The WNBA logo, which parallels the NBA logo.
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| League Name | Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) | | Current season | 2011 WNBA season | | Sport | Basketball | | Founded | 1996 | | Commissioner | Laurel J. Richie | | Motto | "Expect Great" | | Inaugural season | 1997 | | No. of teams | 12 | | Country | United States | | Continent | FIBA Americas (Americas) | | Most recent champion | Seattle Storm (2nd title) | | Most championships | Houston Comets (4 titles) | | TV partner | ABC
ESPN
NBA TV |
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The Women's National Basketball Association, often abbreviated to the WNBA, is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded in 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association (NBA). League play started in 1997; the regular season is currently played from June to September with the finals in October.
Many WNBA teams have NBA counterparts and play in the same arena. The Connecticut Sun, the Seattle Storm, and the Tulsa Shock are the only current teams to play without sharing the market with an NBA team (although the Storm shared a market with the Seattle SuperSonics before that team's relocation). In addition to those three teams, the Chicago Sky is the only other team that does not share an arena with an NBA counterpart. The Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Los Angeles Sparks, Seattle Storm, Tulsa Shock and the Washington Mystics are independently owned. This independent ownership is important to the WNBA's growth; at one time, all teams in the league were owned by the NBA.
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Womens National Basketball Association Video
| Milestones : |
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| Milestone |
Player |
Team |
Date |
Information |
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| 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 |
Toler made a layup to score the league's first points. |
| 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 |
Tina Thompson |
Houston, Los Angeles |
1997 � present |
6,413 points |
| Most career rebounds |
Lisa Leslie |
Los Angeles Sparks |
1997 � 2009 |
3,307 rebounds |
| Most career assists |
Ticha Penicheiro |
Sacramento, Los Angeles |
1998 � present |
2,398 assists |
| Most points in a game |
Diana Taurasi
Lauren Jackson |
Phoenix Mercury
Seattle Storm |
July 10, 2006
July 24, 2007 |
47 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 |
Van Chancellor |
Houston Comets |
1997 � 2006 |
211 wins |
| Most points scored by a team |
N/A |
Phoenix Mercury |
July 24, 2010 |
127 points in a double overtime win against Minnesota |
| 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 |
| Court dimensions : |
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| Area |
Imperial |
Metric |
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| 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 |
20 ft 6.25 in |
6.25 m |
| Shaded area/Lane/Key length |
19 ft |
5.8 m |
| Shaded area/Lane/Key width |
16 ft |
4.88m |
| 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. |
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