History of the WNBA
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Since that day in 1996 there have been many firsts for the WNBA: Val Ackerman � the first president of the WNBA; Sheryl Swoopes � the first player signed to the WNBA; Cynthia Cooper � the league�s first Most Valuable Player; the Houston Comets � the first WNBA Champions; Lisa Leslie � the first WNBA player to dunk.
However, the very first for the league was a �to-do list.� With less than 15 months to tipoff, a league of its own began to unfold for the WNBA as each task was completed. The history of the WNBA follows:
On the Air�
Before a player was signed or a staff member was in place, the league announced its broadcast partnerships with NBC, ESPN and Lifetime Television. It was decided that the WNBA season would be played in the summer when the sports calendar was less crowded and the games could be televised live. During a successful inaugural season, more than 50 million viewers watched WNBA games on the three networks.
ESPN2 joined NBC and ESPN to televise WNBA games beginning in 2001 and carried live coverage of the WNBA Draft. Lifetime, which had carried games during the first four seasons, continued as a partner through 2002, presenting Players' Journal, a weekly half-hour magazine show highlighting the on and off-court lives of the league�s players and coaches.
Oxygen Media signed on to televise WNBA games in 2002, and ABC Sports became a new partner through a six-year agreement that extended the WNBA�s national television coverage through 2008, its 12th season. Telemundo, the fastest growing Spanish language television network in the U.S., and NBA TV, the league�s 24-hour television network, also joined ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and Oxygen in carrying WNBA games beginning with the 2003 season.
WNBA games and programming reached the largest global audience since the league�s inception in 2003, with WNBA content broadcast to 183 countries in 26 languages. The league delivers an audience unique in sports. In-arena, gender breakdown is approximately 80-20 female-male. The TV audience is about 50-50 female-male, with a strong percentage of non-adult viewers.
The Players and the Teams�
The first of the player signings was announced on October 23, 1996, with Sheryl Swoopes and Rebecca Lobo joining the league. The duo was soon followed by Lisa Leslie, Ruthie Bolton, Cynthia Cooper, Michele Timms (the first international player) and many more WNBA hopefuls.
Eight teams were announced for the league�s inaugural season. The Eastern Conference consisted of the Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers, Houston Comets and New York Liberty while the Western Conference was comprised of the Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury, Sacramento Monarchs and Utah Starzz.
On April 29, 1999, the WNBA and the Women�s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) announced the league�s first collective bargaining agreement � a first of its kind in women�s team sports.
By 2000, the league had expanded to 16 teams, with the Detroit Shock and Washington Mystics joining the league in 1998, the Minnesota Lynx and Orlando Miracle in 1999, and the Indiana Fever, Miami Sol, Portland Fire and Seattle Storm in 2000.
The 2002 season saw 176 women play professional basketball in 256 regular-season WNBA games (schedule history: 34 games in 2003; 32 games from 1999-2002; 30 in 1998; 28 in 1997). Continuing to showcase talented stars from around the world, the league featured 45 players from 22 countries.
In October 2002, the NBA Board of Governors voted to restructure the WNBA to allow individual team ownership, and to allow teams to be owned by non-NBA owners and located in non-NBA markets. Orlando, Miami, Portland and Utah elected not to assume ownership of their teams, and in December, the WNBA announced the relocation of the Utah Starzz to San Antonio, which had previously been awarded a WNBA franchise. The team would be named the Silver Stars.
On January 28, 2003, the Connecticut Sun were awarded the Orlando Miracle and became the newest WNBA franchise, with the Mohegan Tribe of Indians becoming the first non-NBA owner in league history.
On April 25, 2003, the WNBA and the WNBAPA signed its second collective bargaining agreement which gave WNBA players the first free agency rights in women�s professional team sports.
On September 19, 2003, the Cleveland Cavaliers \ Gund Arena Company announced that they decided they would no longer operate the Cleveland Rockers.
The WNBA Draft�
The Comets selected Tina Thompson, the Pac-10 Conference�s leading scorer, with the first pick of the Inaugural WNBA Draft. Margo Dydek, a 7-2 center from Poland, was selected first in the 1998 Draft by the Starzz, and two-time Associated Press Women�s Basketball Player of the Year Chamique Holdsclaw was the Washington Mystics� No. 1 selection in the 1999 Draft. In 2000, the Cleveland Rockers selected Ann Wauters from Belgium as the first overall pick, and Australian Olympian Lauren Jackson went to the Seattle Storm with the No. 1 selection in 2001. In 2002, National Player of the Year Sue Bird was selected by Seattle, who had the top pick for the second consecutive year by virtue of the WNBA�s first Draft Lottery, held in New York on November 13, 2001. The Cleveland Rockers made Latoya Thomas of Mississippi State the No. 1 selection in the 2003 WNBA Draft held Friday, April 25, 2003.
The Logos and the Uniforms�
With players and teams in place, the league began its next task of creating logos and uniforms. The red, white and blue official WNBA logo � �Logo Woman� � was selected from about 50 different designs. After developing an extensive list of choices, the team names were selected by the league and the teams based on numerous factors, including: a tie to the NBA team name in that market, a link to a key characteristic of each city or state and/or the creation of a name fitting the current sports landscape. The uniforms also underwent several designs, and on May 21, 1997, the WNBA unveiled the team uniforms � two shorts silhouettes and three jerseys.
On May 1, 2003, the WNBA and Reebok unveiled new uniform designs which were created to maximize performance and provide optimal comfort for the players. The jerseys are tapered to fit a woman�s body and are designed to be worn untucked, providing a free range of motion for the players. The new uniforms features flat-back mesh material that incorporates Play Dry� technology � Reebok�s moisture management system that helps keep the athlete cooler, drier and more comfortable by using temperature and humidity-regulating properties in the fabric.
The WNBA and Reebok also unveiled a new style in the WNBA Footwear Collection by Reebok � the WNBA Isolation � at the beginning of the 2003 season. This shoe features the WNBA logo on the heel, tongue, sole and sock liner.
It�s a Ball Game�
The WNBA game consists of a 30-second clock, a 20-foot, 6 _ -inch three-point line, two 20-minute halves, eleven-player rosters and a collegiate-regulation size ball. The WNBA�s signature orange-and-oatmeal basketball by Spalding is 28.5 inches in circumference and one inch smaller than the NBA�s regulation ball. In January 2003, Spalding Sports Worldwide and the WNBA announced the Spalding WNBA Infusion basketball, featuring a built-in, dual action Micro Pump�, as the new official game ball of the league beginning in the 2003 season.
Millions of Fans Join In�
The inaugural WNBA season tipped off on June 21, 1997, with the New York Liberty taking on the Los Angeles Sparks at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, Calif. A crowd of 14,284 watched as Sparks guard Penny Toler scored the first basket in WNBA history. The Liberty defeated the Sparks 67-57. Then on August 22, the WNBA league attendance surpassed the one million mark at America West Arena in Phoenix. In 2001, the WNBA welcomed its 10 millionth fan on September 1 at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. In 2002, more than 2.5 million fans attended WNBA games for the second straight year, as regular-season attendance averaged more than 9,000 fans for the sixth straight season. In 2003, the WNBA season attendance topped the 2 million for the fourth consecutive year.
Fans Get Connected Online�
The league website, WNBA.com, is the single most authoritative source of information for WNBA fans around the world offering late-breaking news, real-time scores, statistics, behind-the-scenes access, video highlights, the most comprehensive women's sports fantasy basketball game, WNBA Virtual GM, live chats with WNBA players and personalities, expert analysis from WNBA insiders and complete websites for all 14 WNBA teams.
On May 31, 2003 WNBA.com featured the first-ever live video web cast of a game in women�s professional sports history when the Detroit Shock played the Charlotte Sting. The success of the groundbreaking web cast lead to the launch of WNBA Broadband Season Pass, a multimedia subscription service featuring 10 additional live web casts of WNBA games, WNBA Season Audio Pass and broadband highlights and features.
Overall the popularity of WNBA.com continues to soar. During the 2003 season, WNBA.com averaged over 60,000 visits per day.
In the Community�
For the WNBA, the focus has been three primary outreach initiatives: Read to Achieve, a year-round, league-wide initiative that promotes the value of reading and on-line literacy and encourages families and adults to read regularly with young children; the Breast Health Awareness program, an initiative designed to draw national attention to the issue of breast cancer and the importance of early detection; and the Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA, a support organization for recreational youth basketball leagues that connects players, parents and coaches in an effort to heighten awareness and participation in youth basketball.
In 2003, the league debuted its WNBA Mind. Body. Spirit campaign, which encompasses the Breast Health Awareness program but also focuses on nutrition, exercise and positive self-image.
League Showcases All-Stars�
On July 14, 1999, the league held the Inaugural WNBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden in New York, televised live on ESPN. The capacity crowd of 18,649 witnessed the incredible sportsmanship, teamwork, enthusiasm, fan involvement and in-arena excitement that characterizes the WNBA. The Western Conference All-Stars � led by the game�s Most Valuable Player and Los Angeles Sparks center Lisa Leslie � defeated the Eastern Conference 79-61.
All-Star excitement continued in 2000 as the game moved to the America West Arena in Phoenix on July 17. The West All-Stars defeated the East All-Stars 73-61 before a crowd of 17,717 as Houston�s Tina Thompson captured MVP honors. Leslie earned her second All-Star MVP award at the 2001 WNBA All-Star Game, played at the TD Waterhouse Centre in Orlando, Fla., on July 16 in front of 16,906 fans. The West claimed its third victory with an 80-72 defeat of the East. The 2002 WNBA All-Star Game was played on Monday, July 15 in Washington, D.C., at the MCI Center. The West All-Stars defeated the East All-Stars 81-76 in front of a crowd of 19,487, with Leslie earning MVP honors for the third time. ESPN televised the game live through the 2002 game.
In 2003, the WNBA All-Star Game marked its fifth anniversary with a return to Madison Square Garden on July 12. The event was held on the weekend for the first time and made its network television debut on ABC. The West All-Stars won the event for the fifth straight year by beating the East All-Stars 84-75 in front of 18,610 fans, with Nikki Teasley of the Los Angeles Sparks taking home the MVP honors.
WNBA Finals�
The first four years of the WNBA saw the Houston Comets dominate the league Finals and create the first dynasty of the WNBA. The Comets captured the inaugural championship against New York on August 30, 1997 by a score of 65-51. Comets guard, Cynthia Cooper won the first Finals MVP award. In 1998, the WNBA Finals was expanded to a three-game series and Houston defeated Phoenix two games to one and Houston�s Cynthia Cooper captured her second consecutive Finals MVP Award. In 1999, New York advanced back to the Championship and played Houston, a rematch of the 1997 Championship game. The Comets out lasted the Liberty to win their third straight WNBA Championship, two games to one and Houston�s Cynthia Cooper won her third Finals MVP award. In 2000, Houston and New York played for the third time in four years with the results the same as the previous years with Houston winning their fourth straight WNBA Championship, two games to none and Houston�s Cynthia Cooper captured her fourth straight Finals MVP award. In 2001, Los Angeles knocked off Houston in the early rounds of the Western Conference playoffs and advanced on to meet Charlotte in the WNBA Finals. Los Angeles, behind the play of Finals MVP Lisa Leslie, won the WNBA Finals two games to none. In 2002, Los Angeles advanced to the WNBA Finals and earned the right to defend their WNBA championship versus New York. The Sparks defeated the Liberty two games to zero and won their second consecutive Finals and Lisa Leslie won the WNBA Finals MVP award for the second straight year.
In 2003, the Los Angeles Sparks returned to the Finals with the opportunity to win three straight WNBA Championships. However, the Detroit Shock advanced through the Eastern Conference and reached the Finals and because they finished the regular season with the best record in the league, they earned home court advantage for the Finals. It ended up be vital as the Sparks won the first game in Los Angeles to take a one game to zero lead. Detroit bounced back to win game two, 62-61 to even the series one game a piece. The third and final game was played in front of a sell out crowd and record attendance for the WNBA of 22,076. The Shock captured the WNBA crown winning the game by a score of 83-78 as Detroit center Ruth Riley was awarded the Series MVP.
We Got Game�
Women�s basketball has come a long way since its beginnings in 1892 when Senda Berenson adapted James Naismith�s basketball rules for women. And with the continued growth of the WNBA, the sport is sure to go even further. For more information on the WNBA and its history, log onto WNBA.com.