same people who supported [the Buffs], so it was very friendly faces sitting courtside, in the stands, giving autographs, and we had a great squad."
Lark Birdson, the first head coach of the Iowa women's basketball team, was the inaugural general manager of the Xplosion.
"People loved us," Birdsong said. "I mean, we had such a core hardcore group of fans that just really loved watching the game. It was a really fun atmosphere and it was really affordable."
Since her arrival in the 90's, women's basketball in Colorado has become a true passion for Birdsong. However, through conversations with other basketball insiders, she's not convinced Denver is on the shortlist for WNBA expansion.
"I think it's a longshot right now," she said. "The reason I say that is from what I've been reading, all secondary sources, there's a lot of groups that have an active ownership group trying to secure a spot there. They have the funding and the passion for women's basketball, and I'm not sure we've shown that interest yet in Denver."
Sheetz is simply leaning on Denver's passion.
"I think there's a lot of excitement in the state of Colorado for girl's basketball and women's basketball. I don't think it would take much," she said. "I think with the success of the Nuggets, basketball is just a hotbed right now in Colorado, so why not? Why not us? Why not the state of Colorado have a WNBA team? Let's go!"
WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert spoke at a summit recently saying seven cities are still being considered for expansion, with Denver included. Two teams will likely be added to the league by 2025.