View source for Orlando Miracle

{{Short description|WNBA team}}
{{About|the now defunct Orlando basketball team|the current incarnation of the team|Connecticut Sun}}
{{Infobox basketball club
| name            = Orlando Miracle
| current         =  
| color1          = #{{WNBA color|Orlando Miracle|2}} 
| color2          = #{{WNBA color|Orlando Miracle|1}} 
| color3          = #{{WNBA color|Orlando Miracle|3}} 
| logo            = 
| leagues         = [[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA]]
| conference      = [[Eastern Conference (WNBA)|Eastern]]
| founded         = 1999
| dissolved       = 
| history         = '''Orlando Miracle'''<br />1999–2002<br />'''[[Connecticut Sun]]'''<br />2003–present
| arena           = [[TD Waterhouse Centre]]
| location        = [[Orlando, Florida]]
| colors          = Electric Blue, White, QuickSilver, Magic Black <br />{{color box|#0057B8}} {{color box|white}} {{color box|#8D9093}} {{color box|#010101}}
| sponsor         = 
| manager         =
| coach           =  
| assistants      =  
| gm              = 
| ownership       = 
| championships   = 
| conf_champs     =
| h_pattern_b = _bluesides
| h_body      = ffffff
| h_pattern_s = _bluesides
| h_shorts    = FFFFFF
| a_pattern_b = _blacksides
| a_body      = 0057B8
| a_pattern_s = _blacksides
| a_shorts    = 0057B8
| 3_pattern_b =  
| 3_body      = 
| 3_pattern_s = 
| 3_shorts    =  
}}

The '''Orlando Miracle''' were a [[Women's National Basketball Association]] (WNBA) team based in [[Orlando, Florida]]. It began play in the [[1999 WNBA season]]. The Miracle relocated, in 2003, to [[Uncasville, Connecticut]], where the team became the [[Connecticut Sun]]. The Miracle was a sister team to the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]]'s [[Orlando Magic]].

==History==
The city of Orlando was granted an expansion franchise in 1998, and the ''Orlando Miracle'' took the floor for the [[1999 WNBA season]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=1998-04-22 |title=WNBA HAS ‘GOT’ ORLANDO NEXT |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1998/04/22/wnba-has-got-orlando-next/ |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=Orlando Sentinel |language=en-US}}</ref> The league held their second [[1999 WNBA expansion draft|expansion draft]] for the Miracle and the [[Minnesota Lynx]] on April 6, 1999.<ref name=buildmiracle>{{cite web |title=Building The Miracle |url=https://www.wnba.com/archive/wnba/miracle/news/building_miracle.html |website=WNBA |access-date=June 18, 2025}}</ref><ref name=1999exdr>{{cite web |title=Aces History: Feeling A Draft (1999) |url=https://aces.wnba.com/news/aces-history-feeling-a-draft-1999 |website=WNBA |date=February 15, 2018 |access-date=June 18, 2025}}</ref>

The Miracle posted respectable records in their four years of existence (1999–2002). The Miracle made the playoffs once, in 2000,<ref>{{Cite web |title=ESPN.com - WNBA - Miracle two games from final playoff berth |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/2001/20010801/recap/pororl.html |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=www.espn.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2000-08-11 |title=MIRACLE BAND TOGETHER AS PLAYOFFS COMMENCE |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2000/08/11/miracle-band-together-as-playoffs-commence-2/ |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=Orlando Sentinel |language=en-US}}</ref> and lost in the first round against the [[Cleveland Rockers]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=ESPN.com - WNBA - Rockers shut down Miracle |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/2000/20000815/recap/orlcle.html |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=www.espn.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Archives |first=L. A. Times |date=2000-08-16 |title=Rockers Eliminate Miracle |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-aug-16-sp-5304-story.html |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2001, the Miracle took a step backwards, but they hosted the  [[2001 WNBA All-Star Game]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Orlando gets WNBA All-Star game - UPI Archives |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/2000/10/17/Orlando-gets-WNBA-All-Star-game/3715971755200/ |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=UPI |language=en}}</ref> In 2002, the Miracle posted a 16-16 record, but missed the playoffs after losing the tiebreaker for the final playoff spot to the [[Indiana Fever]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2002-08-10 |title=FEVER, MIRACLE, SOL SHARE 4TH-PLACE TIE |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2002/08/10/fever-miracle-sol-share-4th-place-tie/ |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=Orlando Sentinel |language=en-US}}</ref> 

The 2002 season would also prove to be the Miracle's last in Orlando.

[[Image:Orlando Miracle alternate logo.jpg|frame|right|Miracle alternative logo.]]

===Relocation to Connecticut===
After the [[2002 WNBA season]], the NBA sold off all of the WNBA franchises to the operators of the teams.<ref>{{Cite web |title=WNBA falls upon hard times |url=https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/2002/12/25/wnba-falls-upon-hard-times/31622980007/ |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=Gainesville Sun |language=en-US}}</ref> Magic owner [[Rich DeVos]] was not interested in keeping the Miracle, and no local ownership group emerged. In January 2003, the Connecticut-based [[Mohegan]] Native American Tribe bought the team.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2003-01-28 |title=PRO BASKETBALL; Mohegan Tribe to Own W.N.B.A. Team in Connecticut (Published 2003) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/28/sports/pro-basketball-mohegan-tribe-to-own-wnba-team-in-connecticut.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241203223137/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/28/sports/pro-basketball-mohegan-tribe-to-own-wnba-team-in-connecticut.html |archive-date=2024-12-03 |access-date=2025-10-06 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ESPN.com: WNBA - WNBA's Miracle being reborn as Connecticut Sun |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/news/2003/0128/1500144.html |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=www.espn.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Archives |first=L. A. Times |date=2003-01-29 |title=Connecticut Gets WNBA Franchise |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-jan-29-sp-wnba29-story.html |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

The new owners moved the team to [[Uncasville, Connecticut]] and changed the nickname to the Sun (in reference to the tribe's [[Mohegan Sun]] casino.)<ref>{{Cite web |title=News |url=https://sun.wnba.com/news |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=sun.wnba.com |language=en}}</ref>  The Connecticut Sun's new nickname and logo were reminiscent of another Florida-based WNBA franchise, the [[Miami Sol]], which folded at the same time as the Miracle.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2002-11-28 |title=Lack of support scuttles the Sol |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/south-florida-sun-sentinel-lack-of-suppo/108406088/ |access-date=2025-10-06 |work=South Florida Sun Sentinel |pages=81}}</ref>

===Uniforms===
*1999–2002: For home games, white with blue on the sides and shoulders and white Miracle logo text on the chest. For away games, blue with white on the sides and white Miracle logo text on the chest. The Miracle logo is on the shorts.

==Season-by-season records==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; text-align: center; margin:1em auto;"
|-
!rowspan="2" style="background:#eee;"  |Season
!rowspan="2" style="background:#eee;"  |Team
!rowspan="2" colspan="2" style="background:#eee;" |Conference
!colspan="3" style="background:#eee;" |Regular season
!rowspan="2" style="background:#eee;" |[[WNBA Playoffs|Playoff]] Results
|-
!style="background:#eee;"|W
!style="background:#eee;"|L
!style="background:#eee;"|PCT
|-
|colspan="8" align=center bgcolor="#4682B4" | '''<span style="color:white;">Orlando Miracle</span>'''
|-align="center"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[1999 WNBA season|1999]]
| [[1999 Orlando Miracle season|1999]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Eastern Conference (WNBA)|East]]
| 4th
| 15
| 17
| .469
| 
|-align="center"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2000 WNBA season|2000]]
| [[2000 Orlando Miracle season|2000]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Eastern Conference (WNBA)|East]]
| 3rd
| 16
| 16
| .500
| '''Lost''' Conference Semifinals ([[Cleveland Rockers|Cleveland]], 1–2)
|-align="center"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2001 WNBA season|2001]]
| [[2001 Orlando Miracle season|2001]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Eastern Conference (WNBA)|East]]
| 5th
| 13
| 19
| .406
| 
|-align="center"
!style="background:#eee;"| [[2002 WNBA season|2002]]
| [[2002 Orlando Miracle season|2002]]
| style="width: 10%"|[[Eastern Conference (WNBA)|East]]
| 5th
| 16
| 16
| .500
| 
|-
!colspan="4" style="background:#eee;"|Regular season
|style="background:#eee;"| 60
|style="background:#eee;"| 68
|style="background:#eee;"| .469
|style="background:#eee;"| 0 Conference Championships
|-
!colspan="4" style="background:#eee;"|Playoffs
|style="background:#eee;"| 1
|style="background:#eee;"| 2
|style="background:#eee;"| .333
|style="background:#eee;"| '''0 WNBA Championships'''
|}

==Players==

===Final roster===
{{sports roster
| team=Orlando Miracle
| style = WNBA
| season = 2002
| players =
<!-- list of players -->
{{sports roster/entry | num = 50 | first = Davalyn | last = Cunningham | pos = F | ft = 6 | in = 0 | lbs = 187 | college = Rutgers | nat = USA}}
{{sports roster/entry | num = 28 | first = Cintia | last = dos Santos | pos = C | ft = 6 | in = 5 | lbs = 187 | from = Brazil | nat = BRA}}
{{sports roster/entry | num = 32 | first = Katie | last = Douglas |dab=basketball | pos = G/F | ft = 6 | in = 0 | lbs = 165 | college = Purdue | nat = USA}}
{{sports roster/entry | num = 22 | first = Jessie | last = Hicks | pos = F/C | ft = 6 | in = 4 | lbs = 188 | college = Maryland | nat = USA}}
{{sports roster/entry | num = 31 | first = Adrienne | last = Johnson|dab=basketball | pos = G | ft = 5 | in = 10 | lbs = 154 | college = Ohio State | nat = USA}}
{{sports roster/entry | num = 14 | first = Shannon | last = Johnson | link = Shannon Johnson (basketball) | pos = G | ft = 5 | in = 7 | lbs = 152 | college = South Carolina | nat = USA}}
{{sports roster/entry | num = 00 | first = Clarisse | last = Machanguana | pos = C | ft = 6 | in = 5 | lbs = 180 | college = Old Dominion | nat = MOZ}}
{{sports roster/entry | num = 12 | first = Tiffany | last = McCain | pos = G/F | ft = 5 | in = 10 | lbs = 167 | college = Kentucky | nat = USA}}
{{sports roster/entry | num = 10 | first = Carla | last = McGhee | pos = F | ft = 6 | in = 1 | lbs = 179 | college = Tennessee | nat = USA}}
{{sports roster/entry | num = 11 | first = Taj | last = McWilliams | pos = F/C | ft = 6 | in = 2 | lbs = 184 | from = St. Edward's College | nat = USA| note = C}}
{{sports roster/entry | num = 3 | first = Wendy | last = Palmer-Daniel | pos = F | ft = 6 | in = 2 | lbs = 165 | from = Virginia | nat = USA}}
{{sports roster/entry | num = 42 | first = Nykesha | last = Sales | pos = G/F | ft = 6 | in = 0 | lbs = 175 | college = Connecticut | nat = USA| note = C}}
{{sports roster/entry | num = 21 | first = Brooke | last = Wyckoff | pos = F | ft = 6 | in = 1 | lbs = 183 | college = Florida State | nat = USA}}
<!-- end list of players -->
| head_coach = 
{{sports roster/entry|nat=USA| first = Dee | last = Brown | dab = basketball, born 1968| college = Jacksonville University}}
| asst_coach =
{{sports roster/entry|nat=USA| first = Vonn | last = Read | nolink = 1| college =Clark Atlanta University}}
{{sports roster/entry|nat=USA| first = Valerie | last = Still| college = Kentucky}}
}}

===Former players===
{{main|Orlando Miracle all-time roster}}
*[[Cintia dos Santos]] 2000–2002
*[[Katie Douglas (basketball)|Katie Douglas]] 2001–2002
*[[Jessie Hicks]] 2000–2002
*[[Adrienne Johnson (basketball)|Adrienne Johnson]] 1999–2002
*[[Shannon Johnson (basketball)|Shannon Johnson]] 1999–2002
*[[Carla McGhee]] 1999–2002
*[[Taj McWilliams-Franklin]] 1999–2002
*[[Elaine Powell]] 1999–2002
*[[Nykesha Sales]] 1999–2002
*[[Brooke Wyckoff]] 2001–2002
*[[Monica "Monee" Sheppard]]

==Coaches==

===Head coaches===
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.2em auto;"
|+ style="background:#4682B4; color:white;"|Orlando Miracle head coaches
|-
! rowspan="2" | Name
! rowspan="2" | Start
! rowspan="2" | End
! rowspan="2"  | Seasons
! colspan="4" | Regular season
! colspan="4" | Playoffs
|-
! W !! L !! PCT !! G !! W !! L !! PCT !! G
|-
| '''[[Carolyn Peck]]''' || July 6, 1998 || April 3, 2002 || 4 || 44 || 52 || .458 || 96 || 1 || 2 || .333 || 3
|-
| '''[[Dee Brown (basketball, born 1968)|Dee Brown]]''' || April 5, 2002 || End of [[2002 WNBA season|2002]] || 1 || 16 || 16 || .500 || 32 || 0 || 0 || .000 || 0
|}

===General managers===
*Carolyn Peck (1999-2002)
*Dee Brown (2002)

===Assistant coaches===
*Rick Stukes (1999–2000)
*[[Charlene Thomas-Swinson]] (1999–2001)
*Michael Peck (2001)
*Vonn Read (2002)
*[[Valerie Still]] (2002)

==All-time notes==

===Draft picks===
Current WNBA players are in italics.
*'''1999 Expansion Draft:''' Andrea Congreaves (2), Kisha Ford (4), Yolanda Moore (6), Adrienne Johnson (8)
*'''1999 WNBA Draft:''' Tari Phillips (8), ''Sheri Sam'' (20), ''Taj McWilliams-Franklin'' (32), Carla McGhee (44), ''Elaine Powell'' (50)
*'''2000 WNBA Draft:''' Cintia dos Santos (4), Jannon Roland (20), Shawnetta Stewart (36), Romona Hanzova (52)
*'''2001 WNBA Draft:''' ''Katie Douglas'' (10), ''Brooke Wyckoff'' (26), Jaclyn Johnson (42), Anne Thorius (58)
*'''2002 WNBA Draft:''' Davalyn Cunningham (23), Saundra Jackson (39), Tomeka Brown (55)

===Trades===
*'''April 18, 2002:''' The Miracle acquire Clarisse Machanguana from the Charlotte Sting for the Miracle's first-round pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft.
*'''July 8, 2002:''' The Miracle acquire Wendy Palmer from the Detroit Shock for Elaine Powell.

===All-Stars===
*'''1999:''' Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Shannon Johnson, Nykesha Sales
*'''2000:''' Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Shannon Johnson, Nykesha Sales
*'''2001:''' Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Nykesha Sales
*'''2002:''' Shannon Johnson, Nykesha Sales

<ref>2008 Connecticut Sun Media Guide</ref>

===Regular season attendance===
*A sellout for a basketball game at [[TD Waterhouse Center]] is 17,248.
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.2em auto;"
|+ style="background:#4682B4; color:white;"|Regular Season All-Time Attendance
!width=75 |Year
!width=150|Average: Home
!width=150|Average: Away
!width=100|High
!width=100|Low
!width=75 |Sellouts
!width=150|Total for Year
!width=150|WNBA Game Average
|- align="center"
| '''1999''' || 9,801 (6th) || 10,889 || 15,442 || 7,028 || 0 || 156,818 || 10,207
|- align="center"
| '''2000''' || 7,363 (11th) || 8,885 || 9,464 || 5,731 || 0 || 117,810 || 9,074
|- align="center"
| '''2001''' || 7,430 (11th) || 8,560 || 11,903 || 5,363 || 0 || 118,874 || 9,105
|- align="center"
| '''2002''' || 7,115 (13th) || 9,433 || 13,111 || 4,323 || 0 || 113,837 || 9,228
|}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{WNBA}}
{{Connecticut Sun}}

[[Category:Orlando Miracle| ]]
[[Category:Basketball teams established in 1999]]
[[Category:Basketball teams disestablished in 2002]]
[[Category:Relocated Women's National Basketball Association teams]]
[[Category:Basketball teams in Florida]]
[[Category:1999 establishments in Florida]]
[[Category:2002 disestablishments in Florida]]