History of the WNBA

Sparked by recent success in the Summer Olympics (gold medals in 1984, 1988, and 1996, with a bronze in 1992), and the NBA president David Stern’s belief that opening a women’s league would be profitable, the WNBA held its first ever game on June 21st, 1997.
The first president of the WNBA, Val Ackerman, was quoted as saying of Stern, “It felt right, time seems right, he’s been thinking about it for a long time. Business is good for the NBA, let’s go.” (Wheelcock, Helen)

The original WNBA consisted of only eight teams, four in the Eastern Conference and four in the Western Conference. Each team was associated with an existing NBA team so that they could appeal to the established fan base and use the same arenas. The league peaked at 18 teams, and is currently down to 12. (Wheelcock, Helen)

Competitiveness within the WNBA has increased since its founding. The first season saw an average of 62.2 points per game which has increased to 82.8 points per game in the 2018 season. (Wheelcock, Helen)

The original eight WNBA teams

Eastern Conference (top)

Western Conference (bottom)