FOUNDATION FIRSTS
The opening years established the language of the league.
The league is approved
On April 24, the WNBA concept received approval. Val Ackerman became the first president, while Sheryl Swoopes and Rebecca Lobo became the first announced signees.
First game, basket, MVP and champion
Penny Toler scored the first basket. New York won the first game. Cynthia Cooper became the first MVP. Houston became the first champion.
The first All Star Game
Madison Square Garden hosted the inaugural All Star Game on July 14. The West won 79 to 61 and Lisa Leslie earned MVP honors.
The first triple double
Sheryl Swoopes posted 15 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists against Detroit on July 27.
NEW GROUND
The game kept finding places it had never been.
Lisa Leslie throws down the first dunk
On July 30, Leslie completed the first dunk in WNBA game history against the Miami Sol in Los Angeles.
A new ownership path
The Connecticut Sun became the first independently owned and operated WNBA franchise, separating team ownership from the original NBA team model.
Basketball moves outdoors
New York and Indiana played the first regular season outdoor game at Arthur Ashe Stadium on July 19.
Cynthia Cooper enters Springfield
Cooper became the first WNBA player inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
POWER BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
Players expanded their influence from the bench to the boardroom.
2015
Former WNBA players enter NBA coaching
Becky Hammon and Nancy Lieberman became the first two women to serve as full time NBA assistant coaches, extending WNBA experience into another professional coaching pipeline.
A season dedicated to social justice
Players centered Black Lives Matter and the Say Her Name campaign, using the season to honor women affected by racial violence and to make civic engagement part of the league’s public work.
Renee Montgomery reaches the ownership table
Montgomery became the first former WNBA player to hold both a team ownership stake and an executive role when she joined the Atlanta Dream ownership group.
Leaguewide charter travel begins
The WNBA instituted a full charter flight program, phased in from the beginning of the 2024 regular season.
THE MAP OPENS AGAIN
Seventeen years without a new team ended in a rush.
Golden State breaks the expansion drought
The Valkyries became the first new WNBA franchise since Atlanta entered in 2008, then became the first expansion team to reach the playoffs in its inaugural season.
Toronto crosses the border
The Toronto Tempo became the WNBA’s first franchise based outside the United States.
Portland lights the Fire again
Professional women’s basketball returned to Portland under the revived Fire identity. Portland and Toronto entered as the league’s 14th and 15th franchises.