Dec. 17, 2003 - The WNBA Board of Governors has announced that the league will adopt three playing rules changes beginning with the 2004 season. The three-point line will be moved from 19' 9" to the international distance of 20' 6�", and the lane will be widened from 12' to the NBA width of 16'. In addition, the 30-second shot clock will be reset to 20 seconds (as opposed to 30 seconds under the previous rule) when a defensive foul or other defensive violation occurs with less than 20 seconds remaining on the shot clock, and will be left unchanged when a defensive violation occurs with 20 seconds or more remaining on the shot clock.

�The intent behind these changes is to increase our teams� offensive productivity,� said WNBA Director of Basketball Operations Tracy Ellis-Ward. �Increasing the width of the lane and the length of the three-point line are both designed to clear out space in the post so that offensive players will have greater freedom of movement. The adjustment in resetting the shot clock should help speed up the game and increase the number of possessions per game, which we also hope will lead to more scoring.�

�The changes are just good for our game. Widening the lane helps us with spacing and will create room for our players on offense. The shot clock change will help speed up the game, which should increase scoring and add to the exciting for our fans.

�The three-point line could work to our advantage because of the shooting ability of our players, especially how far out (Sheryl) Swoopes, (Tina) Thompson and (Cynthia) Cooper can hit from beyond the line.�

�It will be interesting to see how these rules affect the play of the game in the WNBA. Moving back the three-point line and widening the lane is designed to open up the inside game, and create more space for offensive players to work in.

�A nine-inch increase in the three-point shot shouldn�t have much of an affect on three-point shooting percentages since a number of players in the WNBA (Sheryl Swoopes, Becky Hammon, etc.) are consistently hitting shots from well beyond that distance already. But that nine inches on the defensive end, might be enough to free things up for players that like to penetrate and get to the basket.

�Widening the lane is something that has been done on two occasions in the NBA, from six to 12 feet in 1952-53 and from 12 to 16 feet in 1964-65. Pushing the post players further away from the basket could have the affect of keeping the lane less cluttered, and giving players more room to operate underneath.

�The adjustments made to the rules governing resetting of the shot clock are designed to speed up the pace of the game, which should, in turn, increase the league scoring average.�