-->

• The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a professional sports league comprised of 14 women's basketball teams in the United States.

• Fast Facts

  1. Founded: April 24, 1996
  2. Inaugural season: 1997
  3. First President: Val AckermanWNBA: Val Ackerman Bio
  4. Current President: Donna Orender
  5. Entered office: February 15, 2005WNBA: Donna Orender Named President of the WNBA (February 15, 2005)
  6. Original number of teams: Eight
  7. Current number of teams: 14
  8. Regular season games: 34
  9. Minimum player salary (2008): $34,500Women's Basketball Online: 2008 Collective Bargaining Agreement (January 24, 2008)
  10. Maximum player salary (2008): $97,500Women's Basketball Online: 2008 Collective Bargaining Agreement (January 24, 2008)
  11. First league champion: Houston CometsWNBA: WNBA Playoffs History: 1997
  12. Latest league champion: Phoenix Mercury
  13. TV partners: ABC, ESPN and NBA TV

• Regulation Differences

  While the WNBA's rules are generally identical to those of the NBA, there are a few notable differences:

  1. Game duration: 2 halves, 20 minutes each
  2. Maximum basketball circumference: 29 inches
  3. 3-point distance: 19 feet, 9 inches
  4. Shot clock length: 30 secondsUSA Basketball: Rules

• League Organization

  In the 2008 season, there were 14 teams throughout the United States which were evenly divided into the Eastern and Western Conferences.WNBA: Los Angeles Sparks Win Top Pick in 2008 WNBA Draft (October 23, 2007)

• 2008 Season On-Court Brawl

  During a July 22, 2008 game the Los Angeles Sparks' Candace Parker and the Detroit Shock's Lynette Pierson began fighting on the court during the final seconds of the game. Multiple players on both teams became involved to try and stop the fighting. In all, four people were ejected from the game, including Parker, Pierson, the Sparks' DeLisha Milton-Jones and the Shock's assistant coach Rick Mahorn, who reportedly pushed Lisa Leslie to the floor to try and stop the fighting.FOX Sports: WNBA fight leads to four ejections (July 22, 2008)

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  Atlanta Dream | Chicago Sky | Connecticut Sun | Detroit Shock | Indiana Fever | San Antonio Silver Stars | Seattle Storm | Minnesota Lynx | New York Liberty | Washington Mystics | Houston Comets | Los Angeles Sparks | Phoenix Mercury | Sacramento Monarchs | WNBA Playoffs | WNBA Finals | WNBA Draft | Candace Parker MVP | Yolanda Griffith

Categories

• View History
• Discuss on the Message Board
• Embed this Page
• Share this page