Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league for women. The league was founded in 1996, and league teams began playing in 1997. The WNBA regular season runs approximately from May to September, followed by the postseason playoffs to determine the league champion.
The WNBA was established by the National Basketball Association (NBA), the leading men’s professional league. There were previous attempts to form women’s professional leagues. The Women’s Professional Basketball League existed from 1978 to 1981. Another women’s professional league, the American Basketball League, operated from 1996 through 1998 before disbanding.
In its first season, the WNBA consisted of eight teams. Eighteen teams have played in the league throughout its history, with some teams dropping out for financial reasons and others transferring to new cities. Many teams in the WNBA share arenas with NBA teams. Until 2002, the NBA owned all the teams in the women’s league. Since then, several WNBA teams have operated under independent ownership.
Today, the WNBA consists of 12 teams that play a 40-game regular season. The teams are divided into the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. The top eight teams, regardless of conference, make the playoffs.
The Houston Comets dominated the early years of the WNBA, winning the first four league championships. The Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm franchises had great success in the early decades of the 2000’s. Early stars of the league included Cynthia Cooper, Lisa Leslie, Rebecca Lobo, and Sheryl Swoopes. Later stars have included Tina Charles, Elena Delle Donne, Sue Bird, Sylvia Fowles, Maya Moore, Candace Parker, Cappie Pondexter, Diana Taurasi, Tamika Catchings, Brittney Griner, A’ja Wilson, Jonquel Jones, and Breanna Stewart. 
The WNBA postponed the start of its 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic (global epidemic). In July 2020, the league began an abbreviated 22-game season. Games were played at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, under enhanced safety guidelines. In 2021, WNBA teams played a 32-game regular season. The season included a monthlong break in which many players participated in the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
