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WNBA Facts & Records

Dec 27, 2006

WNBA facts and records

WNBA History - Firsts

  • The first WNBA game was played on June 21, 1997 between the New York Liberty and the Los Angeles Sparks. New York won the game 67-57.
  • The Houston Comets won the first WNBA title in 1997 in a one-game playoff victory over the New York Liberty.
  • Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson and other top players in the WNBA played in the league's first All-Star game in 1999. The West defeated the East 79-61, with Lisa Leslie being name the game's MVP.
  • WNBA Record Holders

  • Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks is the WNBA's all-time leading scorer with 4,732 points. Leslie picked up two of those points on July 30, 2002, when she became the first WNBA player to dunk the ball during a game.
  • Sheryl Swoopes of the Houston Comets has won the WNBA's MVP award three times - more than any other player. Swoopes was also the first WNBA player to record a triple-double in a game and the first WNBA player to have a running shoe named after her - Nike's "Air Swoopes".
  • In 2001, the Los Angeles Sparks set an WNBA record by winning 18 straight games.
  • WNBA Basketball Fun Facts

  • A regulation WNBA ball is 28.5 inches in circumference - one inch smaller than an NBA ball.
  • The WNBA has now expanded to 14 teams. The newest squad is the Chicago Sky, which will be playing for the first time in 2006.
  • The WNBA is making a few rule changes for the 2006 season. Games will now be divided into 10-minute quarters instead of 20-minute halves and the shot clock will be decreased to 24 seconds from 30 seconds.
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