View of an ongoing WNBA game with a Seattle Storm player taking a free throw while other players and spectators watch; the shot clock reads "24 seconds".
A regular season game during the 2022 WNBA season between the Seattle Storm and Atlanta Dream in Seattle, Washington

The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a professional women's basketball league based in the United States with 12 teams as of 2024.[1] The league was founded in 1996 by the men's National Basketball Association (NBA) as a wholly-owned subsidiary and began play in the 1997 season with eight teams.[2][3] WNBA shares the same court dimensions, hoop height, and shot clock length as NBA, but has had shorter quarters of ten minutes each since 2006 and uses a smaller ball to match with international FIBA standards.[1][4][5] Full NBA ownership of the league ended in 2002 and new independent ownership groups began investing in franchises; the WNBA has seven teams with independent ownership and five that are under the same ownership as an NBA team and share the same home arena.[3][6]

The league's 12 teams are organized into the Eastern and Western conferences;[1] a 13th team is scheduled to begin play in the 2025 season.[7] The number of WNBA teams has varied since the league's original eight in 1997 due to expansions and later contractions; the first expansion teams were added in 1998 and were followed by two more rounds of additions that brought the total to 16 teams in 2000. Following the change in NBA ownership in 2002, the WNBA lost two teams. The league lost two more teams by 2006 but expanded to remain at 13 teams. The number of teams has remained at 12 since the Houston Comets ceased operations after the 2008 season.[8]

As of the 28th season in 2024, each team plays 40 games during the regular season, which runs from May to September. The 2024 season includes a month-long break for the Summer Olympic Games that begins after the annual WNBA All-Star Game in mid-July.[9][10] The summer schedule is mostly played during the NBA offseason, which allows teams to share venues;[11] during the WNBA offseason, many players transfer to overseas leagues that follow a fall and winter schedule.[12] Teams play four games against opponents in the same conference and two teams from the other conference; three games are played against the remaining four teams in the other conference.[13] Five regular season games in early June are played against teams in the same conference to determine qualification for the WNBA Commissioner's Cup, an in-season tournament first played in 2021; the final is hosted by the team with the better win–loss record in qualifying games.[14]

The eight teams with the best regular season records, regardless of conference, qualify for the WNBA playoffs to determine the league's champion in the WNBA Finals. Since 2022, the playoffs have used a best-of-three series in the first round, where teams are seeded based on regular season performance, and a best-of-five format for the semifinals and WNBA Finals.[15][16] The most successful playoff teams are the Minnesota Lynx, Seattle Storm, and defunct Houston Comets, who have each won four WNBA championships; the Lynx have made six appearances in the WNBA Finals, the most in league history.[17][18] Three current WNBA teams have yet to win a championship; among them, the New York Liberty has finished as runners-up in five WNBA Finals.[19][20]

The best regular season performance in league history was set in the 1998 season by the Houston Rockets, who finished with a 27–3 win–loss record—a winning percentage of 0.900. The number of games played by WNBA teams has steadily increased since the initial 28-game schedule in the inaugural season; for most of the league's history, teams played 34 games before the schedule was expanded to 36 games in 2022 and 40 games in 2023. The Las Vegas Aces won 34 games during the expanded 2023 season and set a record for most wins in a WNBA season.[21][22] The WNBA playoffs has also changed its format several times; until 2016, the two conferences were separated until the WNBA Finals. Under the cross-conference format, top-seeded teams received single or double byes and some rounds had single-elimination games instead of a best-of-five series.[23] The format was simplified in 2022 to remove single-elimination rounds and byes.[16]

Seasons

WNBA seasons
Season Teams[8] Playoffs[24] Regular season Commissioner's Cup winner[25] Ref.
Champion Series Runners-up Top seed Record Games
1997 8 Houston Comets 1–0 New York Liberty Houston Comets 18–10 28 Not established until 2020 [26]
1998 10 Houston Comets (2nd title) 2–1 Phoenix Mercury Houston Comets 27–3 30 [27]
1999 12 Houston Comets (3rd title) 2–1 New York Liberty Houston Comets 26–6 32 [28]
2000 16 Houston Comets (4th title) 2–0 New York Liberty Los Angeles Sparks 28–4 32 [29]
2001 16 Los Angeles Sparks 2–0 Charlotte Sting Los Angeles Sparks 28–4 32 [30]
2002 16 Los Angeles Sparks (2nd title) 2–1 New York Liberty Los Angeles Sparks 25–7 32 [31]
2003 14 Detroit Shock 2–1 Los Angeles Sparks Detroit Shock 25–9 34 [32]
2004 13 Seattle Storm 2–1 Connecticut Sun Los Angeles Sparks 25–9 34 [33]
2005 13 Sacramento Monarchs 3–1 Connecticut Sun Connecticut Sun 26–8 34 [34]
2006 14 Detroit Shock (2nd title) 3–2 Sacramento Monarchs Connecticut Sun 26–8 34 [35]
2007 13 Phoenix Mercury 3–2 Detroit Shock Detroit Shock 24–10 34 [36]
2008 14 Detroit Shock (3rd title) 3–0 San Antonio Silver Stars San Antonio Silver Stars 24–10 34 [37]
2009 13 Phoenix Mercury (2nd title) 3–2 Indiana Fever Phoenix Mercury 23–11 34 [38]
2010 12 Seattle Storm (2nd title) 3–0 Atlanta Dream Seattle Storm 28–6 34 [39]
2011 12 Minnesota Lynx 3–0 Atlanta Dream Minnesota Lynx 27–7 34 [40]
2012 12 Indiana Fever 3–1 Minnesota Lynx Minnesota Lynx 27–7 34 [41]
2013 12 Minnesota Lynx (2nd title) 3–0 Atlanta Dream Minnesota Lynx 26–8 34 [42]
2014 12 Phoenix Mercury (3rd title) 3–0 Chicago Sky Phoenix Mercury 29–5 34 [43]
2015 12 Minnesota Lynx (3rd title) 3–2 Indiana Fever New York Liberty 23–11 34 [44]
2016 12 Los Angeles Sparks (3rd title) 3–2 Minnesota Lynx Minnesota Lynx 28–6 34 [45]
2017 12 Minnesota Lynx (4th title) 3–2 Los Angeles Sparks Minnesota Lynx 27–7 34 [46]
2018 12 Seattle Storm (3rd title) 3–0 Washington Mystics Seattle Storm 26–8 34 [47]
2019 12 Washington Mystics 3–2 Connecticut Sun Washington Mystics 26–8 34 [48]
2020 12 Seattle Storm (4th title) 3–0 Las Vegas Aces Las Vegas Aces[a] 18–4  †22[b] Not held[c] [52]
2021 12 Chicago Sky 3–1 Phoenix Mercury Connecticut Sun 26–6 32 Seattle Storm [53]
2022 12 Las Vegas Aces 3–1 Connecticut Sun Las Vegas Aces[d] 26–10 36 Las Vegas Aces [55]
2023 12 Las Vegas Aces (2nd title) 3–1 New York Liberty Las Vegas Aces 34–6 40 New York Liberty [56]
2024 12 To be determined — To be determined To be determined — 40 To be determined [9]

Notes

  1. ^ The Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm finished with identical 18–4 records during the 2020 regular season; Las Vegas earned the top seed by winning the head-to-head tiebreaker.[49]
  2. ^ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 season was shortened to 22 games and played entirely behind closed doors at an isolated site in Bradenton, Florida.[50]
  3. ^ The first edition of the WNBA Commissioner's Cup was delayed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[51]
  4. ^ The Las Vegas Aces and Chicago Sky finished with identical 26–10 records during the 2022 regular season; Las Vegas earned the top seed by winning the head-to-head tiebreaker 2–1.[54]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Frequently Asked Questions: WNBA". Women's National Basketball Association. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  2. ^ Hirsch, Lauren; Lowe, Shauntel (February 3, 2022). "W.N.B.A. Raises $75 Million With Hopes of Business Model Revamp". The New York Times. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Thompson, Tisha; Voepel, M.A. (October 15, 2021). "WNBA commissioner outlines transformative plan to pivot league from 'survive to thrive'". ESPN. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  4. ^ Carmin, Mike (May 31, 2015). "NCAA women's hoops may become more like WNBA". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  5. ^ Vocino, Matt (May 24, 2019). "What is the difference between NBA, WNBA, and FIBA basketball rules?". Canadian Olympic Committee. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  6. ^ "The pros and cons of all 12 WNBA teams' training facilities". ESPN. July 13, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  7. ^ Copeland, Kareem; Boren, Cindy (October 5, 2023). "WNBA adds an expansion team in the San Francisco Bay Area". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Hart, Torrey (October 4, 2023). "A history of WNBA expansion as league set to announce Bay Area team". The Athletic. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Pickman, Ben; Merchant, Sabreena (December 18, 2023). "WNBA unveils 2024 schedule with 40 regular-season games, new Commissioner's Cup format". The Athletic. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  10. ^ Feinberg, Doug (December 18, 2023). "WNBA to take its usual month-long break for the Olympics". Associated Press. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  11. ^ Oram, Bill (November 3, 2023). "WNBA shelves plans to expand to Portland". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  12. ^ Merchant, Sabreena (November 22, 2022). "Why some WNBA players are electing against international play this offseason: 'Sometimes it's just not worth it'". The Athletic. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  13. ^ Allen, Percy (December 18, 2023). "Here's a look at the Storm's 2024 schedule". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  14. ^ Voepel, M.A. (December 18, 2023). "WNBA goes to more compact format for Commissioner's Cup". ESPN. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  15. ^ Henderson, Cydney (September 12, 2023). "2023 WNBA playoffs: Finals schedule, scores, matchups and award winners". USA Today. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Allen, Percy (November 18, 2021). "WNBA announces overhaul of playoff format starting in 2022". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  17. ^ Horrow, Ellen J. (October 6, 2020). "Seattle Storm sweep Las Vegas Aces to win their fourth WNBA championship". USA Today. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  18. ^ Weisfeld, Oren (May 17, 2023). "WNBA power lies with two superteams. But that's not necessarily a bad thing". The Guardian. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  19. ^ Vanoni, Maggie (October 19, 2023). "UConn women's basketball's Kiah Stokes wins second WNBA title as Las Vegas Aces beat NY Liberty". CT Insider. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  20. ^ Pickman, Ben; Merchant, Sabreena (October 8, 2023). "2023 WNBA Finals: How to watch, Aces vs. Liberty season series results and key storylines". The Athletic. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  21. ^ Merchant, Sabreena (August 24, 2023). "Aces set WNBA regular-season wins record with victory over Sky". The Athletic. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  22. ^ Graham, Bryan Armen (October 19, 2023). "The Las Vegas Aces are the next great American sports dynasty". The Guardian. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  23. ^ Megdal, Howard (January 28, 2016). "The WNBA Is Reorganizing Its Playoff System. Could the NBA Be Next?". Vice News. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  24. ^ "WNBA Playoffs Series History". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  25. ^ "About the 2023 Cup". Women's National Basketball Association. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  26. ^ "1997 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  27. ^ "1998 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  28. ^ "1999 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  29. ^ "2000 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  30. ^ "2001 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  31. ^ "2002 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  32. ^ "2003 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  33. ^ "2004 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  34. ^ "2005 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  35. ^ "2006 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  36. ^ "2007 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  37. ^ "2008 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  38. ^ "2009 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  39. ^ "2010 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  40. ^ "2011 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  41. ^ "2012 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  42. ^ "2013 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  43. ^ "2014 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  44. ^ "2015 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  45. ^ "2016 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  46. ^ "2017 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  47. ^ "2018 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  48. ^ "2019 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  49. ^ Ortis, Jason (September 13, 2020). "Aces beat Seattle to capture top seed in WNBA playoffs". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  50. ^ Bailey, Analis (July 25, 2020). "WNBA brings its stars (well, most of them) to bubble for unique 2020 season". USA Today. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  51. ^ Voepel, M.A. (March 15, 2021). "WNBA unveils logo, basketball, uniforms as part of 'Count It' campaign in celebration of 25th anniversary season". ABC News. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  52. ^ "2020 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  53. ^ "2021 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  54. ^ Yamashita, Andy (August 14, 2022). "Aces clinch No. 1 seed for WNBA playoffs with win over Storm". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  55. ^ "2022 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  56. ^ "2023 WNBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2024.

External links

WNBA seasons
Women's National Basketball Association (2024)
Categories