Women s National Basketball Association
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- WNBA may also refer to WNBA-AM, a radio station in Illinois.
The Women's National Basketball Association or WNBA is an organization governing a professional basketball league for women in the United States. Formed in 1996, the league started play in 1997. Creation of this league was announced at a press conference with Rebecca Lobo, Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes. Penny Toler was the first woman to score a point in the league, and Lisa Leslie was the first one to make a dunk basket.
Although most WNBA teams play in the same venue as their counterpart NBA teams, they do not garner the same attendance, nor the TV ratings.
The WNBA started its first season with eight teams. They added two more in 1998, two more in 1999 and four in 2000. The teams and league were collectively owned by the NBA. After the 2002 season the NBA sold the WNBA teams either to their NBA counterparts in the same city or to a third party. This lead to two teams moving and two teams folding before the 2003 season began. The Cleveland Rockers folded after the 2003 season.
On October 21, 2004, Val Ackerman, the first WNBA president, announced her resignation, effective February 1, 2005, citing the desire to spend more time with her family.
2004 teams:
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
- Houston Comets
- Los Angeles Sparks
- Minnesota Lynx
- Phoenix Mercury
- Sacramento Monarchs
- San Antonio Silver Stars
- Seattle Storm
Defunct Teams
| Contents |
WNBA Championship Game
- 1997 Houston Comets 65-51 New York Liberty
WNBA Championship Series Best of 3 Games
- 1998 Houston Comets 2-1 Phoenix Mercury
- 1999 Houston Comets 2-1 New York Liberty
- 2000 Houston Comets 2-0 New York Liberty
- 2001 Los Angeles Sparks 2-0 Charlotte Sting
- 2002 Los Angeles Sparks 2-0 New York Liberty
- 2003 Detroit Shock 2-1 Los Angeles Sparks
- 2004 Seattle Storm 2-1 Connecticut Sun
WNBA Presidents
- Val Ackerman...........1997-2005
See also
- WNBA Most Valuable Player Award
- WNBA Rookie of the Year Award
- WNBA Coach of the Year Award
- WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award
- WNBA Draft
- List of WNBA players
- National Basketball Association
- Women's National Basketball Association All-Star Game
- Women's Pro Basketball League
- American Basketball League 1996-98
- List of professional sports leagues
External links
- Official website (http://www.wnba.com)
- Informational website (http://www.womensbasketballonline.com)
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