The month of March is Women’s History Month and it is incredibly important to recognize the women and the work that went into paving the way for today’s WNBA.
History Breakdown
Women’s basketball was first played in the fall of 1892 at Smith College in Massachusetts. Senda Berenson was hired as a young “physical culture” director at Smith and taught basketball to her students, intending to improve their physical health.
Berenson expressed concern about the women suffering from “nervous fatigue” because the uniforms reflected the Victorian culture of the times and were designed to be practical, yet maintain the athlete’s femininity.
The attire was impractical for a more active sport like basketball, so the first trousers for women were worn. Although men were forbidden from watching women collegiate games, the new attire brought in public ridicule.
Exclusively intramural, until the first intercollegiate women’s basketball game played between teams from Stanford University and the University of California on April 4, 1896.
The first professional women’s basketball team was the All American Red Heads, when they were founded by C. M. Olson in 1936.
The popularity of women’s basketball grew and by the 1970s the sport had attracted the International Olympic Committee, which added women’s basketball as an official sport of the Olympic Games in 1976.
America’s first professional basketball league for women was founded in 1978, known as the Women’s Basketball League. The WBL only lasted for three seasons because of financial issues, poor marketing, and the cancellation of America’s participation in the 1980 Summer Olympic Games, the league collapsed in 1981.
The next major development in women’s basketball occurred in 1982 when the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) began to sponsor the sport. After several failed attempts for women’s professional leagues, the NBA founded the WNBA in 1996.
The Women’s National Basketball Association began with eight teams: the Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers, Houston Comets, and New York Liberty in the Eastern Conference; and the Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury, Sacramento Monarchs, and Utah Starzz in the Western Conference.
Officially approved by the NBA Board of Governors on April 24, 1996, and was announced at a press conference with Rebecca Lobo, Lisa Leslie, and Sheryl Swoopes in attendance.
The first WNBA game was the New York Liberty against the Los Angeles Sparks. The Liberty defeated the Sparks 67-57, with Penny Toler scoring the league’s first point. The game was televised nationally in the United States on NBC.
The WNBA’s first MVP was Cynthia Cooper of the Houston Comets in 1997, when the Comets defeated the New York Liberty in the first WNBA championship game.
In May 2000, the Houston Comets became the first WNBA team to be invited to the White House Rose Garden. Before this, only men’s sports teams had traveled to the White House. At the end of the 2000 season, the Houston Comets won their fourth championship, capturing every title since the start of the league. Led by Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson, and Cynthia Cooper (who won the Finals MVP for all four championships.)
Fast Forwarding to 2025, the WNBA is comprised of 13 teams and is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan.
In the current season, the up-and-coming basketball players include A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky, Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever, Arike Ogunbowale of the Dallas Wings, Brittney Griner of the Atlanta Dream, and Emily Engstler of the Washington Mystics.
WNBA Milestones
Sheryl Swoopes was the first player signed to the WNBA and assigned to the Houston Comets in October 1996.
The most games played in the WNBA is held by Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm with 580 games. Bird also holds the record for most assists in a WNBA career, with 3,234 assists.
Diana Taurasi is leading in most points scored, she has accumulated 10,646 points total in her WNBA career.
Most career rebounds go to Tina Charles of the Atlanta Dream with 4,014 rebounds total.
Liz Cambage of the Dallas Wings and A’ja Wilson are tied for the most points scored in a single game, with 53 points.
Chamique Holdsclaw of the Washington Mystics holds the record for most rebounds in a single game with 24 rebounds.
With 19 assists, Caitlin Clark holds the record for the most assists in a single game.
Happy Women’s History Month.
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