Tontines, or "Who is the last survivor of the WNBA's inaugural season?"

A lot has been made of the hypothetical 1997 WNBA tontine. Tamecka Dixon retired prior to the 2010 season, leaving Tina Thompson as the final remaining active player from the inaugural WNBA season in 1997. However, there are active players in the WNBA whose pro career predates Thompson's. Those players played in the American Basketball League (1996-1998), the women's professional league that at one time competed with the WNBA.

So which players from the 1996-97 season are still active? Believe it or not, there are two. Katie Smith started her pro career with the Columbus Quest, and played with the Quest for all two-and-a-part seasons of the ABL. Smith joined the WNBA with the 1999 season, starting her career with the Minnesota Lynx. Smith was traded to Detroit in the middle of the 2005 season, and she played with Detroit's version of the Shock until the end of the 2009. She is currently playing with the Washington Mystics.

The other player is Taj McWilliams. McWilliams played with the Richmond/Philadelphia Rage during all three years of her ABL career. Over her WNBA pro career, McWilliams has played for six WNBA teams. She is currently playing for the New York Liberty.

There are two other survivors from the ABL who are still active. From the 1997-98 season the final ABL survivor is Delisha Milton-Jones, who played both of her ABL seasons with the Portland Power. Neither Anna DeForge nor Barbara Farris are on an active roster, so Chasity Melvin remains the last survivor of the 1998-1999 season which was never finished due to the ABL's collapse. She played 14 games with the Philadelphia Rage during the ABL's last call.

With Tina Thompson the last 1997, who are the players from the 1998 season who are still playing in the W? There are a few candidates for the 1998 tontine - Ticha Penicheiro, Tangela Smith, Tina Thompson and Tully Belivaqua. Maybe the secret to having a long career in the WNBA is to have a first name that begins with "T"....