The WNBA
The Women's National Basketball Association was formed in 1996 by the NBA. The first WNBA games were played in June 1997. The Houston Comets quickly emerged as a dominant team in the new league. Sheryl Swoopes and Cynthia Cooper — the WNBA's first Most Valuable Player — with the Comets won the first WNBA title. Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks became the first player to capture all three MVP awards in the same season (regular season, all-star, and championship MVP honors).
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Women's basketball did not become an Olympic sport until the 1976 Games in Montreal. The United States women lost in the gold medal game to the Soviet Union, leaving America with a silver medal. The bronze went to Bulgaria.
Three's a Charm
On March 21, 1893, the first women's collegiate game was played at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. The physical education teacher, Senda Berenson, must have liked the number 3. There were 3 zones with 3 players allowed in each zone. Each player could hold the ball for 3 seconds and dribble 3 times before passing.
If the ball was passed 5 times in one play, what is the maximum number of times it could be dribbled?
LADIES ONLY!
In 1893, it was considered inappropriate for men to watch women playing a sport such as basketball, so all the doors to the gym were locked for the first game at Smith College.
Women's leagues had failed in the past, in part because they could not get deals with major television networks to bring in money. But the WNBA had contracts with NBC, ESPN, and Lifetime Television. The WNBA season starts after the NBA season and runs through the summer, so basketball fans can watch their favorite game all year long.
Eight teams were part of the WNBA's first season. The Eastern Conference had the Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers, Houston Comets, and New York Liberty. The Western Conference had the Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury, Sacramento Monarchs, and Utah Starzz.
FUN FACTS
In 2009, Courtney Paris, a standout All-American center at the University of Oklahoma, promised to pay the school back every cent from her four-year scholarship if the team didn't win its first NCAA championship. The Sooners lost to Louisville by two points in the Final Four, but Oklahoma wouldn't take any money from Courtney. Courtney was drafted by Sacramento and says she'll find another way to give back to the Oklahoma community.
Teams no longer play in Charlotte, Cleveland, Houston, or Utah, but the league has expanded to thirteen teams. The Eastern Conference includes the Detroit Shock, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, New York Liberty, Washington Mystics, Chicago Sky, and Atlanta Dream; the Western Conference includes the San Antonio Silver Stars, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Lynx, Sacramento Monarchs, and Phoenix Mercury.
