Founding of the WNBA

The WNBA's founding story is packed with remarkable moments you won't want to miss. The NBA's Board of Governors approved the league in April 1996, and it launched its inaugural season on June 21, 1997, with eight teams. The 1996 U.S. Women's Olympic Team, boasting a perfect 52-0 pre-Olympic tour record, helped prove women's basketball could captivate fans. NBC's opening broadcast drew a record 3.8 overnight rating. There's even more to this groundbreaking story ahead.

Key Takeaways

• The WNBA was approved by the NBA Board of Governors in April 1996, with its inaugural season tipping off on June 21, 1997.
• Eight original teams were established, many paired as counterparts to existing NBA franchises, like the New York Liberty and Los Angeles Sparks.
• The 1996 U.S. Women's Olympic Team, completing a perfect 52-0 pre-Olympic tour, significantly boosted the league's early credibility and public interest.
• Tina Thompson was selected first overall in the June 1997 Inaugural Draft, marking a historic milestone in professional women's basketball.
• NBC's opening broadcast drew a 3.8 overnight rating, the highest ever recorded, with 14,284 fans attending the historic debut in Los Angeles.

When and Why the NBA Founded the WNBA in 1996

On April 24, 1996, the NBA's Board of Governors approved the creation of the WNBA, announcing the league's founding at a press conference featuring Rebecca Lobo, Lisa Leslie, and Sheryl Swoopes. The inaugural season wouldn't tip off until June 21, 1997, but the foundation was set.

The NBA's backing and funding gave the WNBA immediate credibility, with NBA franchises establishing direct counterparts like the New York Liberty and Los Angeles Sparks. You'd see the league emerge from a shifting competitive landscape where prior women's leagues like the WBL and WBA had already failed.

The NBA recognized rising public interest in women's basketball and acted strategically, creating a platform for elite U.S. players while advancing women's professional sports under a well-resourced umbrella. The league launched with 8 original teams, giving the WNBA an immediate structural foundation across key U.S. markets.

The 1996 U.S. Women's Olympic Basketball Team played a pivotal role in generating the momentum needed for the WNBA's launch, completing a remarkable 52-0 pre-Olympic tour across seven countries that captured widespread attention and demonstrated the viability of women's professional basketball in the United States.

How the 1996 Olympics Gave the WNBA Its Spark

While the NBA's approval of the WNBA came in April 1996, it was the U.S. Women's Olympic Basketball Team that truly ignited the league's launch. Their dominant performance proved women's professional basketball could captivate audiences nationwide.

The team's motivational leadership and team cohesion drove extraordinary results:

• Coach Tara VanDerveer showed winning and losing sequences to sharpen focus
• Teresa Edwards placed gold medals around teammates' necks 11 months before the Games
• The squad finished 60-0, beating opponents by an average of 28.6 points

Their perfect 8-0 Olympic record, capped by an 111-87 gold medal victory over Brazil, gave the NBA the confidence to launch the WNBA in 1997. Without that gold, the league might never have existed. The team, which included stars like Lisa Leslie, Dawn Staley, Sheryl Swoopes, and Rebecca Lobo, was coached by Tara VanDerveer and featured all 12 players who have since been interviewed about their historic journey.

Before the Olympics, many top women's basketball players had been forced to pursue their careers playing overseas, as no professional league existed in the United States to showcase their talents.

How the Original Eight WNBA Teams Were Built and Owned

When the NBA Board of Governors approved the WNBA on April 24, 1996, they didn't just greenlight a league—they built it themselves. Under this team governance structure, no private ownership bids existed. The NBA owned all eight franchises directly, operating them as subsidiaries sharing league resources.

Building rosters moved fast. The player assignment process began October 23, 1996, when Sheryl Swoopes and Rebecca Lobo signed early. By January 1997, the first 16 players were allocated across all eight teams.

February's Elite Draft added two more per team, and June's Inaugural Draft selected Tina Thompson first overall for Houston.

You're looking at a league built entirely from the top down—NBA-owned, NBA-governed, and assembled through a structured series of allocations, signings, and drafts before tip-off. The WNBA also made history on the international stage, with Michele Timms becoming the first international player to join the league. The league has grown significantly since those early days, with the 2025 season marking the debut of the Golden State Valkyries as the 13th franchise.

How NBC, ESPN, and Lifetime Broadcast the First WNBA Season

The WNBA's first season aired across three national partners—NBC, ESPN, and Lifetime—giving the new league immediate mainstream visibility. NBC broadcast without paying rights fees, weaving WNBA coverage into existing NBA on NBC infrastructure as part of broader media integration strategies.

You can trace the league's early reach through these highlights:

• NBC's June 21, 1997 opener drew a 3.8 overnight rating—their highest WNBA figure ever
• ESPN handled regular-season games and later championship series coverage
• Lifetime assumed cable duties, including the 2000 WNBA Championship's first game

Viewership numbers evaluation confirmed the approach worked. Hannah Storm called play-by-play alongside analyst Ann Meyers, while 14,284 fans packed Great Western Forum as New York defeated Los Angeles 67-57 in the historic debut. Storm, who had never done play-by-play before, described the experience as a whirlwind summer that she sensed was a seminal event in women's sports. NBC was announced as first national broadcaster on June 27, 1996, nearly a full year before the league tipped off its inaugural season.

What Happened During the Very First WNBA Game?

Behind all that broadcast infrastructure and national visibility was a single game that made it real. On June 21, 1997, the New York Liberty defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 67-57 at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. The historical significance of the event wasn't lost on the 14,284 fans in attendance, some of whom were visibly emotional.

Notable player performances came from Lisa Leslie, who recorded 16 points and 14 rebounds, and Rebecca Lobo, who matched her with 16 points. Penny Toler scored the first basket in WNBA history on a baseline jumper assisted by Jamila Wideman.

The game itself was rough — 44 combined turnovers, New York shooting 43.3%, and Los Angeles shooting just 30.9% — but none of that diminished what you were watching unfold. Before tip-off, WNBA President Val Ackerman conducted a ceremonial jump ball between Lisa Leslie and New York's Kym Hampton to formally open the league's inaugural game.

Why the WNBA Outlasted the WBL and American Basketball League

Few professional sports leagues have launched with the institutional backing the WNBA had from day one. The NBA's influence shaped everything from salary structures to media access, giving the WNBA advantages competitors simply couldn't match.

The ABL folded after 2.5 seasons because it couldn't overcome three critical disadvantages:

• Media blackout: NBA relationships locked ABL out of major television contracts, strangling national exposure
• Seasonal conflict: Playing a winter schedule put ABL in direct competition with the NBA, splitting fan attention
• Talent recruitment collapse: Despite offering higher salaries, ABL lost its talent pipeline once financial backing disappeared

When the ABL folded, its best players flowed directly into the WNBA, strengthening rosters that already benefited from NBA promotional power and guaranteed broadcast deals. The Columbus Quest won back-to-back ABL championships before the league's collapse, exemplifying the caliber of talent that would soon be absorbed into the WNBA. The WNBA also distinguished itself through its emphasis on teamwork and execution, offering a style of play rooted in basketball IQ and team-oriented concepts that resonated with fans and players alike.