text:
Women's National Basketball Association
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
"WNBA" redirects here. For other uses, see WNBA (disambiguation).
Women's National Basketball Association
Current season, competition or edition:
2017 WNBA season
The WNBA logo as redesigned in 2013
Sport
Basketball
Founded
April 24, 1996
Founder
David Stern
Inaugural season
1997
President
Lisa Borders[1]
Motto
"Watch Me Work"
No. of teams
12
Country
United States
Continent
Americas
Most recent
champion(s)
Minnesota Lynx (4th)
Most titles
Houston Comets (4)
Minnesota Lynx (4)
TV partner(s)
ABC
ESPN
NBA TV
NBA TV Canada
Official website
www.WNBA.com
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league in North America. It is currently composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association (NBA), and league play started in 1997. The regular season is played from June to September with the All Star game being played midway through the season in July and the WNBA Finals at the end of September until the beginning of October.
Many WNBA teams have direct NBA counterparts and play in the same arena. The Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, and Seattle Storm are the teams that do not share an arena with a direct NBA counterpart, although three of the six (the Dream, the Wings and the Sky) share a market with an NBA counterpart, and the Storm shared an arena and market with an NBA team at the time of its founding. The six aforementioned franchises, along with the Los Angeles Sparks, are all independently owned.
Contents
[hide]
1 History
1.1 League founded and play begins (1996–97)
1.2 Houston domination and league expansion (1997–2000)
1.3 The L.A. Sparks; new league ownership and contraction (2001–2002)
1.4 Bill Laimbeer leaves his mark (2003–2006)
1.5 Bringing "Paul Ball" to the WNBA (2007–2009)
1.6 Changing of the guard (2010–2012)
1.7 The Three to See (2013)
2 Teams
2.1 Relationship with NBA teams
2.2 Membership timeline
2.3 Relocated teams
2.4 Folded teams
3 Season format
3.1 Regular season
3.2 WNBA All-Star Game
3.3 WNBA Playoffs
3.4 WNBA Finals
4 League championships
5 Players and coaches
5.1 Milestones
5.2 Awards
5.2.1 Most recent award winners
5.3 Notable international players
6 Rules and regulations
6.1 Court dimensions
7 Business
7.1 Finance
7.2 Sponsorships
7.3 Salaries, rosters, and collective bargaining
7.4 Merchandise
7.5 WNBA Presidents
8 Attendance
9 Media coverage
9.1 WNBA League Pass
9.2 Viewership
10 All-time franchise history
11 See also
12 References
13 External links
History[edit]
League founded and play begins (1996–97)[edit]
The creation of the WNBA was officially approved by the NBA Board of Governors on April 24, 1996,[2] and announced at a press conference with Rebecca Lobo, Lisa Leslie, and Sheryl Swoopes in attendance.[3] The new WNBA had to compete with the recently formed American Basketball League, another professional women's basketball league that began play in 1996.
The WNBA began with eight teams: the Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers, Houston Comets and New York Liberty in the Eastern Conference; and the Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury, Sacramento Monarchs and Utah Starzz in the Western Conference.[4]
While not the first major women's professional basketball league in the United States (a distinction held by the defunct WBL), the WNBA is the only league to receive full backing of the NBA.[5] The WNBA logo, "Logo Woman", paralleled the NBA logo and was selected out of 50 different designs.[4]
On the heels of a much-publicized gold medal run by the 1996 USA Basketball Women's National Team at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, the WNBA began its first season on June 21, 1997 to little fanfare. The first WNBA game featured the New York Liberty facing the Los Angeles Sparks in Los Angeles. The game was televised nationally in the United States on the NBC television network. At the start of the 1997 season, the WNBA had television deals in place with NBC (NBA rights holder), and the Walt Disney Company and Hearst Corporation joint venture channels, ESPN and Lifetime Television Network, respectively. Penny Toler scored the league's first point.[6][7]
Houston domination and league expansion (1997–2000)[edit]
The WNBA centered its marketing campaign, dubbed "We Got Next", around stars Rebecca Lobo, Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes.[8] In the league's first season, Leslie's Los Angeles Sparks underperformed and Swoopes sat out much of the season due to her pregnancy. The WNBA's true star in 1997 was WNBA MVP Cynthia Cooper, Swoopes' teammate on the Houston Comets. The Comets defeated Lobo's New York Liberty in the first WNBA Championship game. The initial "We Got Next" advertisement ran before each WNBA season until it was replaced with the "We Got Game" campaign.
Sheryl Swoopes, the first player signed (shown in 2008)
Two teams were added in 1998 (Detroit and Washington)[9] and two more in 1999 (Orlando and Minnesota), bringing the number of teams in the league up to twelve.[10] The 1999 season began with a collective bargaining agreement between players and the league,[11] marking the first collective bargaining agreement to be signed in the history of women's professional sports.[citation needed] The WNBA also announced in 1999 that it would add four more team for the 2000 season (the Indiana Fever, the Seattle Storm, the Miami Sol, and the Portland Fire), bringing the league up to 16 teams, with WNBA President Val Ackerman discussing expansion: "This won't be the end of it. We expect to keep growing the league."[12]
In 1999, the league's chief competition, the American Basketball League, folded. Many of the ABL's star players, including several Olympic gold medalists (such as Nikki McCray and Dawn Staley) and a number of standout college performers (including Kate Starbird and Jennifer Rizzotti), then joined the rosters of WNBA teams and, in so doing, enhanced the overall quality of play in the league. When a lockout resulted in an abbreviated NBA season, the WNBA saw faltering TV viewership.
On May 23, 2000, the Houston Comets became the first WNBA team to be invited to the White House Rose Garden. Before this invitation, only men's sports teams had traveled to the White House.
At the end of the 2000 season, the Houston Comets won their fourth championship, capturing every title since the league's inception. Led by the "Big Three" of Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson, and four-time Finals MVP Cynthia Cooper, the Comets dominated every team in the league. Under head coach Van Chancellor, the team posted a 98–24 record through their first four seasons (16–3 in the Playoffs). After 2000, Cooper retired from the league and the Comets dynasty came to an end.
The L.A. Sparks; new league ownership and contraction (2001–2002)[edit]
Lisa Leslie of the Sparks
The top contender in the 2001 season was the Los Angeles Sparks. Led by Lisa Leslie, the Sparks posted a regular-season record of 28–4. They advanced to their first ever WNBA Finals and swept the Charlotte Sting.
Looking to repeat in 2002, the Sparks again made a strong run toward the postseason, going 25–7 in the regular season under head coach Michael Cooper, formerly of the Los Angeles Lakers. Again, Leslie dominated opponents throughout the Playoffs, leading the Sparks to a perfect 6–0 record through all three rounds, beating the New York Liberty in the 2002 Finals.
Teams and the league were collectively owned by the NBA until the end of 2002, when the NBA sold WNBA teams either to their NBA counterparts in the same city or to a third party, as a result of the dot-com bubble. This led to two teams moving: Utah moved to San Antonio, and Orlando moved to Connecticut and became the first WNBA team to be owned by a third party instead of an NBA franchise. This sale of teams also led to two teams folding, the Miami Sol and Portland Fire, because new owners could not be found.
Bill Laimbeer leaves his mark (2003–2006)[edit]
The WNBA Players Association threatened to strike in 2003 if a new deal was not worked out between players and the league. The result was a delay in the start of the 2003 preseason. The 2003 WNBA Draft was also delayed and negative publicity was gained from this strike.[13]
After taking over a struggling franchise in 2002, former Detroit Pistons forward Bill Laimbeer had high hopes for the Detroit Shock in 2003. The team was just 9–23 in 2002. The Shock had three all-stars in the 2003 All-Star Game (Swin Cash, Cheryl Ford, and Deanna Nolan). Laimbeer orchestrated a worst-to-first turnaround and the Shock finished the season 25–9 in first place in the Eastern Conference. Winning the first two rounds of the Playoffs, the Shock faced two-time champion Los Angeles Sparks and Lisa Leslie in the 2003 Finals. The Shock beat the Sparks, winning game three on a three-pointer by Deanna Nolan.
Bill Laimbeer
After the 2003 season, the Cleveland Rockers, one of the league's original eight teams, folded because the owners were unwilling to continue operating the franchise.
Val Ackerman, the first WNBA president, resigned effective February 1, 2005, citing the desire to spend more time with her family. Ackerman later became president of USA Basketball. On February 15, 2005, NBA Commissioner David Stern announced that Donna Orender, who had been serving as the Senior Vice President of the PGA Tour and who had played for several teams in the now-defunct Women's Pro Basketball League, would be Ackerman's successor as of April 2005.
The WNBA awarded a expansion team to Chicago (later named the Sky) in February 2006. In the off-season, a set of rule changes was approved that made the WNBA more like the NBA.[14]
In 2006, the league became the first team-oriented women's professional sports league to exist for ten consecutive seasons.[citation needed] On the occasion of the tenth anniversary, the WNBA released its All-Decade Team, comprising the ten WNBA players to have contributed, through on-court play and off-court activities, the most to women's basketball during the league's existence.
After missing out on the Finals in 2004 and 2005, the Shock bounced back in 2006 behind newly acquired Katie Smith, along with six remaining members from their 2003 Finals run (Cash, Ford, Holland-Corn, Nolan, Powell, and Riley). The Shock finished second in the Eastern Conference, and knocked off first-seeded Connecticut in the second round of the Playoffs. The Shock faced reigning champion Sacramento Monarchs in a five-game series. The Shock won game five on their home floor.
Bringing "Paul Ball" to the WNBA (2007–2009)[edit]
Diana Taurasi of the Mercury
In December 2006, the Charlotte Bobcats organization announced it would no longer operate the Charlotte Sting. Soon after, the WNBA announced that the Sting would not operate for 2007. A dispersal draft was held January 8, 2007. Teams selected in inverse order of their 2006 records; Chicago received the first pick.
Former Los Angeles Lakers championship coach Paul Westhead was named head coach of the Phoenix Mercury on October 11, 2005, bringing his up-tempo style of play to the WNBA. This fast-paced offense was perfect for his team, especially after the league shortened the shot clock from 30 seconds to 24 seconds in 2006. Much like the early Houston Comets championship teams, the Phoenix Mercury had risen to prominence led by their own "Big Three" of Cappie Pondexter, Diana Taurasi, and Penny Taylor.
The Mercury were well-suited for fast offense behind these three players. Phoenix averaged a league-record 88.97 points per game in 2007; teams could not keep up with the new style of play, and the Mercury were propelled into first place in the Western Conference. Facing the reigning champion Detroit Shock, the Mercury imposed their high-scoring offense with hopes of capturing their first title in franchise history. Averaging 93.2 points per game in the Finals series, the Mercury beat Detroit on their home floor in front of 22,076 fans in game five to claim their first ever WNBA title.
In October 2007 the WNBA awarded another expansion franchise to Atlanta. Atlanta businessman Ron Terwilliger was the original owner of the new team. Citizens of Atlanta were able to vote for their choices for the new team's nickname and colors.[15] The Dream, as they were named, played their first regular season game on May 17, which was a 67–100 loss to the Connecticut Sun.
Paul Westhead resigned from the Mercury after capturing the 2007 title and Penny Taylor opted to stay home to prepare for the 2008 Summer Olympics, causing the Mercury to falter in 2008. The team posted a 16–18 record and became the first team in WNBA history to miss the Playoffs after winning the championship in the previous season. In their place, the Detroit Shock won their third championship under coach Bill Laimbeer, solidifying their place in WNBA history before Laimbeer resigned early in 2009, effectively ending the Shock dynasty.
During the 2008 regular season, the first ever outdoor professional basketball game in North America was played at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City.[citation needed][16] The Indiana Fever defeated the New York Liberty 71–55 in front of over 19,000 fans.
Late in 2008, the WNBA took over ownership of one of the league's original franchises, the Houston Comets. The Comets ceased operations on December 1, 2008 after no owners for the franchise could be found.[17] A dispersal draft took place on December 8, 2008 and with the first pick, Sancho Lyttle was taken by the Atlanta Dream.
After an unsatisfying conclusion in 2008, the Mercury looked to bounce back to championship caliber. New head coach Corey Gaines implemented Paul Westhead's style of play, and the Mercury averaged 92.82 points per game throughout the 2009 season. Helped by the return of Penny Taylor, the Mercury once again locked up first place in the Western Conference and advanced to the 2009 Finals. The championship series was a battle of contrasting styles as the Mercury (number one league offense, 92.82 points per game) had to face the Indiana Fever (number three league defense, 73.55 points per game). The series went five games, including arguably one of the most thrilling games in WNBA history in game one of the series (Phoenix won in overtime, 120–116. The Mercury beat the Fever in game five, this time on their home court, to capture their second WNBA championship.
Not only did Paul Westhead's system influence his Mercury team, but it created a domino effect throughout the league. Young athletic players were capable of scoring more and playing at a faster pace. As a league, the 2010 average of 80.35 points per game was the best ever, far surpassing the 69.2 average in the league's inaugural season.
Changing of the guard (2010–2012)[edit]
Sylvia Fowles of the Sky
On October 20, 2009, the WNBA announced that the Detroit Shock would relocate to Tulsa, Oklahoma; the team is called the Tulsa Shock.[18] On November 20, 2009, the WNBA announced that the Sacramento Monarchs had folded due to lack of support from its current owners, the Maloof family, who were also the owners of the Sacramento Kings at the time. The league announced it would seek new owners to relocate the team to the San Francisco Bay area; however, no ownership was found and a dispersal draft was held on December 14, 2009.
The 2010 season saw a tight race in the East, with three teams being tied for first place on the final day of the regular season. Five of the six teams in the East were in first place at some point during the season. The East held a .681 winning percentage over the West, its highest ever. In the 2010 Finals, two new teams represented each conference: the Seattle Storm and the Atlanta Dream. Seattle made their first finals appearance since winning it all in 2004 and Atlanta, coming into the playoffs as a four seed, impressively swept its opponents in the first two rounds to advance to the Finals in only the third year of the team's existence.
After the 2010 season, President Orender announced she would be resigning from her position as of December 31. On April 21, 2011, NBA commissioner David Stern announced that former Girl Scouts of the USA Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Laurel J. Richie would assume duties as President on May 16, 2011.
The 2011 season began with strong publicity helped by the rising young stars of the league and the NBA lockout.[19] The 2011 NBA lockout began on July 1, 2011. Unlike the previous lockout, which affected the WNBA, president Laurel J. Richie confirmed that this lockout would have no effect on the WNBA. If the NBA season was shortened or canceled, the 2012 WNBA season (including the WNBA teams still owned by NBA owners) would run as planned. The lockout ended on November 26, and NBA teams would play a 66-game regular season following the lockout.
Many news outlets began covering the league more frequently. NBA TV, the television home of the NBA scheduled over 70 regular season games to be televised (along with a dozen more on ESPN2 and ABC). The new influx of young talent into the league gave many teams something to be excited about. Players like Candace Parker of the Sparks, Maya Moore of the Lynx, DeWanna Bonner of the Mercury, Angel McCoughtry of the Dream, Sylvia Fowles of the Sky, Tina Charles of the Sun, and Liz Cambage of the Shock brought a new level of excitement to the game, adding talent to the teams of young veterans such as Diana Taurasi, Seimone Augustus and Cappie Pondexter. The level of play was getting better, as evidenced by higher scoring, better defense, and higher shooting percentages. Fans responded to the new stars in the league; by the end of the 2011 regular season, nine of the twelve teams in the league had increased attendance over their 2010 averages.[20]
The new influx of talented young players showed that the league's longevity gave young girls something to work towards. Rookies coming into the league had the luxury of growing up watching veterans like Cynthia Cooper, Lisa Leslie and Teresa Weatherspoon. For the first time ever, young girls could now look at the WNBA as an opportunity for basketball to continue after college.
The new players delivered in 2011. Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles set a league record for double-doubles in a season with 23. Also, Sylvia Fowles of the Chicago Sky became only the second player in WNBA history to finish a season averaging at least 20 points (20.0ppg) and 10 rebounds (10.2rpg) per game. The San Antonio Silver Stars experienced boosts from their young players as well; rookie Danielle Adams scored 32 points off the bench in June and fellow rookie Danielle Robinson had a 36-point game in September. Atlanta Dream forward Angel McCoughtry was the first player in league history to average over 20 points per game (21.6ppg) while playing under 30 minutes per game (27.9mpg).
McCoughtry led her team to the Finals for the second straight year, but despite breaking her own Finals scoring record, the Dream was swept for the second straight year, this time by the Minnesota Lynx, which won its first title behind a fully healthy Seimone Augustus.
2012 featured a long Olympic break, but still saw the league grow. The Indiana Fever won the WNBA championship.
The Three to See (2013)[edit]
The much publicized 2013 WNBA Draft produced Baylor University star Brittney Griner, Delaware's Elena Delle Donne, and Notre Dame All American Skylar Diggins (now Diggins-Smith) as the top three picks, the draft was the first to be televised in primetime on ESPN. Griner, Delle Donne, and Diggins were thus labelled "The Three To See", but with the draft also came standouts such as Tayler Hill, Layshia Clarendon and Alex Bentley. The retirement of legends Katie Smith, Tina Thompson, Ticha Penicheiro, and Sheryl Swoopes coupled with the arrival of highly touted rookies and new rule changes effectively marked the end of an era for the WNBA and the ushering of another.[citation needed]
On the court, the Minnesota Lynx won their second title in three years, defeating the Atlanta Dream in the Finals, and becoming the first team to sweep the playoff since the Seattle Storm.
The promotion of Griner, Delle Donne, and Diggins helped boost television ratings for the league by 28 percent, and half of teams ended the season profitable.[21][22] The improved health of the league was on display after the season, when the Los Angeles Sparks' ownership group folded; it took the league only a few weeks to line up Guggenheim Partners to purchase the team, and the franchise also garnered interest from the ownership of the Golden State Warriors.
Teams[edit]
Liberty
Sun
Sky
Rockers (folded)
Shock
Fever
Dream
Sting (folded)
Sol (folded)
Miracle
Mystics
Shock
Wings
Comets (folded)
Aces
Lynx
Fire (folded)
Storm
Starzz
Monarchs (folded)
Mercury
Sparks
The WNBA originated with 8 teams in 1997, and through a sequence of expansions, contractions, and relocations currently consists of 12 teams. There have been a total of 18 franchises in WNBA history.
As of the league’s next season in 2018, the Las Vegas Aces (formerly the Utah Starzz and San Antonio Silver Stars/Stars), Los Angeles Sparks, New York Liberty, and Phoenix Mercury are the only remaining franchises that were founded in 1997.
Arenas reflect those to be used in the 2018 season.
Conference
Team
City
Arena
Capacity
Joined
Head coach
Eastern
Atlanta Dream Atlanta, GA McCamish Pavilion[note 1] 8,600 2008 Nicki Collen
Chicago Sky Chicago, IL Wintrust Arena 10,387 2006 Amber Stocks
Connecticut Sun Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena 9,323 1999* Curt Miller
Indiana Fever Indianapolis, IN Bankers Life Fieldhouse 18,165 2000 Pokey Chatman
New York Liberty New York City, NY Madison Square Garden 19,812 1997 Katie Smith
Washington Mystics Washington, D.C. Capital One Arena 20,356 1998 Mike Thibault
Western
Dallas Wings Arlington, TX College Park Center 7,000 1998* Fred Williams
Las Vegas Aces Las Vegas, NV Mandalay Bay Events Center 12,000 1997* Bill Laimbeer
Los Angeles Sparks Los Angeles, CA Staples Center 18,997 1997 Brian Agler
Minnesota Lynx Minneapolis, MN Target Center 19,356 1999 Cheryl Reeve
Phoenix Mercury Phoenix, AZ Talking Stick Resort Arena 18,055 1997 Sandy Brondello
Seattle Storm Seattle, WA KeyArena 15,354 2000 Dan Hughes
An asterisk (*) denotes a franchise move. See the respective team articles for more information.
Note
Jump up ^ Due to renovations to Philips Arena, the Dream will play their 2018 home games at McCamish Pavilion on the campus of Georgia Tech, where they also played in 2017.[23]
Relationship with NBA teams[edit]
Current WNBA logo with NBA color scheme
Seven WNBA teams are associated with the NBA team from the same market and are known as sister teams. These teams include the Indiana Pacers and Fever, the Los Angeles Lakers and Sparks, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx, the New York Knicks and Liberty, the Phoenix Suns and Mercury, the Atlanta Hawks and the Dream, and the Washington Wizards and Mystics. Of these teams, only the Dream and the Sparks are owned separately; the Liberty will join this group in the near future as The Madison Square Garden Company, owner of the Knicks and Liberty, has put the Liberty up for sale.[24] Through the 2017 season, the San Antonio Spurs and Stars were also paired, but that relationship ended in October 2017 when the Stars were bought by MGM Resorts International and moved to Las Vegas.[25]
Three WNBA teams are in the same market as an NBA team but are not affiliated. Though located in the same market, the Chicago Sky are not affiliated with the Bulls, as evidenced by their differing home arenas: the Sky will move from Allstate Arena in nearby Rosemont to Wintrust Arena in Chicago's Near South Side for 2018 and beyond, while the Bulls play at United Center in the city's Near West Side. The Dallas Wings, which had been the Tulsa Shock before moving to the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex after the 2015 season, are not affiliated with the existing NBA team in the Metroplex, the Dallas Mavericks. As with the Sky and Bulls, the Wings and Mavericks play in different arenas, with the Wings playing at College Park Center in Arlington as opposed to the Mavericks playing just outside downtown Dallas at American Airlines Center.
The remaining WNBA team, the Seattle Storm, was formerly the sister team of the now relocated SuperSonics but was sold to a Seattle-based group before the SuperSonics moved and become the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The now defunct Charlotte Sting, Miami Sol, Portland Fire, Cleveland Rockers, Orlando Miracle, Houston Comets and Sacramento Monarchs were also sister teams of the Hornets, Heat, Trail Blazers, Cavaliers, Magic, Rockets and Kings, respectively. The Utah Starzz were affiliated with the Jazz before relocating to San Antonio as the Silver Stars under the ownership of the parent company of the Spurs in 2003. Becoming the Stars in 2014, they shared the Spurs' team colors. The team would eventually relocate to Las Vegas as the Aces in 2017. The Detroit Shock was the sister team of the Pistons until the teams' owner sold the Shock to investors who moved the team to Tulsa, Oklahoma. During its tenure in Tulsa, it was not affiliated with Oklahoma's NBA team, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Liberty, Sparks, and Wings are currently the only teams that share a market with an NBA G League team; the Liberty share the New York City market with the Long Island Nets and Westchester Knicks, the Sparks share the Los Angeles market with the Agua Caliente Clippers and South Bay Lakers, and the Wings share the Dallas market with the Texas Legends. In addition, three teams are located within 150 miles of WNBA teams (the Delaware 87ers, Fort Wayne Mad Ants, and Northern Arizona Suns being near the Mystic, Fever, and Mercury, respectively). The Stars were also within 150 miles of a G League team (the Austin Spurs) before their move to Las Vegas.
Two more WNBA teams will share markets with G League teams in the near future. The Mystics will be joined by the Capital City Go-Go in 2018–19, and will share an arena with that team. The Dream will be joined by the Erie BayHawks upon the BayHawks' relocation to the Atlanta area in 2019–20. The Shock shared the Tulsa market with the Tulsa 66ers until the latter team was relocated to become the Oklahoma City Blue in 2014.
Membership timeline[edit]
WNBA expansion
and contraction
Season(s)
# Teams
1997 8
1998 10
1999 12
2000–2002 16
2003 14
2004–2005 13
2006 14
2007 13
2008 14
2009 13
2010–present 12
Relocated teams[edit]
Detroit Shock – 1998–2009 (relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma)
Orlando Miracle – 1999–2002 (relocated to Uncasville, Connecticut)
Utah Starzz – 1997–2002 (relocated to San Antonio, Texas)
Tulsa Shock – 2010–2015 (relocated to Arlington, Texas)
San Antonio Stars – 2003–2017 (relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada)
Folded teams[edit]
Charlotte Sting – 1997–2007
Cleveland Rockers – 1997–2003
Houston Comets – 1997–2008
Miami Sol – 2000–2002
Portland Fire – 2000–2002
Sacramento Monarchs – 1997–2009
Season format[edit]
Regular season[edit]
Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx, MVP of the 2014 WNBA Season.
Teams hold training camps in May. Training camps allow the coaching staff to prepare the players for the regular season, and determine the 12-woman roster with which they will begin the regular season. After training camp, a series of preseason exhibition games are held.
The WNBA regular season begins in May. During the regular season, each team plays 34 games, 17 each home and away. Each team plays one in-conference team 4 times and the remaining in-conference teams 3 times each (12 games). Each team then plays the six out-of-conference teams 3 times (18 games). As in the NBA, each team hosts and visits every other team at least once every season.
WNBA All-Star Game[edit]
In 1999 the league held its first ever All Star Game where the best players of the Eastern Conference played against the best players of the Western Conference. Since the All Star games were ongoing, the west has been dominant until 2006 the east finally won a game.
In July, the regular season pauses to celebrate the annual WNBA All-Star Game. The game is part of a weekend-long event, held in a selected WNBA city each year. The actual game is played on the selected WNBA team's home court. The All-Star Game features star players from the Western Conference facing star players from the Eastern Conference. During the season, fans vote for the players they would like to see start the game. In 2004, The Game at Radio City was in held in place of a traditional All-Star Game. The 2006 All-Star Game was the first game to feature custom uniforms that match the decade anniversary logo. No WNBA All-Star Game is held in every Olympic year since 2008. In 2010, an exhibition game (Stars at the Sun) was held.
Shortly after the All-Star break is the trading deadline. After this date, teams are not allowed to exchange players with each other for the remainder of the season, although they may still sign and release players. Major trades are often completed right before the trading deadline.
During years in which the Summer Olympics are held, the WNBA takes a month off in the middle of the season to allow players to practice and compete with their respective national teams.
WNBA Playoffs[edit]
Main article: WNBA Playoffs
The WNBA Playoffs begin in late September, with eight teams qualifying for the playoffs. Having a higher seed offers several advantages. Since the first two seeds get double byes, and the next two seeds get first-round byes, having a higher seed generally means one will be facing a weaker team. The team in each series with the better record has home court advantage. Since 2016 Verizon is the official sponsor.
The first two playoff rounds follow a tournament format with each team playing a rival in a single elimination game, whichever team that wins, advances into the next round, while losers are eliminated from the playoffs. For the first round, the matchups by seed are 5th vs 8th and 6th vs 7th. In the second round, the matchups by seed are 3rd vs the lowest remaining seed and 4th vs the highest remaining seed. In the semifinals, the matchups by seed are 1st vs the lowest remaining seed and 2nd vs the highest remaining seed. This leaves two teams left to play each other in the WNBA Finals. In the first and second rounds, is a single elimination game. In the semifinals, the best-of-five series follows a 2–2–1 home-court pattern, meaning that the higher-seeded team will have home court in games 1, 2, and 5 while the other team plays at home in game 3 and 4. This pattern has been in place since 2016 (changed from the best-of-three series 1–1–1 format for four teams in each conferences, where the higher seed hosted the opening game in the first two rounds).
WNBA Finals[edit]
Main article: WNBA Finals
The final playoff round, a best-of-five series between the victors of each conference, is known as the WNBA Finals, and is held annually, currently scheduled for October. Each player on the winning team receives a championship ring. In addition, the league awards a WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. For this round, the series follows a 2–2–1 pattern, meaning that one team will have home court in games 1, 2, and 5, while the other plays at home in games 3 and 4. The 2–2–1 pattern in the WNBA Finals has been in place since 2005.
The WNBA Finals
1990s[show]
Season
Champion
Runner-Up
Format
Result
Finals MVP
Team
Coach
Team
Coach
1997 Houston Comets Van Chancellor New York Liberty Nancy Darsch Single game 65–51 Cynthia Cooper
1998 Houston Comets Phoenix Mercury Cheryl Miller Best-of-three 2–1
1999 Houston Comets New York Liberty Richie Adubato
2000s[show]
Season
Champion
Runner-Up
Format
Result
Finals MVP
Team
Coach
Team
Coach
2000 Houston Comets Van Chancellor New York Liberty Richie Adubato Best-of-three 2–0 Cynthia Cooper
2001 Los Angeles Sparks Michael Cooper Charlotte Sting Anne Donovan Lisa Leslie
2002 Los Angeles Sparks New York Liberty Richie Adubato
2003 Detroit Shock Bill Laimbeer Los Angeles Sparks Michael Cooper 2–1 Ruth Riley
2004 Seattle Storm Anne Donovan Connecticut Sun Mike Thibault Betty Lennox
2005 Sacramento Monarchs John Whisenant Connecticut Sun Mike Thibault Best-of-five 3–1 Yolanda Griffith
2006 Detroit Shock Bill Laimbeer Sacramento Monarchs John Whisenant 3–2 Deanna Nolan
2007 Phoenix Mercury Paul Westhead Detroit Shock Bill Laimbeer Cappie Pondexter
2008 Detroit Shock Bill Laimbeer San Antonio Silver Stars Dan Hughes 3–0 Katie Smith
2009 Phoenix Mercury Corey Gaines Indiana Fever Lin Dunn 3–2 Diana Taurasi
2010s[hide]
Season
Champion
Runner-Up
Format
Result
Finals MVP
Team
Coach
Team
Coach
2010 Seattle Storm Brian Agler Atlanta Dream Marynell Meadors Best-of-five 3–0 Lauren Jackson
2011 Minnesota Lynx Cheryl Reeve Seimone Augustus
2012 Indiana Fever Lin Dunn Minnesota Lynx Cheryl Reeve 3–1 Tamika Catchings
2013 Minnesota Lynx Cheryl Reeve Atlanta Dream Fred Williams 3–0 Maya Moore
2014 Phoenix Mercury Sandy Brondello Chicago Sky Pokey Chatman Diana Taurasi
2015 Minnesota Lynx Cheryl Reeve Indiana Fever Stephanie White 3–2 Sylvia Fowles
2016 Los Angeles Sparks Brian Agler Minnesota Lynx Cheryl Reeve Candace Parker
2017 Minnesota Lynx Cheryl Reeve Los Angeles Sparks Brian Agler Sylvia Fowles
League championships[edit]
The Houston Comets and Minnesota Lynx hold the distinction of having won the most championships with 4 titles each. The Comets folded in 2008. The Lynx have the most appearances in the championship with 6, all occurring in the 7-year period from 2011-2017.
Teams
Win
Loss
Total
Year(s) won
Year(s) lost
Minnesota Lynx 4 2 6 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 2012, 2016
Houston Comets (folded in 2008) 4 0 4 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 -
Los Angeles Sparks 3 2 5 2001, 2002, 2016 2003, 2017
Phoenix Mercury 3 1 4 2007, 2009, 2014 1998
Detroit Shock 3 1 4 2003, 2006, 2008 2007
Seattle Storm 2 0 2 2004, 2010 -
Indiana Fever 1 2 3 2012 2009, 2015
Sacramento Monarchs (folded in 2009) 1 1 2 2005 2006
New York Liberty 0 4 4 - 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002
Atlanta Dream 0 3 3 - 2010, 2011, 2013
Connecticut Sun 0 2 2 - 2004, 2005
Chicago Sky 0 1 1 - 2014
San Antonio Stars 0 1 1 - 2008
Charlotte Sting (folded in 2007) 0 1 1 - 2001
Current teams that have no WNBA Finals appearances:
Washington Mystics
Former teams that have no WNBA Finals appearances:
Cleveland Rockers (1997-2003)
Miami Sol (2000-2002)
Portland Fire (2000-2002)
Players and coaches[edit]
Main articles: List of Women's National Basketball Association players and List of Women's National Basketball Association head coaches
See also: List of foreign WNBA players
Sue Bird, a member of the All-Decade and Top 15 teams
In 2011, a decade and a half after the launch of the WNBA, only two players remained from the league's inaugural season in 1997: Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson. Thompson holds the record for the number of years in the league (fifteen). Lisa Leslie was the longest-tenured player from the 1997 draft class; she spent her entire career (1997–2009) with the Los Angeles Sparks. Tangela Smith has played the most games in her career (415).
The members of the WNBA's All-Decade Team were chosen in 2006 on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the WNBA from amongst 30 nominees compiled by fan, media, coach, and player voting. The team was to comprise the 10 best and most influential players of the first decade of the WNBA, with consideration also given to sportsmanship, community service, leadership, and contribution to the growth of women's basketball.
Players for the WNBA's Top 15 Team were chosen in 2011 on the anniversary of the league's fifteenth season from amongst 30 nominees compiled in a similar manner to that of the All-Decade Team process.
Over 30 players have scored more than 3,000 points or more in their WNBA careers. Only six WNBA players have reached the 6,000 point milestone: Tina Thompson, Diana Taurasi, Tamika Catchings, Katie Smith, Lisa Leslie, and Lauren Jackson.
In 2007, Paul Westhead of the Phoenix Mercury became the first person to earn both NBA and WNBA championship rings as a coach.
In 2008, 50-year-old Nancy Lieberman became the oldest player to play in a WNBA game. She signed a seven-day contract with the Detroit Shock and played one game, tallying two assists and two turnovers in nine minutes of action. By playing in the one game Lieberman broke a record that she herself had set in 1997, when she was the league's oldest player at 39.
Ticha Penicheiro (Portugal) provided 2,599 assists in 454 games playing for the Sacramento Monarchs, Los Angeles Sparks and Chicago Sky since 1998. she also holds the record for most assists per game, with 5.7.[26]
Milestones[edit]
See also: WNBA records
WNBA Milestones
Milestone
Player
Team
Date
Information
First player signed Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets October 23, 1996 Signed by the WNBA and assigned to Houston.
First points scored Penny Toler Los Angeles Sparks June 21, 1997 Scored the first points on a baseline jump-shot.
First triple double Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets July 27, 1998 14 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists
First goaltending call Sylvia Fowles Chicago Sky June 3, 2008 Trying to block a layup by Lisa Leslie.
First slam dunk Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks July 30, 2002 Dunked on a fast break against Miami.
Most career points Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury 2004–2014, 2016–present 7,494 points
Most career rebounds Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever 2002–2016 3,316 rebounds
Most career assists Sue Bird Seattle Storm 2002-present 2,611 assists
Most 3-pointers Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury 2004–2014, 2016–present 927 3-pointers
Most points in a game Riquna Williams Tulsa Shock September 8, 2013 51 points
Most rebounds in a game Chamique Holdsclaw Washington Mystics May 23, 2003 24 rebounds
Most assists in a game Ticha Penicheiro Sacramento Monarchs July 29, 1998 16 assists
Most career wins for a coach Mike Thibault Conn. Sun / Wash. Mystics[27] 2003–present 239 wins
Most team points in one game N/A Phoenix Mercury July 24, 2010 127 points in double overtime against Minnesota
Most team points in a regulation game N/A Phoenix Mercury July 22, 2010 123 points against Tulsa
Largest margin of victory N/A Seattle Storm August 7, 2010 46-point win (111–65) over Tulsa
Largest attendance for one game N/A Detroit Shock September 16, 2007 22,076 in game 5 of 2007 Finals
Awards[edit]
Around the beginning of September, the regular season ends. It is during this time that voting begins for individual awards. The Sixth Woman of the Year Award is given to the best player coming off the bench (must have more games coming off the bench than actual games started).[28] The Rookie of the Year Award is awarded to the most outstanding first-year player. The Most Improved Player Award is awarded to the player who is deemed to have shown the most improvement from the previous season. The Defensive Player of the Year Award is awarded to the league's best defender. The Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award is awarded to the player who shows the outstanding sportsmanship on and off the court. The Coach of the Year Award is awarded to the coach that has made the most positive difference to a team. The Most Valuable Player Award is given to player deemed the most valuable for (her team) that season.
Also named are the All-WNBA Teams, the All-Defensive Teams, and the All-Rookie Team; each consists of five players. There are two All-WNBA teams, consisting of the top players at each position, with first-team status being the most desirable. There are two All-Defensive teams, consisting of the top defenders at each position. There is one All-Rookie team, consisting of the top first-year players regardless of position.
Most recent award winners[edit]
Winners are from the most recent season unless otherwise indicated.
Award
Winner
Position
Team
Votes/Statistic
Most Valuable Player Award Sylvia Fowles Center Minnesota Lynx 35 out of 40
Finals MVP Award Sylvia Fowles Center Minnesota Lynx
Rookie of the Year Award Allisha Gray Guard Dallas Wings 30 out of 40
Most Improved Player Award Jonquel Jones Forward/center Connecticut Sun 32 out of 40
Defensive Player of the Year Award Alana Beard Guard/forward Los Angeles Sparks 28 out of 40
Sixth Woman of the Year Award Sugar Rodgers Guard New York Liberty 15 out of 40
Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award Sue Bird Guard Seattle Storm 20 out of 40
Peak Performer: Points Brittney Griner Center Phoenix Mercury 21.9 PPG
Peak Performer: Rebounds Jonquel Jones Forward/center Connecticut Sun 11.9 RPG
Peak Performer: Assists Courtney Vandersloot Guard Chicago Sky 8.1 APG
Coach of the Year Award Curt Miller Coach Connecticut Sun 36 out of 40
Notable international players[edit]
Lauren Jackson
Further information: List of foreign WNBA players
A number of international players that have played in the WNBA have earned multiple all-stars or won MVP awards:
Elena Baranova, Russia – the first international player in the WNBA (1997), one-time All-Star (2001).
Lauren Jackson, Australia – two-time champion (2004, 2010), three-time MVP and eight-time All-Star
Ticha Penicheiro, Portugal – won a championship with the Monarchs in 2005 and four-time All-Star
Penny Taylor, Australia – three-time champion (2007, 2009, 2014) and four-time All-Star
Tammy Sutton-Brown, Canada – two-time All-Star
Sophia Young, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – four-time All-Star
Some of these players, among them Penicheiro, Sutton-Brown, and Young, played U.S. college basketball.
Rules and regulations[edit]
Rules are governed by standard basketball rules as defined by the NBA, with a few notable exceptions:
The three-point line is 22 feet 1.75 inches (6.7501 m) from the middle of the basket, 21 feet 8 inches (6.60 m) at the corners. This is the same distance used under new FIBA rules; FIBA had increased its three-point distance to 22 feet 1.75 inches (6.7501 m) since October 1, 2012 (for domestic competitions).
The regulation WNBA ball is a minimum 28.5 inches (72 cm) in circumference and weighs 20.0 ounces (570 g), 1 inch (2.5 cm) smaller and 2 ounces (57 g) lighter than the NBA ball. Since 2004, this size has been used for all senior-level women's competitions throughout the world in full-court basketball. Competitions in the half-court 3x3 variant used the women's ball until 2015, when a dedicated ball with the circumference of the women's ball but the weight of the men's ball was introduced.
Quarters are 10 minutes in duration instead of 12.
Games are divided into four 10-minute quarters as opposed to the league's original two 20-minute halves of play, similar to FIBA and NCAA women's college rules (many WNBA players play in European, Chinese, or Australian leagues, which all use the FIBA rule set).
A recent trend with new WNBA rules has been to match them with a similar NBA rule. Beginning with the 2006 WNBA season:[29]
The winner of the opening jump ball shall begin the 4th quarter with the ball out of bounds. The loser shall begin with the ball out of bounds in the second and third quarter. Previously under the two-half format, both periods started with jump balls, presumably to eliminate the possibility of a team purposely losing the opening tip in order to gain the opening possession of the second half. This is not a problem under the four-quarters because the winner of the opening tip gets the opening possession of the final period.
The shot clock was decreased from 30 to 24 seconds. The rule changes signaled a move away from rules more similar to those of college basketball and toward those that provide a more NBA-like game. FIBA also uses a 24-second clock.
The 2007 WNBA season brought changes that included:[30]
The amount of time that a team must move the ball across the half-court line went from 10 to 8 seconds.
A referee can grant time-outs to either a player or the coach.
Two free throws and possession of the ball for clear-path-to-the-basket foul. Previously only one free throw was awarded as well as possession.
In 2012, the WNBA added the block/charge arc under the basket. As of 2013 the defensive three-second rule and anti-flopping guidelines were introduced. The three-point line was also extended.
Starting in 2017, Tissot will be the official timekeeper for the league, as it will use a unified game clock/shot clock system.
Court dimensions[edit]
WNBA Court Dimensions
Area
Imperial
Metric
Length of court (baseline to baseline) 94 ft 28.65 m
Width of court (sideline to sideline) 50 ft 15.24 m
Rim height (floor to rim) 10 ft 3.05 m
Center circle diameter 12 ft 3.66 m
Three-point line distance from center of basket 22 ft 1.75 in 6.75 m
3-point line distance from center of basket (corners) 21 ft 8 in 6.6 m
Shaded area/Lane/Key length 19 ft 5.8 m
Shaded area/Lane/Key width 16 ft 4.88 m
Restricted area (aka "block/charge arc")
(distance from center of basket) 4 ft 1.22 m
Free-throw line (distance from backboard) 15 ft 4.57 m
Free-throw half-circle radius 6 ft 1.83 m
Backboard width (side to side) 6 ft 1.83 m
Coaching box width (from baseline) 28 ft 8.54 m
*All dimensions are in line with NBA regulations except the three-point arc.
Business[edit]
Finance[edit]
The WNBA did not start out able to support itself. During the mid-2000s, the NBA spent more than $10 million per year to keep the WNBA financially solvent.[31] In 2007, teams were estimated to be losing $1.5 million to $2 million a year.[32]
The league has begun to do better financially in recent years. In December 2010 Donna Orender said that the league had its first-ever "cash flow positive" team (Connecticut Sun) for the 2010 season.[33] In 2011, three teams were profitable, and in 2013, six of the league's 12 teams reported a profit.[34] The league has also signed extended television contracts with ESPN and sponsorship agreements with Boost Mobile.
Sponsorships[edit]
On June 1, 2009, the Phoenix Mercury was the first team in WNBA history to announce a marquee sponsorship. The team secured a partnership with LifeLock to brand their jerseys and warm-ups.[35] It was the first branded jersey in WNBA history. Following the expiration of the LifeLock deal, the Mercury secured a new uniform sponsorship deal with Casino Arizona and Talking Stick Resort on February 3, 2014.[36]
Other teams eventually followed in the Mercury's footsteps to bring the total to nine current teams with sponsorship deals:
Indiana Fever – Finish Line, Inc.
Minnesota Lynx – Mayo Clinic
San Antonio Stars – H-E-B
Chicago Sky – Magellan Corporation
Los Angeles Sparks – EquiTrust Life Insurance; team was formerly sponsored by Farmers Insurance
New York Liberty – DraftKings; team was formerly sponsored by Foxwoods Casino
Connecticut Sun – Frontier Communications
Seattle Storm – Swedish Medical Center; team was formerly sponsored by Bing
The now-relocated Tulsa Shock (Osage Casino) and currently active Washington Mystics (Inova Health System) had jersey sponsorships at one time.
On August 22, 2011, the WNBA announced a league-wide marquee sponsorship with Boost Mobile.[37] The deal would allow the Boost Mobile logo to be placed on eleven of the 12 teams' jerseys (excluding San Antonio) in addition to branding on the courts and in arenas. A source said the deal is a "multiyear, eight-figure deal."[38]
On March 14, 2016, the WNBA was completing a deal with Verizon Wireless to place them on 10 of the 12 team jerseys. The deal includes a space on the front of 10 jerseys, excluding the Stars and Sun, in-arena advertising, and reserved commercial space during WNBA broadcasts. The deal also includes the sponsorship of the All-Star Game, Inspiring Women Luncheon, and other unspecified events, The deal will not include the Monthly and Yearly Awards.[39]
On March 28, the league introduced new uniforms, with the new Verizon sponsor, which eliminated white jerseys and made the secondary color a basis for a uniform. The jersey font will remain unchanged as well as the primary color used for the away uniform. Teams can use either jersey for home and away games. Pictures of the jerseys can be seen on the WNBA website, although the Storm and Wings have not released their jerseys yet.
In 2009, the Phoenix Mercury became the first American professional basketball team to feature advertisements on their uniform when they sold an ad to LifeLock Insurance on the front of their jerseys, leading many people to wonder if ads on NBA uniforms were coming soon. Since then several other WNBA teams have followed suit. The NBA announced in the summer of 2016 that they will begin to feature advertisements on jerseys, with the first team to do so being the Philadelphia 76ers (with a StubHub sticker now on their jerseys). Before the start of the 2011 season, every team announced a new look for their uniforms. The supplier of the uniforms for the league, Adidas, upgraded all teams to new high-tech designs, much like they did for the NBA prior to the start of their season.
Sponsorships have come from major companies such as; Boost Mobile and Farmers Insurance. Pepsi and Nike have also partnered up with the WNBA.
Salaries, rosters, and collective bargaining[edit]
Prior to the 2009 season, the maximum team roster size was changed from 13 players (11 active and 2 inactive) to 11 players (all active). Any team that falls below nine players able to play due to injury or any other factor outside of the control of the team will, upon request, be granted a roster hardship exception allowing the team to sign an additional player or players so that the team will have nine players able to play in an upcoming game or games. As soon as the injured (or otherwise sidelined) player(s) is able to play, the roster hardship player(s)—not any other player on the roster—must be waived. In March 2014, the WNBA and players signed a new, 8-year collective bargaining agreement, increasing the number of players on a roster to 12.[40]
The WNBA Draft is held annually every spring. The draft is three rounds long with each of the 12 teams in the league (trades aside) getting three picks each. The draft order for the eight teams that made the playoffs the previous year are based on team records, and the team with the highest previous record will pick last. For the remaining top four picks, a selection process similar to the NBA Draft Lottery is conducted for the four teams that did not qualify for the playoffs.
In 2008, a new six-year collective bargaining agreement was agreed upon between the players and the league. The salary cap for an entire team in 2010 is $827,000 (although it was later lowered to $775,000). By 2013 (the sixth year under this agreement), the cap for an entire team will be $900,000. In 2010, the minimum salary for a player with three-plus years of experience is $51,000 while the maximum salary for a six-plus year player is $101,500 (the first time in league history that players are able to receive over $100,000). The minimum salary for rookies is $35,190.[41][42] Many WNBA players supplement their salaries by playing in European, Australian, or more recently Chinese women's basketball leagues during the WNBA off-season. The WNBA has been criticized for paying female players less than their NBA counterparts.[43]
The decision of superstar Diana Taurasi to sit out the 2015 WNBA season was seen by some in the media as a harbinger of salary-related troubles in the future. The Russian club for which she was playing at the time, UMMC Ekaterinburg, offered her a bonus well in excess of the league's salary cap to sit out that season. Taurasi accepted largely because she had not had an offseason since she was playing college basketball more than a decade earlier. Such offers have often been made to star American players, including Taurasi herself, but none were accepted until Taurasi did so in 2015.[44]
WNBA players are awarded bonuses for certain achievements. Some of the bonuses given by the league (amount is per player) include: WNBA champion: $10,500; Runner-up: $5,250; Most valuable player: $15,000; All-WNBA First Team member: $10,000; All-Star Game participant: $2,500.[45]
Merchandise[edit]
The following shows the top jersey sales since the start of the 2017 season.
Jersey Sales
Rank
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Player
Elena Delle Donne Breanna Stewart Diana Taurasi Maya Moore Sue Bird Candace Parker Skylar Diggins-Smith Brittney Griner Moriah Jefferson Nneka Ogwumike
Team
Washington Seattle Phoenix Minnesota Seattle Sparks Dallas Phoenix San Antonio Sparks
The following shows the top teams sales since the start of the 2017 season.
Team Sales
Rank
1 2 3 4 5
Team
Minnesota Washington Seattle Phoenix Los Angeles
WNBA Presidents[edit]
Val Ackerman, 1997–2005
Donna Orender, 2005–2010
Laurel J. Richie, 2011–2015
Lisa Borders, 2016–present
Attendance[edit]
In 2012, however, average attendance per game dropped from 7,955 to 7,457 (-6.3%). Attendance per game stayed consistent at around 7,520 per game. However, in 2015 the WNBA’s attendance per game decreased by 3.4 percent to 7,318. This is a record low for the WNBA since it was created in 1997. Many teams have experienced drops within their attendance; (San Antonio Stars: -37.4%, Washington Mystics: -7.9%, Tulsa Shock: -7.2%)[46] these losses have caused the attendance of the WNBA to drop.
President Laurel Richie stated that after the 2015 season ends they will create an expansion committee and begin evaluating if and how the WNBA should go about expanding their reach.
Attendance
1990s[show]
Year
Team
CHA
CLE
DET
HOU
LA
MIN
NY
1997 8,307 7,971 9,814 8,937 13,270
1998 8,561 10,350 10,229 12,602 7,653 14,935
1999 7,080 9,350 8,485 11,906 7,625 10,494 14,047
Year
Team
League
ORL
PHX
SAC
UTA
WAS
Regular season
Postseason
1997 13,703 7,858 7,611 9,684 14,849
1998 13,764 6,578 8,104 15,910 10,869 11,964
1999 9,801 12,219 8,626 7,544 15,306 10,207 12,647
2000s[show]
Year
Team
ATL
CHA
CHI
CLE
CON
DET
HOU
IND
LA
MIA
MIN
2000 5,685 8,596 6,716 12,255 12,267 6,563 7,983 7,290
2001 6,595 9,211 6,834 11,320 8,683 9,278 8,840 7,538
2002 6,667 9,318 5,686 10,866 8,434 11,651 8,828 7,819
2003 7,062 7,400 6,023 7,862 8,835 8,340 9,290 7,074
2004 6,846 6,707 9,462 8,086 7,588 10,428 7,359
2005 5,768 7,173 9,374 7,099 8,382 8,854 6,673
2006 5,941 3,390 7,417 9,380 7,682 7,222 8,311 6,442
2007 3,915 7,970 9,749 8,166 7,032 8,695 7,119
2008 8,316 3,656 7,644 9,569 6,585 7,702 9,508 6,968
2009 7,102 3,932 6,794 8,004 7,939 10,387 7,537
Year
Team
League
NY
ORL
PHX
POR
SAC
SA
SEA
UTA
WAS
Regular season
Postseason
2000 14,498 7,363 10,130 8,317 7,928 8,912 6,420 15,258 9,074 12,222
2001 15,671 7,430 8,558 8,604 8,350 5,954 6,907 15,417 9,074 11,430
2002 14,670 7,115 8,737 8,041 9,011 6,989 7,420 16,202 9,228 11,537
2003 12,123 8,501 9,125 10,384 7,109 14,042 8,800 9,205
2004 9,886 8,017 8,679 8,395 7,899 12,615 8,613 9,490
2005 10,140 7,303 8,542 7,944 8,891 10,088 8,172 8,397
2006 9,120 7,459 8,691 7,397 8,568 7,839 7,490 8,397
2007 8,698 7,737 8,387 7,569 7,974 7,788 7,819 10,312
2008 9,045 8,522 8,180 7,984 8,265 9,096 7,948 8,420
2009 9,800 8,523 7,744 7,527 7,874 11,338 8,039 9,979
LA moved from The Forum to Staples Center prior to the 2001 season.
HOU moved from Compaq Center to Toyota Center prior to the 2003 season.
NY played six games at Radio City Music Hall in 2004.
HOU moved from Toyota Center to Reliant Arena prior to the 2008 season.
2010s[hide]
Year
Team
ATL
CHI
CON
DAL
IND
LA
MIN
NY
2010 6,293 4,293 7,486 8,265 9,468 7,622 11,069
2011 6,487 5,536 7,056 8,054 10,316 8,447 7,702
2012 5,453 5,573 7,266 7,582 10,089 9,683 6,779
2013 5,853 6,601 6,548 8,164 9,869 9,381 7,189
2014 5,864 6,685 5,980 7,900 8,288 9,333 8,949
2015[47] 6,122 6,894 5,557 7,485 9,065 9,364 9,159
2016 5,614 7,009 5,837 5,298 8,575 9,638 9,266 9,724
Year
Team
League
PHX
SA
SEA
TUL
WAS
Regular season
Postseason
2010 8,982 8,041 8,322 4,812 9,357 7,834 10,822
2011 9,167 8,751 8,659 4,828 10,449 7,954 9,232
2012 7,814 7,850 7,486 5,203 8,639 7,452 9,195
2013 8,557 7,914 6,981 5,474 7,838 7,531 7,574
2014 9,557 7,719 6,717 5,566 8,377 7,578[48] 8,200
2015[47] 9,946 4,831 6,516 5,167 7,714 7,318[49] 8,799
2016 10,351 6,385 7,230 — 6,929 7,655[50] 8,719
CHI moved from UIC Pavilion to Allstate Arena prior to the 2010 season.
NY moved temporarily from Madison Square Garden to Prudential Center from 2011 through 2013.
SA moved temporarily from AT&T Center to Freeman Coliseum for the 2015 season.
TUL moved from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Arlington, Texas prior to the 2016 season and became the Dallas Wings.
Media coverage[edit]
Main article: WNBA on ESPN
Currently, WNBA games are televised throughout the U.S. by ABC, ESPN2 and NBA TV.
In the early years, two women's-oriented networks, Lifetime and Oxygen, also broadcast games including the first game of the WNBA. NBC showed games from 1997 to 2002 as part of their NBA on NBC coverage before the league transferred the rights to ABC/ESPN.
In 2007, the WNBA and ESPN came to an 8-year television agreement. The agreement would be the first to pay television rights fees to the league's teams. Never before has an agreement promised rights fees to a women's professional league. The agreement runs from 2009 to 2016 and is worth millions of dollars.[51]
In June 2007, the WNBA signed a contract extension with ESPN. The new television deal runs from 2009 to 2016. A minimum of 18 games will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 each season; the rights to broadcast the first regular season game and the All-Star game are held by ABC. Additionally, a minimum of 11 postseason games will be broadcast on any of the three stations.[52] Along with this deal, came the first ever rights fees to be paid to a women's professional sports league. Over the eight years of the contract, "millions and millions of dollars" will be "dispersed to the league's teams."[51]
In 2013 the WNBA and ESPN signed a six-year extension on the broadcast deal to cover 2017–2022. In the new deal, a total of 30 games would be shown each season on ESPN networks. Each team would receive around $1 million per year.[53]
Some teams offer games on local radio, while all teams have some games broadcast on local television stations:
Atlanta – Fox Sports South (FS-S), Fox Sports Southeast (FS-SE)
Chicago – WCIU, The U Too
Connecticut – WCCT, WTIC
Dallas – Fox Sports Southwest (FS-SW), KTXD
Indiana – Fox Sports Indiana (FS-I), WISH, WNDY
Los Angeles – Spectrum SportsNet
Minnesota – Fox Sports North (FS-N)
New York – MSG Network (MSG), MSG Plus (MSG+)
Phoenix – Fox Sports Arizona (FS-A)
San Antonio – Fox Sports Southwest (FS-SW)
Seattle – KZJO, KCPQ
Washington – Monumental Network
From 2010 to 2011 the regular season broadcast drew 270,000 viewers a growth of 5 percent from 2010s’ numbers.[54] As sponsorships continued to grow with deals from ESPN to air WNBA games on ESPN and ESPN 2. The league did experience some success on the digital forefront. Its saw increases on it mobile page views by 26 percent along with a major increase in its social media space; Instagram grew by 51 percent this past year.
WNBA League Pass[edit]
In 2009, the WNBA announced the launch of WNBA LiveAccess, a feature on WNBA.com that provides fans with access to more than 200 live game webcasts throughout the WNBA season. All of the WNBA LiveAccess games are then archived for on-demand viewing. Most games (except broadcasts on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2, which are available on ESPN3) are available via this system. The first use of LiveAccess was the E League versus Chicago Sky preseason game.[55]
Prior to the 2011 season, LiveAccess was given an overhaul, and the system became more reliable and many new features were added. Before the 2012 season, it was announced that users of LiveAccess would have to pay a $4.99 subscription fee to use the service. In 2013, this was increased to $14.99. In 2014 the streaming service was renamed WNBA League Pass.
Viewership[edit]
Year
Season
Telecasts on ESPN2
Average Viewership
+/- over Previous
2005 Regular Unknown 282,000 +
2006 Regular 14 242,000 +
2007 Regular 16 221,000 –
2008 Regular 13 248,000 +
Playoffs 12 282,000 –
2009 Regular 12 269,000 +
Playoffs 13 435,000 +
2010 Regular 18 258,000 –
Playoffs 7 370,000 –
2011 Regular 11 270,000 +
Playoffs 15 Unknown
2012 Regular 10 180,000 –
Playoffs 19 301,000 +
2013 Regular 13 231,000[56] +
Playoffs 17 344,000[57] +
2014 Regular 19 240,000[58] +
Playoffs 10 489,000[59] +
2015 Regular 11 (includes 1 on ESPN) 202,000[47] -
Playoffs Unknown Unknown
2016 Regular Unknown 224,000[60] +
Playoffs Unknown Unknown
On the 2008 season opening day (May 17), ABC broadcast the Los Angeles Sparks and Phoenix Mercury matchup to showcase new rookie sensation Candace Parker. The game received a little over 1 million viewers.
Ratings still remain poor in comparison to NBA games. In 2008, WNBA games averaged just 413,000 viewers, compared to 1.46 million viewers on ESPN and over 2.2 million on ABC for NBA games.[61] In addition, WNBA games have much poorer visibility, attendance, and ratings than NCAA games.[62]
All-time franchise history[edit]
Team
Years
Attendance
Avg.
W
L
PCT
Playoffs
Playoffs W
Playoffs L
Playoffs PCT
Titles
Atlanta Dream 2008–present 6,455 131 141 .481 6 14 17 .452 0
Charlotte Sting 1997–2006 6,851 143 179 .444 6 6 13 .316 0
Chicago Sky 2006–present 5,054 149 191 .438 3 5 9 .357 0
Cleveland Rockers 1997–2003 8,885 108 112 .491 4 6 9 .400 0
Connecticut Sun (total) 1 1999–present 7,132 304 266 .533 9 21 20 .512 0
Connecticut Sun 2003–present 6,887 244 198 .552 8 20 18 .526 0
Dallas Wings (total) 3 1998–present 7,382 269 331 .448 9 30 21 .588 3
Dallas Wings 2016–present 0 0 .000 0 0 0 .000 0
Detroit Shock 1998–2009 8,463 210 186 .530 7 30 19 .612 3
Houston Comets 1997–2008 9,592 241 149 .618 9 20 14 .588 4
Indiana Fever 2000–present 8,138 284 254 .528 12 35 32 .522 1
Los Angeles Sparks 1997–present 9,080 372 256 .592 15 34 32 .515 3
Miami Sol 2000–2002 8,556 48 48 .500 1 1 2 .333 0
Minnesota Lynx 1999–present 8,008 292 278 .512 7 30 14 .682 3
New York Liberty 1997–present 10,873 328 300 .522 13 27 34 .443 0
Orlando Miracle 1999–2002 7,927 60 68 .469 1 1 2 .333 0
Phoenix Mercury 1997–present 9,307 324 304 .516 10 32 23 .582 3
Portland Fire 2000–2002 8,321 37 59 .385 0 0 0 .000 0
Sacramento Monarchs 1997–2009 8,287 224 200 .527 9 24 19 .558 1
San Antonio Stars (total) 2 1997–present 7,692 276 352 .439 9 10 23 .303 0
San Antonio Stars 2003–present 7,857 189 252 .429 7 8 18 .308 0
Seattle Storm 2000–present 7,697 272 266 .506 11 19 20 .487 2
Tulsa Shock 2010–2015 5,173 59 145 .289 1 0 2 .000 0
Utah Starzz 1997–2002 7,334 87 99 .468 2 2 5 .286 0
Washington Mystics 1998–present 11,288 242 358 .403 9 6 18 .250 0
1 The Connecticut Sun was known as the Orlando Miracle 1999–2002.
2 The San Antonio Stars were known as the Utah Starzz 1997–2002 and the San Antonio Silver Stars 2003–2013.
3 The Dallas Wings were known as the Tulsa Shock 2010–2015 and the Detroit Shock 1998–2009.
See also[edit]
Major women's sport leagues in North America
List of WNBA seasons
List of WNBA players
List of foreign WNBA players
List of Australian WNBA players
List of WNBA head coaches
List of WNBA career scoring leaders
List of WNBA first overall draft choices
WNBA Awards
Best WNBA Player ESPY Award
List of current WNBA broadcasters
List of WNBA Finals broadcasters
Professional sports leagues in the United States
National Basketball Association
Women's National Basketball League
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Mechelle Voepel (February 10, 2016). "WNBA names Coca-Cola executive Lisa Borders president". ESPN. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
Jump up ^ "History – WNBA.com". WNBA.com. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
Jump up ^ "Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Rebecca Lobo Reunited at WNBA Draft". WNBA.com – Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
^ Jump up to: a b "WNBA.com: History of the WNBA". www.wnba.com. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
Jump up ^ "Voepel: Stern changed women's basketball". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
Jump up ^ "Penny Toler recalls landmark WNBA basket – ESPN Video". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
Jump up ^ "WNBA.com: WNBA History/Timeline". www.wnba.com. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
Jump up ^ "Twenty years later, a look back at WNBA's first game". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
Jump up ^ "Detroit, Washington join WNBA lineup | chronicle.augusta.com". chronicle.augusta.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
Jump up ^ "WNBA expands to Orlando, Minnesota | chronicle.augusta.com". chronicle.augusta.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
Jump up ^ Bowman, James (2014-02-08). "A history of the WNBA collective bargaining agreement". Swish Appeal. Retrieved 2016-06-18.
Jump up ^ "WNBA EXPANDS BY FOUR ... ARE MORE CITIES ON THE HORIZON?", Sports Business Daily, June 8, 1999.
Jump up ^ Sandomir, Richard (April 16, 2003). "W.N.B.A., Going on 7, Has Grown-Up Labor Dispute". The New York Times. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
Jump up ^ "WNBA official 2006 rule changes".
Jump up ^ "DREAM: Atlanta's WNBA Team Named Atlanta Dream".
Jump up ^ "The First Regular Season Outdoor Game in Professional Basketball History". Retrieved 15 September 2016.
Jump up ^ Comets To Cease Operations from ESPN.com
Jump up ^ "Shock makes move official". ESPN. October 20, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
Jump up ^ Hurley, Michael (July 1, 2011). "NBA.com gets new lockout makeover". NESN.com. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
Jump up ^ Abontorab99 (September 13, 2011). "WNBA Attendance". WNBA. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
Jump up ^ "With rebound, WNBA solidifies spot at ESPN".
Jump up ^ "No, the WNBA is Not a Major Sport (And That's Fine)". Sports Media Watch.
Jump up ^ Vivlamore, Chris. "What Philips Arena renovations will mean for Hawks seasons". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
Jump up ^ Voepel, Mechelle (November 15, 2017). "Jim Dolan parting ways with New York Liberty was only a matter of time". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
Jump up ^ "WNBA Announces Relocation of San Antonio Stars to Las Vegas" (Press release). WNBA. October 17, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
Jump up ^ Glenday, Craig (2013). Guinness world records 2015. p. 233. ISBN 9781908843159.
Jump up ^ http://www.wnba.com/mystics/news/mike_thibault_070613.html
Jump up ^ "Detroit's Plenette Pierson Named 2007 WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year". WNBA.
Jump up ^ "WNBA Announces Rule Changes for 2006". WNBA.com. December 6, 2005. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
Jump up ^ "WNBA Announces Rule Changes for 2007 Season". WNBA.com. January 30, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
Jump up ^ "WNBA Fails to Thrill Fans". The Hoya. October 15, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
Jump up ^ Lieber Steeg, Jill (June 12, 2007). "New owners stake claim in overhauling WNBA". USA Today. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
Jump up ^ Rohlin, Melissa (December 3, 2010). "Donna Orender, David Stern on WNBA". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
Jump up ^ Paulsen (February 28, 2014). "No, the WNBA is Not a Major Sport (And That's Fine)". Sports Media Watch. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
Jump up ^ "Mercury, LifeLock Break New Ground with Partnership". WNBA.com. June 1, 2009. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Phoenix Mercury Announces Marquee Partnership with Casino Arizona and Talking Stick Resort". WNBA.com. February 3, 2014. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
Jump up ^ "Boost Mobile and WNBA Form First-Ever Leaguewide Marquee Sponsorship". WNBA.com. August 22, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
Jump up ^ "WNBA lands Boost Mobile as top sponsor". Sports Business Journal. August 22, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Verizon stakes out space on WNBA jerseys".
Jump up ^ "WNBA, players' union agree to 8-year CBA".
Jump up ^ "Women's basketball salary".
Jump up ^ "Women's basketball 2008" (PDF).
Jump up ^ Berri, David (12 August 2015). "Basketball's Gender Wage Gap Is Even Worse Than You Think". VICE Sports. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
Jump up ^ Fagan, Kate (February 4, 2015). "Diana Taurasi's decision to sit out should spark WNBA salary changes". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
Jump up ^ "womensbasketballonline.com".
Jump up ^ "With 20th season ahead, league sees attendance, ratings drop". www.sportsbusinessdaily.com. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
^ Jump up to: a b c Lombardo, John (September 21, 2015). "With 20th season ahead, league sees attendance, ratings drop". Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
Jump up ^ Evans, Jayda (August 20, 2014). "WNBA attendance up 1 percent and increased viewership". Seattle Times. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
Jump up ^ The Sports Xchange (September 16, 2015). "2015 WNBA season sees lowest fan attendance in league history". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
Jump up ^ Favor, Sue (September 21, 2016). "WNBA's 20th season sees highest attendance in five years". womenshoopsworld.com. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
^ Jump up to: a b Evans, Jayda (July 16, 2007). "WNBA gets first TV rights fee". Seattle Times. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
Jump up ^ "WNBA agrees to new TV deal with ESPN/ABC". 15 July 2007.
Jump up ^ Lefton, Terry. "ESPN Signs Six-Year Extension With WNBA That Is Worth $12M Per Year". SportsBusiness Daily. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
Jump up ^ "WNBA attendance, TV numbers increase again". Retrieved 2016-10-02.
Jump up ^ "WNBA.com to Webcast More than 200 Games During 2009 WNBA Season". WNBA.com. May 13, 2009. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
Jump up ^ Glass, Alana (September 27, 2013). "WNBA Captures Fans, Ends Regular Season With Record Growth". Forbes. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
Jump up ^ Ourand, John; Karp, Austin (November 11, 2013). "With rebound, WNBA solidifies spot at ESPN". sportsbusinessdaily.com. Sports Business Journal. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
Jump up ^ Lombardo, John (August 18, 2014). "WNBA expects at least six teams to post profit". sportsbusinessdaily.com. Street & Smith's Sports Business Daily/Global/Journal. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
Jump up ^ Sundalow, Brian (September 18, 2014). "WNBA sees ratings jump in postseason". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
Jump up ^ "More Ratings: Paralympics, World Cup of Hockey, WNBA on ESPN — Sports Media Watch".
Jump up ^ Zeigler Jr., Cyd (October 2, 2008). "WNBA Ratings up but Still Not Good". Outsports.com. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
Jump up ^ Payne, Marissa (6 May 2015). "Former U-Conn. star Maya Moore laments the current state of the WNBA". Washington Post. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
Evans, Jayda (July 16, 2007). "WNBA Gets First Rights Fee". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 16, 2007.
Heath, Thomas (July 12, 2006). "A Matter of Value". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 12, 2006.
"Minimum NBA Salary". Inside Hoops. August 10, 2005. Retrieved September 4, 2006.
"Salary Cap for 2004-05 Is $43.87 million". National Basketball Association. July 13, 2004. Retrieved July 13, 2004.
"History of the WNBA". Women's National Basketball Association. Retrieved September 4, 2006.
"Start of Season Conference Call". Women's National Basketball Association. May 14, 2007. Retrieved May 14, 2007.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Women's National Basketball Association.
Official website
WNBA statistics at Basketball-Reference.com
[show]
v
t
e
Women's National Basketball Association (2017)
Eastern Conference
Atlanta Dream
Chicago Sky
Connecticut Sun
Indiana Fever
New York Liberty
Washington Mystics
Western Conference
Dallas Wings
Las Vegas Aces
Los Angeles Sparks
Minnesota Lynx
Phoenix Mercury
Seattle Storm
Annual events
Draft
All-Star Game
Playoffs
Finals
Statistics
Career scoring
Career rebounding
Career assists
Career steals
Career blocks
Career turnovers
Season:
Scoring leaders
Rebounding leaders
Assists leaders
Steals leaders
Blocks leaders
Turnovers leaders
Other
Arenas
Attendance
Awards
Coaches
Defunct teams
Expansion draft history
LiveAccess
MVP
NBA
Media (NBA TV, WNBA on ESPN, Current broadcasters, Finals broadcasters)
Players (Current rosters, Foreign players)
Rookie of the Year
Seasons
Teams (All-Decade Team, Top 15 Team, Top 20 Team)
[show]
v
t
e
Women's professional basketball leagues
FIBA
Women's World League (defunct)
Other leagues
Africa
Algeria
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
DR Congo
Egypt
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Ivory Coast
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Madagascar
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Nigeria
South Africa
Senegal
Seychelles
Swaziland
Tunisia
Uganda
Zimbabwe
Americas
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Mexico
Paraguay
Peru
Puerto Rico
United States
U.S. Minor: WBCBL
NCAA
WNIT
Uruguay
Venezuela
Asia
Bahrain
China PR
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Malaysia
Mongolia
Philippines
Palestine
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
South Korea
Syria
Taiwan
Thailand
United-Arab-Emirates
Europe
Albania
Armenia
Austria
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
2nd division
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Kosovo
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Moldavia
Macedonia
Montenegro
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
2nd division
Catalonia
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine
United Kingdom
England
Scotland
Oceania
Australia
Fiji
New Zealand
International
tournaments
Africa
African Champions Cup
Arab Club Championship
Americas
South American Championships
Europe
EuroLeague Women
EuroCup Women
Adriatic League
Baltic League
Central Europe League
Eastern European League
Defunct leagues
Americas
Central American Championships
Europe
Ronchetti Cup
Vojko Herksel Cup
Middle European League
Adriatic Friendly League
Czechoslovakia
East Germany
Soviet Union
Serbia and Montenegro
Yugoslavia
United Kingdom (old league)
[show]
v
t
e
Major women's sport leagues in North America
Women's
basketball
Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Women's American Basketball Association (WABA)
Women's Blue Chip Basketball League (WBCBL)
American Basketball League (defunct)
National Women's Basketball League (defunct)
Women's Professional Basketball League (defunct)
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division II
NCAA Division III
NAIA
U Sports
Women's
ice hockey
Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL)
National Women's Hockey League (NWHL)
Western Women's Hockey League (defunct)
National Collegiate women's ice hockey championship
NCAA Division III women's ice hockey (NCAA)
U Sports women's ice hockey
Women's soccer
National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Liga MX Femenil
Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL)
United Women's Soccer (UWS)
Liga Mexicana de Fútbol Femenil
NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
NAIA Women's Soccer Championship
U Sports women's soccer
Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) (defunct)
Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) (defunct)
Women's League Soccer (WLS) (defunct)
Women's Premier Soccer League Elite (defunct)
USL W-League (defunct)
Women's softball
National Pro Fastpitch (NPF)
NCAA Division I Softball Championship
Women's College World Series (WCWS)
NAIA Softball Championship
Other sports
Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA)
Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA)
National Ringette League (NRL)
United Women's Lacrosse League (UWLX)
National
Collegiate
Athletic
Association
NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship
NCAA Bowling Championship
NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship
NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship
NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships
NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships
NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship
NCAA Division I Rowing Championship
NCAA Women's Division I Swimming and Diving Championships
NCAA Women's Tennis Championship
NCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship
NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship
NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship
NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship
National Association of
Intercollegiate Athletics
NAIA Women's Cross Country Championship
NAIA Women's Golf Championship
NAIA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships
NAIA Women's Tennis Championship
NAIA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship
NAIA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship
NAIA Volleyball Championship
NAIA lacrosse
Authority control
WorldCat Identities
VIAF: 2714147270687135700005
LCCN: no97047660
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Women%27s_National_Basketball_Association&oldid=818517271"
Categories:
Women's National Basketball Association
1996 establishments in the United States
Professional sports leagues in the United States
Women's basketball leagues in the United States
Sports leagues established in 1996
Hidden categories:
All articles with unsourced statements
Articles with unsourced statements from February 2017
Articles with unsourced statements from February 2016
Articles with unsourced statements from January 2015
Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers
Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers
Navigation menu
Personal tools
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Namespaces
Article
Talk
Variants
Views
Read
Edit
View history
More
Search
Navigation
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
In other projects
Wikimedia Commons
Languages
العربية
Aragonés
Català
Dansk
Deutsch
Ελληνικά
Español
Euskara
فارسی
Français
Galego
한국어
Հայերեն
Bahasa Indonesia
Italiano
עברית
ქართული
Latviešu
Lietuvių
Македонски
Nederlands
日本語
Norsk
Oromoo
Polski
Português
Русский
Simple English
Српски / srpski
Suomi
Svenska
Türkçe
West-Vlams
中文
Edit links
This page was last edited on 4 January 2018, at 00:50.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Cookie statement
Mobile view
Enable previews

tag: div

attr: id class

value: mw-page-base noprint

key: html

type: local

value: mw-head-base noprint

tag: a

attr: id class lang

value: firstHeading firstHeading en

value: siteSub noprint

value: jump-to-nav mw-jump

attr: href class title

value:
/wiki/WNBA_(disambiguation)
mw-disambig
WNBA (disambiguation)

attr: role class

value:
note
hatnote navigation-not-searchable

tag: caption

tag: b

tag: br

tag: img

attr: alt src width height srcset data-file-width data-file-height

attr: href title

tag: i

tag: td

attr: href class

attr: scope style

value:
row
white-space: nowrap

value:
nofollow
http://www.wnba.com/
external text

value:
/wiki/Professional_basketball
mw-redirect
Professional basketball

value: Edit section: League founded and play begins (1996–97)

value:
/wiki/Women%27s_Pro_Basketball_League
mw-redirect
Women's Pro Basketball League

value:
/wiki/Walt_Disney_Company
mw-redirect
Walt Disney Company

value:
/wiki/Hearst_Corporation
mw-redirect
Hearst Corporation

value:
/wiki/Lifetime_Television
mw-redirect
Lifetime Television

value: Edit section: Houston domination and league expansion (1997–2000)

value:
/wiki/Cynthia_Cooper_(basketball)
mw-redirect
Cynthia Cooper (basketball)

attr: alt src width height class srcset data-file-width data-file-height

value: This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2017)

value:
noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact
white-space:nowrap;

value:
/wiki/WNBA_Playoffs
mw-redirect
WNBA Playoffs

value: Edit section: The L.A. Sparks; new league ownership and contraction (2001–2002)

value: Edit section: Bill Laimbeer leaves his mark (2003–2006)

value:
/wiki/2003_WNBA_Draft
mw-redirect
2003 WNBA Draft

value: This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2016)

value:
/wiki/WNBA%27s_All-Decade_Team
mw-redirect
WNBA's All-Decade Team

value: Edit section: Bringing "Paul Ball" to the WNBA (2007–2009)

value:
/wiki/2007_WNBA_Draft#Dispersal_Draft
mw-redirect
2007 WNBA Draft

value: Edit section: Changing of the guard (2010–2012)

value:
/wiki/San_Francisco_Bay_area
mw-redirect
San Francisco Bay area

value:
/wiki/San_Antonio_Silver_Stars
mw-redirect
San Antonio Silver Stars

value:
/wiki/2012_Olympic_Games
mw-redirect
2012 Olympic Games

value:
/wiki/2013_WNBA_Draft
mw-redirect
2013 WNBA Draft

value: This claim needs references to reliable sources. (January 2015)

value: position:absolute; font-size:85%; left:409px; top:94px

value: position:absolute; font-size:85%; left:462px; top:85px

value: position:absolute; font-size:85%; left:299px; top:109px

value: position:absolute; font-size:85%; left:380px; top:111px

value: position:absolute; font-size:85%; left:328px; top:96px

value: position:absolute; font-size:85%; left:305px; top:132px

value: position:absolute; font-size:85%; left:369px; top:204px

value: position:absolute; font-size:85%; left:403px; top:170px

value: position:absolute; font-size:85%; left:421px; top:279px

value: position:absolute; font-size:85%; left:366px; top:249px

value: position:absolute; font-size:85%; left:426px; top:131px

value: position:absolute; font-size:85%; left:214px; top:182px

value: position:absolute; font-size:85%; left:219px; top:217px

value: position:absolute; font-size:85%; left:251px; top:254px

value: position:absolute; font-size:85%; left:199px; top:260px

value: position:absolute; font-size:85%; left:249px; top:71px

value: position:absolute; font-size:85%; left:43px; top:42px

value: position:absolute; font-size:85%; left:54px; top:12px

value: position:absolute; font-size:85%; left:116px; top:111px

value: position:absolute; font-size:85%; left:30px; top:130px

value: position:absolute; font-size:85%; left:101px; top:187px

value: position:absolute; font-size:85%; left:46px; top:172px

value: width: 500px; float: right; clear: right; line-height: 1; text-align: center; background-color: #ffffff; position: relative; max-width: 100%; overflow-x: auto;

value:
reflist mw-references-wrap
list-style-type: decimal;

value: Edit section: Relationship with NBA teams

value: Seattle SuperSonics relocation to Oklahoma City

value: St. Elizabeths East Entertainment and Sports Arena

value:
/wiki/Tulsa_66ers
mw-redirect
Tulsa 66ers

value:
headerSort
0
columnheader button
Sort ascending

value:
wikitable sortable jquery-tablesorter
text-align: center; float:right;

value:
/wiki/Trading_deadline
mw-redirect
Trading deadline

value:
/wiki/Summer_Olympics
mw-redirect
Summer Olympics

value:
NavContent
text-align: center; display: none;

value:
/wiki/Dan_Hughes_(basketball_coach)
mw-redirect
Dan Hughes (basketball coach)

value:
/wiki/2014_Phoenix_Mercury_season
mw-redirect
2014 Phoenix Mercury season

value: width:90%; clear:both; margin:1.5em auto; text-align:center;

value:
/wiki/1997_WNBA_Finals
mw-redirect
1997 WNBA Finals

value:
/wiki/1998_WNBA_Finals
mw-redirect
1998 WNBA Finals

value:
/wiki/1999_WNBA_Finals
mw-redirect
1999 WNBA Finals

value:
/wiki/2000_WNBA_Finals
mw-redirect
2000 WNBA Finals

value:
/wiki/2001_WNBA_Finals
mw-redirect
2001 WNBA Finals

value:
wikitable sortable jquery-tablesorter
text-align:center

value: List of Women's National Basketball Association players

value: List of Women's National Basketball Association head coaches

value:
/wiki/WNBA%27s_Top_15_Team
mw-redirect
WNBA's Top 15 Team

value:
/wiki/WNBA_Career_Scoring
mw-redirect
WNBA Career Scoring

value:
/wiki/All-WNBA_Teams
mw-redirect
All-WNBA Teams

value:
/wiki/WNBA_Finals_MVP_Award
mw-redirect
WNBA Finals MVP Award

value: Edit section: Notable international players

value:
/wiki/Farmers_Insurance
mw-redirect
Farmers Insurance

value: Edit section: Salaries, rosters, and collective bargaining

value:
/wiki/NBA_Draft_Lottery
mw-redirect
NBA Draft Lottery

value:
/wiki/Compaq_Center_(Houston)
mw-redirect
Compaq Center (Houston)

value:
/wiki/Toyota_Center_(Houston)
mw-redirect
Toyota Center (Houston)

value:
/wiki/Reliant_Arena
mw-redirect
Reliant Arena

value: width:100%; clear:both; margin:1.5em auto; text-align:center;

value:
/wiki/FSN_Indiana
mw-redirect
FSN Indiana

value: width: 60%;text-align: left; vertical-align: top;

value:
/wiki/Monumental_Network
mw-redirect
Monumental Network

value:
wikitable navbox
width: 70%; margin:1em auto;

value: Edit section: All-time franchise history

value: navbox wikitable sortable jquery-tablesorter

value: Major women's sport leagues in North America

value:
/wiki/List_of_WNBA_players
mw-redirect
List of WNBA players

value:
/wiki/List_of_WNBA_head_coaches
mw-redirect
List of WNBA head coaches

value: List of WNBA first overall draft choices

value: List of current Women's National Basketball Association broadcasters

value: Professional sports leagues in the United States

value: div-col columns column-count column-count-2

value: -moz-column-count: 2; -webkit-column-count: 2; column-count: 2;

value:
nofollow
http://www.wnba.com/history/
external text

value:
/wiki/Seattle_Times
mw-redirect
Seattle Times

value: -moz-column-width: 30em; -webkit-column-width: 30em; column-width: 30em; list-style-type: decimal;

value:
nofollow
external text
http://aol.nba.com/news/cap_040713.html

value: commons:Category:Women's National Basketball Association

value:
nofollow
external text
http://www.wnba.com

value: Template:Women's National Basketball Association

value: Template talk:Women's National Basketball Association

value: List of Women's National Basketball Association career steals leaders

value: List of Women's National Basketball Association career blocks leaders

value: List of Women's National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders

value: List of Women's National Basketball Association season scoring leaders

value: List of Women's National Basketball Association season rebounding leaders

value: List of Women's National Basketball Association season assists leaders

value: List of Women's National Basketball Association season steals leaders

value: List of Women's National Basketball Association season blocks leaders

value: List of Women's National Basketball Association season turnovers leaders

value:
/wiki/Template:WNBA_Arenas
mw-redirect
Template:WNBA Arenas

value: List of current Women's National Basketball Association head coaches

value: nowraplinks collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner

value: Template:Women's professional basketball leagues

value: Template talk:Women's professional basketball leagues

value: width:1%;line-height: 1em;-moz-box-shadow: inset -5px 0 0 0 #999999; -webkit-box-shadow: inset -5px 0 0 0 #999999; box-shadow: inset -5px 0 0 0 #999999;

value: Algerian Women's Basketball Championship (page does not exist)

value: Beninese Women's Basketball Championship (page does not exist)

value: Botswana Women's Basketball Championship (page does not exist)

value: Burkinabe Women's Basketball Championship (page does not exist)

value: Burundian Women's Basketball Championship (page does not exist)

value: Cameroonian Women's Basketball Championship (page does not exist)

value: Cape Verdean Women's Basketball Championship (page does not exist)

value: Central African Women's Division I Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: Chadian Women's Basketball Championship (page does not exist)

value: DR Congolese Women's Basketball Championship (page does not exist)

value: Egyptian Women's Basketball Championship (page does not exist)

value: Gabonese Women's Basketball Championship (page does not exist)

value: Gambian Women's Basketball Championship (page does not exist)

value: Ghanian Women's Basketball Championship (page does not exist)

value: Ivorian Women's Basketball Championship (page does not exist)

value: Kenyan Women's Basketball Championship (page does not exist)

value: Lesotho Women's Basketball Championship (page does not exist)

value: Liberian Women's Basketball Championship (page does not exist)

value: Libyan Women's Basketball Championship (page does not exist)

value: Madagascar Women's Basketball Championship (page does not exist)

value: Moroccan Women's Basketball Championship

value: Mozambican Women's Division I Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: Namibian Women's Basketball Championship (page does not exist)

value: Nigerian Women's Premier League (basketball)

value: Premier Women's Basketball League (South Africa) (page does not exist)

value: Senegalese Women's Division I Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: Seychellois Women's Basketball Championship (page does not exist)

value: Swazi Women's Basketball Championship (page does not exist)

value: Tunisian Women's Division I Basketball League

value: Ugandan Women's Division I Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: Zimbabwean Women's Division I Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: width:1%;line-height: 1em;-moz-box-shadow: inset -5px 0 0 0 #fd3c50; -webkit-box-shadow: inset -5px 0 0 0 #fd3c50; box-shadow: inset -5px 0 0 0 #fd3c50;

value: Women's Liga Nacional de Básquet (page does not exist)

value: Women's Novo Basquete Brasil (page does not exist)

value: Women's National Basketball League of Canada (page does not exist)

value: Women's Liga Nacional Movistar (page does not exist)

value: Women's Baloncesto Profesional Colombiano (page does not exist)

value: Women's Costa Rican Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: Women's Liga Superior de Baloncesto (page does not exist)

value: Women's Dominican Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: Women's Liga Nacional de Baloncesto (page does not exist)

value: Women's Ecuadorian Metropolitan Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: Women's Mexican Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: Women's Paraguayan Metropolitan Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: Women's Peruan Metropolitan Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: Women's Baloncesto Superior Nacional (page does not exist)

value: NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament

value: Women's Liga Uruguaya de Basketball (page does not exist)

value: Women's Liga Profesional de Baloncesto (page does not exist)

value: width:1%;line-height: 1em;-moz-box-shadow: inset -5px 0 0 0 #ffcc00; -webkit-box-shadow: inset -5px 0 0 0 #ffcc00; box-shadow: inset -5px 0 0 0 #ffcc00;

value: Women's Bahrain Basketball Association (page does not exist)

value: Women's Hong Kong Basketball Association

value: Indian National Basketball Championship for Women

value: Women's National Basketball League (Indonesia) (page does not exist)

value: Iranian Women's Basketball Super League (page does not exist)

value: Iraqi Women's Division I Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: Women's Jordanian Premier Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: Women's Kazakh National League (page does not exist)

value: Women's Kyrgyzstani National League (page does not exist)

value: Women's Kuwaiti Division I Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: Women's National Basketball League (Malaysia) (page does not exist)

value: Women's Mongolian National League (page does not exist)

value: Women's Palestines Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: Women's Oman Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: Women's Qatari Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: Women's Saudi Premier League (basketball) (page does not exist)

value: Women's Singapores Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: Women's Syrian Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: Women's Thailand Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: Women's UAE Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: width:1%;line-height: 1em;-moz-box-shadow: inset -5px 0 0 0 #3399cc; -webkit-box-shadow: inset -5px 0 0 0 #3399cc; box-shadow: inset -5px 0 0 0 #3399cc;

value: Belarusian Women's Premier League (basketball)

value: Basketball Championship of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Women)

value: Bulgarian Women's Basketball Championship

value: Nemzeti Bajnokság I/A (women's basketball)

value:
/wiki/Premier_league_women
mw-redirect
Premier league women

value: Women's Superleague (Ireland) (page does not exist)

value: Israeli Female Basketball Premier League

value: ETC Women's Superleague (page does not exist)

value: Diekirch Women's League (page does not exist)

value: Maltese Women's Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: Moldovan Women's Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: First Women's Basketball League of Macedonia

value: First А Women's Basketball League of Montenegro

value:
/wiki/Dutch_Women%27s_Basketball_League
mw-redirect
Dutch Women's Basketball League

value: Russian Women's Basketball Premier League

value: First Women's Basketball League of Serbia

value: Catalonian Women's Basketball Championship (page does not exist)

value: Women's Ligue Nationale de Basketball (Switzerland)

value: Ukrainian Women's Basketball SuperLeague

value: width:1%;line-height: 1em;-moz-box-shadow: inset -5px 0 0 0 #009933; -webkit-box-shadow: inset -5px 0 0 0 #009933; box-shadow: inset -5px 0 0 0 #009933;

value: Women's Fijian Basketball League (page does not exist)

value: Women's National Basketball League (New Zealand) (page does not exist)

value:
row
navbox-group
width:1%;line-height: 1em

value: Arab Women's Club Basketball Championship

value: South American Women's Club Championship (page does not exist)

value: Eastern European Women's Basketball League

value: Central American Championship for Women's Clubs (page does not exist)

value: Czechoslovak Women's Basketball Championship

value: First Women's Basketball League of Serbia and Montenegro

value: nowraplinks hlist collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner

value: Template:Major women's sport leagues in North America

value: Template talk:Major women's sport leagues in North America

value: NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship

value: NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship

value:
/wiki/Women%27s_ice_hockey
mw-redirect
Women's ice hockey

value: National Collegiate women's ice hockey championship

value: National Collegiate Athletic Association

value: NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship

value: NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship

value: NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships

value: NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship

value: NCAA Women's Division I Swimming and Diving Championships

value: NCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship

value: NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship

value: National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics

value: NAIA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships

value: NAIA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship

value: NAIA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship

value: Category:Women's National Basketball Association

value: Category:1996 establishments in the United States

value: Category:Professional sports leagues in the United States

value: Category:Women's basketball leagues in the United States

value: Category:Sports leagues established in 1996

value: Category:All articles with unsourced statements

value: Category:Articles with unsourced statements from February 2017

value: Category:Articles with unsourced statements from February 2016

value: Category:Articles with unsourced statements from January 2015

value: Category:Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers

value: Category:Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers

value: Discussion about edits from this IP address [ctrl-alt-n]

value: A list of edits made from this IP address [ctrl-alt-y]

value: You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory

value: You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [ctrl-alt-o]

value: Discussion about the content page [ctrl-alt-t]

value: p-namespaces navigation vectorTabs p-namespaces-label

value:
p-variants
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-variants-label

value: Past revisions of this page [ctrl-alt-h]

value: p-views navigation vectorTabs p-views-label

value:
p-cactions
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-cactions-label

value:
mw-wiki-logo
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page

value:
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page [ctrl-alt-z]
z

value: Featured content – the best of Wikipedia

value: Find background information on current events

value:
/wiki/Special:Random
Load a random article [ctrl-alt-x]
x

value: portal navigation p-navigation p-navigation-label

value: Guidance on how to use and edit Wikipedia

value: About the project, what you can do, where to find things

value: A list of recent changes in the wiki [ctrl-alt-r]

value: portal navigation p-interaction p-interaction-label

value: List of all English Wikipedia pages containing links to this page [ctrl-alt-j]

value: Recent changes in pages linked from this page [ctrl-alt-k]

value:
/wiki/Wikipedia:File_Upload_Wizard
Upload files [ctrl-alt-u]
u

value: A list of all special pages [ctrl-alt-q]

value: Permanent link to this revision of the page

value: Link to connected data repository item [ctrl-alt-g]

value: Printable version of this page [ctrl-alt-p]

value: portal navigation p-wikibase-otherprojects p-wikibase-otherprojects-label

value:
uls-settings-trigger
Language settings
0
button
true

value: الاتحاد الوطني لكرة السلة النسائية – Arabic

value: Women's National Basketball Association – Aragonese

value:
https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/WNBA
WNBA – Catalan
ca
ca
interlanguage-link-target

value:
https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/WNBA
WNBA – Danish
da
da
interlanguage-link-target

value: Women’s National Basketball Association – German

value:
https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/WNBA
WNBA – Greek
el
el
interlanguage-link-target

value:
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/WNBA
WNBA – Spanish
es
es
interlanguage-link-target

value:
https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/WNBA
WNBA – Basque
eu
eu
interlanguage-link-target

value: اتحادیه ملی بسکتبال زنان – Persian

value: Women's National Basketball Association – French

value: Women's National Basketball Association – Galician

value: 전미 여자 농구 협회 – Korean

value: Կանանց բասկետբոլի ազգային ասոցիացիա – Armenian

value: Women's National Basketball Association – Indonesian

value: Women's National Basketball Association – Italian

value: ქალთა ნაციონალური საკალათბურთო ასოციაცია – Georgian

value: Sieviešu Nacionālā basketbola asociācija – Latvian

value:
https://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/WNBA
WNBA – Lithuanian
lt
lt
interlanguage-link-target

value: Женска национална кошаркарска асоцијација – Macedonian

value: Women's National Basketball Association – Dutch

value:
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/WNBA
WNBA – Japanese
ja
ja
interlanguage-link-target

value: Women's National Basketball Association – Norwegian

value:
https://om.wikipedia.org/wiki/WNBA
WNBA – Oromo
om
om
interlanguage-link-target

value: Women’s National Basketball Association – Polish

value: Women's National Basketball Association – Portuguese

value: Женская национальная баскетбольная ассоциация – Russian

value: Women's National Basketball Association – Simple English

value:
https://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/WNBA
WNBA – Serbian
sr
sr
interlanguage-link-target

value: Women’s National Basketball Association – Finnish

value: Women's National Basketball Association – Swedish

value: Women's National Basketball Association – Turkish

value: Women's National Basketball Association – West Flemish

value:
https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/WNBA
WNBA – Chinese
zh
zh
interlanguage-link-target

value: mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject page-Women_s_National_Basketball_Association rootpage-Women_s_National_Basketball_Association skin-vector action-view