25 WNBA Facts Copyright (c) 2021 Black Girls Talk Sports Podcast 25 WNBA Facts In celebration of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) 25th Season, Black Girls Talk Sports Podcast has developed 25 WNBA Facts for educational purposes. WNBA began its first season on June 21, 1997. 1 The first eight WNBA franchises were located in 2 cities with NBA teams. Currently, there are 12 WNBA teams: six in the eastern conference and 3 six in the western Sheryl Swoopes was the conference. first player signed to the 4 WNBA. Copyright (c) 2021 Black Girls Talk Sports Podcast 25 WNBA Facts The eight teams with the best regular season record qualify for the 5 postseason. Houston Comets (defunct) won the first four WNBA 6 titles: (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000). The 3-point line is 22 feet, 1.75 inches. 7 Cynthia Cooper is the only player in WNBA 8 history to win back-to-back WNBA MVP awards. Copyright (c) 2021 Black Girls Talk Sports Podcast 25 WNBA Facts The Houston Comets (defunct), the Minnesota Lynx, and the Seattle 9 Storm are tied with the most championship wins In its inaugural season, (4) in league history. WNBA attendance 10 exceeded one million fans. The tallest player is Margo Dydek (deceased). She was 7 feet, 2 inches. 11 Sue Bird became the first player in WNBA history to 12 win a championship in three different decades (2004, 2010, 2018, 2020). Copyright (c) 2021 Black Girls Talk Sports Podcast 25 WNBA Facts WNBA's regulation ball is 28.5 inches in circumference and one 13 inch smaller than the NBA’s regulation ball. Starting in 2020, players were eligible to receive 14 100 percent of their base salary during pregnancy. WNBA's roster size is a maximum of 12 players. 15 Liz Cambage holds the record for the most points 16 in a single game with 53. Copyright (c) 2021 Black Girls Talk Sports Podcast 25 WNBA Facts Draft eligibility: 22 years old and no remaining college eligibility or 17 renounces any future college eligibility. In 2002, Lisa Leslie became the first player to 18 dunk in the WNBA. In 2010, Cynthia Cooper became the first WNBA player inducted into the 19 Naismith Memorial Cheryl Miller was the first Basketball Hall of Fame. Black coach to lead her 20 team to the WNBA Finals. Copyright (c) 2021 Black Girls Talk Sports Podcast 25 WNBA Facts In 2021, there are five female head coaches: three in the western 21 conference and two in the eastern conference. Currently, the average 22 salary is $130,000. As of June 17, 2021, Phoenix Mercury Diana Taurasi is the all-time 23 leading scorer with 8,994 "The average time a career points. woman plays professional 24 basketball is five years." ~ Lisa Borders, WNBA President (2015–2018) Copyright (c) 2021 Black Girls Talk Sports Podcast 25 WNBA Facts On April 22, 1996, David Stern founded the WNBA. 25 Thank you! Black Girls Talk Sports is a podcast where women of color discuss all things sports. Listen on your favorite podcast app or at: www.BlackGirlsTalkSports.com Copyright (c) 2021 Black Girls Talk Sports Podcast Bibliography Augustyn, A. (2021, May 26). Women's National Basketball Association. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Womens-National-Basketball-Association Bean-Mellinger, B. (2020, September 22). What Sport Has the Highest Average Salary? Houston Chronicle. https://work.chron.com/sport-highest-average-salary-10203.html Brestar, A. and Peña, N. (2020, November 3). Seattle Storm: Making History in Trying Times. Seattle Spectator. https://seattlespectator.com/2020/11/03/seattle-storm-making-history-in-trying-times/ Brodsky, S. (2020, October 10). Sue Bird Won the 2020 WNBA Championship with the Seattle Storm, and She Just Made History. POPSUGAR. https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/how-many-wnba-championships-has-sue-bird-won-47859764 Cash, M. (2020, September 15). 7 WNBA Players Have Thrown Down Dunks Since the League Began — Here are Highlights of Each One. Insider, Inc. https://www.insider.com/wnba-players-dunk-video-highlights-2020-9 CBS and Associated Press. (2020, January 14). "Historic" WNBA Labor Deal to Hike Average Salary to $130,000, Provide Paid Maternity Leave. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wnba-salary-cba-new-labor-deal-hikes-average-salary-130000-paid-maternal-leave-today-2019-01-14/ Gibson, B. (2016, September 21). 9 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know About the WNBA. Sweety High. https://www.sweetyhigh.com/read/playoffs-wnba-sheryl-swoopes-fun-facts-092116 Guinness World Records. (2021). Tallest WNBA Player (Ever). Guinness World Records Limited. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/629886-tallest-wnba-player Jope, C. (2019, July 18). NBA vs WNBA: Revenue, Salaries, Viewership, Attendance and Ratings. WSN. https://www.wsn.com/nba/nba-vs-wnba/#gref Copyright (c) 2021 Black Girls Talk Sports Podcast Bibliography Lamonier, P. (2018, July 2). The Business of Being a WNBA Player. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/plamonier/2018/07/02/the-business-of-being-a-wnba-player/?sh=4e70c9c85af1 Queen Ballers Club. (2020, November 16). WNBA Facts: 25 Fascinating Finds. Queen Ballers Club. https://queenballers.club/basketball/wnba-facts Voepel, M. (2021, April 1). Geno Auriemma Wants 3-Point Arc Moved Back in Women's College Basketball. ESPN. https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/31179808/geno-auriemma-wants-3-point-arc-moved-back-women-college-basketball Wikipedia Contributors. (2021, June 7). Sheryl Swoopes. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheryl_Swoopes Wikipedia Contributors. (2021, June 7). WNBA Records. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WNBA_records#Most_points WNBA. (2021). History. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. https://www.wnba.com/history/ WNBA. (2021). Frequently Asked Questions: WNBA. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. https://www.wnba.com/faq/ WNBA. (2021). WNBA Advanced Stats. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. https://stats.wnba.com/alltime-leaders/ WNBA. (2021). Coaches. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. https://www.wnba.com/coaches/ WNBA. (2002, May 3). History of the WNBA. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. https://www.wnba.com/news/history-of-the-wnba-2002/ Copyright (c) 2021 Black Girls Talk Sports Podcast.