Andrew Pace
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a professional basketball league in the United States that was founded in 1996 and began its first season in 1997. The league has experienced fluctuations in the number of teams over the years, starting with eight founding franchises and currently comprising 12 teams, with an expansion to 13 teams scheduled for 2026. The WNBA showcases the talents of the world's top female basketball players and has a strong commitment to gender equity in sports.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Founding Date | April 24, 1996 |
| First Season | 1997 |
| Number of Teams | 12 (13 in 2025, 15 in 2026) |
| Number of Players per Team | 11-12 |
| Number of Games per Season | 40 (44 previously) |
| Season Duration | May to October |
| Playoffs | Top 8 teams qualify |
| Governing Body | USA Basketball (USAB) |
| Headquarters | Midtown Manhattan |
| Draft | Annually, usually in April |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
The number of teams in the WNBA
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. The league was founded on April 24, 1996, and its first season began in 1997 with eight founding franchises divided into two four-team conferences. The Eastern Conference consisted of the Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers, Houston Comets, and New York Liberty. The Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury, Sacramento Monarchs, and Utah Starzz represented the Western Conference.
As of 2025, the WNBA comprises 13 teams, with the debut of the Golden State Valkyries, and is scheduled to expand to 15 teams in 2026. The current teams are divided into two conferences: the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. The Eastern Conference includes six franchises: Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, New York Liberty, and Washington Mystics. The Western Conference consists of seven teams: Dallas Wings, Golden State Valkyries, Las Vegas Aces, Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Lynx, Phoenix Mercury, and Seattle Storm.
The WNBA has enjoyed increasing popularity, showcasing the best women's basketball talent from around the world. The league has also benefited from the influx of talented players from college basketball and other leagues, as well as the rise of exciting new stars.
Where to Watch Thunder Basketball Tonight
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The season structure and schedule
The WNBA season is structured to allow players to compete professionally all year round. The schedule, which runs from late spring to late summer, allows players to continue playing in overseas leagues, which typically begin in the fall.
The WNBA regular season usually begins in May and ends in September. Each team plays 40 games during the regular season. The 2024 season included a month-long break for the Summer Olympic Games, which began after the annual WNBA All-Star Game in mid-July. The summer schedule coincides with the NBA offseason, allowing teams to share venues. The 2025 preseason schedule began on Friday, May 2, with 15 games played over 10 days. The regular season will start on May 16, with two nationally televised games on ABC.
The WNBA playoffs determine the league's champion in the WNBA Finals. Since 2022, the playoffs have used a best-of-three series in the first round, with teams seeded based on regular season performance. The top eight teams in the standings qualify for the playoffs. The format for the semifinals and WNBA Finals is a best-of-five series.
The number of games played by WNBA teams has increased since the inaugural season, which featured a 28-game schedule. For most of the league's history, teams played 34 games, before the schedule was expanded to 36 games in 2022 and 40 games in 2023. The 2020 season was shortened to 22 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with all games played behind closed doors in Bradenton, Florida.
Li Ning Basketball Shoes: Where to Buy?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
![WNBA Panini 2021 Prizm Basketball Trading Card BLASTER Box [5 Packs, 5 Inserts OR Parallels]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51CbSchpNXL._AC_UL320_.jpg)
Player contracts and agreements
The WNBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) outlines the rules that govern the league's functioning, including cash compensation, salary caps, and disciplines. The current CBA, signed in January 2020, has facilitated the WNBA's rapid growth, with record merchandise sales and the most-watched regular season ever on ESPN. The WNBA is now seeking to negotiate a new CBA with the players' association (WNBPA) to further increase players' salaries and boost revenue.
The WNBA's salary cap is the maximum allowed total salary of all the players on a team, and it is a hard cap with little flexibility. The latest CBA specified the salary cap for each season through 2027, with annual increases of 3%. In 2019, the maximum salary for a player with six or more years of experience was $249,244, with a cap of $996,100 per team. The 2020 CBA negotiations increased the maximum salary to $215,000, with a cap of $1.3 million per team.
The CBA also governs the minimum team salary level, which increases at the same rate as the cap. In 2010, the minimum salary for a player with three or more years of experience was $51,000, while the minimum salary for rookies was $35,190.
WNBA players cannot restructure their existing contracts as the length and base salaries are locked in. However, a team can waive a player and then re-sign them to a more team-friendly deal, although this is considered a violation of the league's anti-collusion provision.
The CBA also includes the concept of restricted free agents, who are allowed to negotiate with any team in the WNBA, including their previous one. The player's previous team has the 'right of first refusal', meaning they can match any contract agreed to with another team, and if they do, the player signs with their previous team at the new terms.
Player marketing agreements (PMAs) are another type of contract that allows WNBA players to earn additional revenue by promoting the league year-round. As of 2022, 10 players have signed PMAs, and the league expects to spend $1 million annually on these agreements, with a salary cap of $250,000 for each player. PMAs not only benefit the players financially but also help the league retain players as those with PMAs cannot play in other leagues overseas.
Jackie Christie's Basketball Wives: Fact or Fiction?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The playoffs and finals format
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) playoffs is an elimination tournament among the top eight teams in the league. The eight teams are seeded by their regular-season records, with the higher-seeded team in each series given home-court advantage.
In the current format, Round One is a best-of-three series, played with a homecourt pattern of 2-1 (the higher seed hosts games 1 and 2, and the lower seed hosts game 3 if necessary). The Semifinals and Finals are both best-of-five, played with a homecourt pattern of 2-2-1 (the higher seed hosts games 1, 2, and 5, while the lower seed hosts games 3 and 4).
The playoff format has changed over the years since the league's establishment. In its first two seasons (1997 and 1998), only the top four teams overall advanced to the playoffs, which comprised just two rounds. From 1999 to 2004, the number of teams in the playoffs expanded to six and then eight. During this period, the top seeds in each conference received a bye into the Conference Finals.
In 2005, the WNBA Finals adopted a best-of-five format, which remained in place until 2024. From 2016 to 2021, a new format was introduced, featuring a stepladder-like system. In this format, the first and second-seeded teams entered the tournament at the Semifinals, while the third and fourth places started at the Second Round, and the remaining four began at the First Round. Conference seeding was eliminated, and the top eight teams overall advanced.
Beginning in 2025, the WNBA Finals will expand to a best-of-seven format, and the first round will change to a 1-1-1 format, guaranteeing both teams a home game in the series. The higher seed will host games 1 and 3, and their opponent will host game 2.
Vincennes University Men's Basketball: What Division Do They Play In?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The history and growth of the league
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) was founded on April 24, 1996, and league play began in 1997, making it the oldest women's professional sports league in North America. The driving force behind the WNBA was NBA commissioner David Stern, who believed in gender equity and envisioned a profitable women's league. The WNBA's first season featured eight teams: Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers, Houston Comets, New York Liberty, Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury, Sacramento Monarchs, and the Utah Starzz.
The league expanded rapidly, reaching 10 teams in 1998 with the addition of the Detroit Shock and Washington Mystics. In 1999, the Minnesota Lynx and Orlando Miracle joined, and in 2000, the league reached 16 teams with the inclusion of the Indiana Fever, Miami Sol, Portland Fire, and Seattle Storm. However, financial instability led to fluctuations in team numbers over the next two decades. Miami and Portland paid the price, with both franchises shutting down after the 2002 restructuring agreement.
The league's chief competition, the American Basketball League (ABL), declared bankruptcy in 1999, leading to a transformative moment for the WNBA as several ABL players, including Olympic gold medalists, joined its rosters, enhancing the quality of play. The 1999 season also saw the first collective bargaining agreement signed in women's professional sports history between the players and the league. The WNBA has continued to grow and gain popularity, with new talent from the college game and increased media coverage.
As of 2025, the WNBA comprises 13 teams, with the debut of the Golden State Valkyries, and is scheduled to expand to 15 teams in 2026. The league has 12 teams currently playing, with six in the Eastern Conference (Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, New York Liberty, and Washington Mystics) and six in the Western Conference (Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Lynx, Phoenix Mercury, and Seattle Storm). The regular season runs from May to September, with each team playing 40-44 games, and the top eight teams advancing to the playoffs, culminating in the WNBA Finals in October. The league also hosts an annual mid-season competition, the Commissioner's Cup, and is an active member of USA Basketball (USAB).
The Emergence of Top Shot: Revolutionizing Basketball Collectibles
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Each WNBA team plays 40 games during the season, which runs from May to October.
Each WNBA team has a minimum roster size of 11 players and a maximum of 12.
There is one annual WNBA draft, usually held in April or June.
Currently, there are 12 teams in the WNBA, but the league plans to expand to 16 teams in the future. In 2025, 13 teams will compete, with the addition of the Golden State Valkyries.
