{{Use American English|date=March 2026}} {{Infobox basketball club | name = Miami Sol | current = | logo = MiamiSol.png | leagues = [[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA]] | conference = [[Eastern Conference (WNBA)|Eastern]] | founded = 2000 | dissolved = 2002 | history = '''Miami Sol'''<br />2000–2002 | arena = [[American Airlines Arena]] | location = [[Miami|Miami, Florida]] | colors = Fiery red, yellow, black, orange, white<br />{{color box|#BA2434}} {{color box|#F1A724}} {{color box|#010101}} {{color box|#E97118}} {{color box|#FFFFFF}} | coach = [[Ron Rothstein]] }} The '''Miami Sol''' were a professional women's [[basketball]] team that was based in [[Miami]] and entered the [[Women's National Basketball Association]] (WNBA) in 2000. They played their games at [[American Airlines Arena]] as the sister team to the [[Miami Heat]] of the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA). The team folded after the [[2002 WNBA season|2002 season]] because of financial problems.
==History== The city of [[Miami]] was granted one of the first four [[expansion team]]s of the WNBA in June 1999 along with [[Indiana Fever|Indianapolis]], [[Seattle Storm|Seattle]], and [[Portland Fire (2000–2002)|Portland]].<ref name=June1999>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108404974/womens-basketball-takes-shot-on-miami/|first=Tom|last=D'Angelo|work=The Palm Beach Post|title=Women's basketball takes shot on Miami|date=June 8, 1999|accessdate=August 27, 2022|page=A1|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> In their short history, the Miami Sol was coached for three seasons by [[Ron Rothstein]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108405152/return-trip-to-miami-rothstein-eager-to/|first=Barry|last=Jackson|work=The Miami Herald|title=Return trip to Miami, Rothstein eager to join WNBA|date=October 9, 1999|accessdate=August 27, 2022|page=3D|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> The league held an [[2000 WNBA expansion draft|expansion draft]] for the four expansion teams on December 15, 1999.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fever History: Dec. 15, 1999 |url=https://www.wnba.com/archive/wnba/fever/news/fever_history.html |website=WNBA |date= |access-date=June 24, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Earl |last=Gustkey |title=Sparks Lose Starting Guard in Expansion Draft |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-16-sp-44653-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=December 16, 1999 |access-date=June 24, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Aces History: Feeling A Draft (2000) |url=https://aces.wnba.com/aces-history-feeling-a-draft-2000 |website=WNBA |date= |access-date=June 24, 2025}}</ref> In their inaugural 2000 season, the Sol finished in sixth place in the Eastern Conference with an overall record of 13–19.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108405513/sol-end-season-with-overtime-thriller/|first=Dave|last=Andrews|work=The Palm Beach Post|title=Sol end season with overtime thriller|date=August 10, 2000|accessdate=August 27, 2022|page=2C|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
Players such as [[Debbie Black]], [[Elena Baranova]], [[Sandy Brondello]], [[Ruth Riley]], and [[Sheri Sam]] led them to a 20–12 record and a trip to the playoffs in 2001, but lost in the first round to the [[New York Liberty]] in three games, the only playoff appearance in franchise history.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108405668/stings-win-streak-at-seven-with-win/|work=The Tennessean|title=Sting's win streak at seven with win|date=August 15, 2001|accessdate=August 27, 2022|page=7C|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108405783/liberty-advances-to-eastern-conference-f/|agency=Associated Press|work=Democrat and Chronicle|title=Liberty advances to Eastern Conference finals|date=August 22, 2001|accessdate=August 27, 2022|page=3D|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> After losing to the [[New York Liberty]] in the playoffs, the Miami Sol finished the 2002 season with a 15–17 record.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108405911/for-sol-a-strange-season-tough-ending/|first=Jamey|last=Eisenberg|work=The Palm Beach Post|title=For Sol, a strange season, tough ending|date=August 15, 2002|accessdate=August 27, 2022|page=3C|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
That season proved to be the Sol's last. Citing the inability to raise enough funds to continue operation under the WNBA's new restructuring agreement, the organization ceased operations in November 2002.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108406088/lack-of-support-scuttles-the-sol/|first=Sharon|last=Robb|work=South Florida Sun Sentinel|title=Lack of support scuttles the Sol|date=November 28, 2002|accessdate=August 27, 2022|page=1C|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> The team formally folded in January 2003 after the WNBA announced players from both the Sol and Portland Fire would be placed in a spring [[dispersal draft]].<ref name=folded>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108406422/sol-players-to-be-dispersed/|first=Jamey|last=Eisenberg|work=The Palm Beach Post|title=Sol players to be dispersed|date=January 28, 2003|accessdate=August 27, 2022|page=2C|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> The team finished with a .500 franchise record of 48 wins and 48 losses. The other Florida team, the [[Orlando Miracle]], ceased operations after the 2002 season and was relocated to Connecticut as the [[Connecticut Sun]], adopting a nickname and logo very similar to the Miami Sol.<ref name=folded/>
After the team's folding, its players found success elsewhere in the league. After being reassigned to the [[Detroit Shock]], [[Ruth Riley]] won two [[WNBA Finals|WNBA championships]] in 2003 and 2006. [[Betty Lennox]] and Sandy Brondello won a WNBA championship with the [[Seattle Storm]] in 2004, with Lennox winning the WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player award.<ref>{{Cite web |title=WNBA Finals MVP |url=https://www.wnba.com/history-wnba-finals-mvp |access-date=2025-06-28 |website=WNBA |language=en}}</ref>
===Uniforms=== The Sol's road uniforms were fiery red, with the team name emblazoned in white on the chest and a [[WNBA]] ball in place of the hole in the letter "O". The home jerseys featured the same design, only with the colors inverted.
===Name=== The team's nickname, Sol, is Spanish and Portuguese for "sun" and was unveiled on January 7, 2000.<ref name=Solname>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108405296/wnbas-sol-unveils-logo-in-front-of-150/|first=D.L.|last=Cummings|work=The Miami Herald|title=WNBA's Sol unveils logo in front of 1,500|date=January 8, 2000|accessdate=August 27, 2022|page=5D|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> The name played off the Miami area's large Hispanic population and its "brother" NBA team, the [[Miami Heat]].<ref name=Solname/>
==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="#990000 " | '''<span style="color:white;">Miami Sol</span>''' |-align="center" !style="background:#eee;"| [[2000 WNBA season|2000]] | [[2000 Miami Sol season|2000]] | style="width: 10%"|[[Eastern Conference (WNBA)|East]] | 6th | 13 | 19 | .406 | Did not qualify |-align="center" !style="background:#eee;"| [[2001 WNBA season|2001]] | [[2001 Miami Sol season|2001]] | style="width: 10%"|[[Eastern Conference (WNBA)|East]] | 3rd | 20 | 12 | .625 | '''Lost''' Conference Semifinals ([[New York Liberty|New York]], 1–2) |-align="center" !style="background:#eee;"| [[2002 WNBA season|2002]] | [[2002 Miami Sol season|2002]] | style="width: 10%"|[[Eastern Conference (WNBA)|East]] | 6th | 15 | 17 | .469 | Did not qualify |- !colspan="4" style="background:#eee;"|Regular Season |style="background:#eee;"|48 |style="background:#eee;"|48 |style="background:#eee;"|.500 |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''' |}
==Notable players== *[[Marlies Askamp]] *[[Elena Baranova]] *[[Sandy Brondello]] *[[Katrina Colleton]] *[[Debbie Black]] *[[Milena Flores]] *[[Pollyanna Johns-Kimbrough]] *[[Betty Lennox]] *[[Carolyn Moos]] *[[Vanessa Nygaard]] *[[Kristen Rasmussen]] *[[Ruth Riley]] *[[Sheri Sam]] *[[Iziane Castro Marques]]
==Coaches and others== '''Head coaches''': *[[Ron Rothstein]] (2000–02)
'''General Managers''': *Ron Rothstein (2000–02)
'''Assistant coaches''' *[[Tony Fiorentino]] (2000–02) *[[Jenny Boucek]] (2000–02)
'''TV Production''' *[[Marc Brody]] (2000–02)
==References== {{Reflist}} {{Miami Sol}} {{WNBA defunct teams}} {{Women's National Basketball Association}}
[[Category:Miami Sol|*]] [[Category:Defunct WNBA teams]] [[Category:Basketball teams established in 2000]] [[Category:Basketball teams disestablished in 2002]] [[Category:Basketball teams in Miami]] [[Category:2000 establishments in Florida]] [[Category:2002 disestablishments in Florida]] [[Category:Basketball teams in Florida]]