# WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association)

> Founded in 1996 and playing since 1997, the WNBA operates the leading women's professional basketball league in North America and, in 2026, a 15-team cross-border sports platform. It serves fans through live games, national and international media distribution, League Pass, a personalized app and WNBA ID, tickets, merchandise, events and community programs. Its commercial engine combines media rights, sponsorships, expansion fees, licensing, subscriptions, ticketing and merchandise, while its distinctive position comes from elite competition, culturally influential athletes, community advocacy and a direct institutional link to the NBA.

- **Founded:** 1996
- **Headquarters:** New York, United States
- **Founders:** David Stern (Founding architect and NBA Commissioner), Val Ackerman (Founding President)
- **Team size:** Approximately 267 league employees listed on LinkedIn in 2026; supplied company data estimates 280. Team-level employees are additional.
- **Products:** WNBA regular season and playoffs, WNBA League Pass, WNBA App and WNBA ID, Commissioner's Cup, Tickets and live events
- **Notable:** Established in 1996 and tipped its first season in 1997, making it North America's longest-running women's professional sports league., Completed a $75 million strategic capital raise in 2022, described by the league as the largest ever for a women's sports property at that time., Reached more than 54 million unique viewers during the 2024 regular season.

## Products & services

- **WNBA regular season and playoffs** — Elite professional basketball competition, including team schedules, standings, playoffs and the WNBA Finals.
- **WNBA League Pass** — Annual or monthly direct-to-consumer access to live and on-demand games, subject to blackouts, plus archives and multi-device viewing.
- **WNBA App and WNBA ID** — A personalized fan hub for live scores, streams, highlights, news, player follows, team preferences and exclusive access.
- **Commissioner's Cup** — An in-season competition that adds stakes to selected regular-season games and directs support to community organizations.
- **Tickets and live events** — Team games, playoffs, Finals, the WNBA Draft and All-Star programming sold through league and team channels.
- **Licensed merchandise** — Official jerseys, player apparel, championship products, collaborations and collectibles sold through WNBA Store and retail partners.
- **WNBA Cares and youth programs** — Community investment, wellness, education and basketball participation programs delivered with teams, hosts and sponsors.

## Achievements

- Established in 1996 and tipped its first season in 1997, making it North America's longest-running women's professional sports league.
- Completed a $75 million strategic capital raise in 2022, described by the league as the largest ever for a women's sports property at that time.
- Reached more than 54 million unique viewers during the 2024 regular season.
- Recorded 2,353,735 total attendance and 154 sellouts in 2024, its best attendance in 22 years.
- Generated nearly 2 billion social video views in the 2024 season.
- Reported 601% year-over-year growth in combined league-store and flagship merchandise sales in 2024.
- Added the Golden State Valkyries in 2025 and Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire in 2026.
- Secured long-term 2026-era media agreements with Disney, Amazon, NBCUniversal, CBS, Scripps and Bell Media.
- Approved expansion into Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia, creating a path to 18 teams by 2030.
- Reached and ratified a new collective bargaining agreement in 2026 with a comprehensive revenue-sharing model.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — WNBA All-Star community programs in Chicago included youth programming at the Obama Presidential Center and a State Farm-backed wellness-room project.
- **2026-05** — Bell Media began a historic multiyear Canadian media-rights relationship as the Toronto Tempo entered the league.
- **2026-04** — The league launched its enhanced app and free WNBA ID, combining personalization, scores, content and League Pass access.
- **2026-04** — WNBA and NBA governors formally approved Cleveland for 2028, Detroit for 2029 and Philadelphia for 2030.
- **2026-03** — The WNBA Board of Governors ratified a new collective bargaining agreement after the league and players' association reached an agreement in principle.
- **2026-01** — CBS Sports expanded its long-term rights relationship, scheduling 20 regular-season games on CBS for 2026.

## Links

- Website: https://www.wnba.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wnba
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/wnba
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WNBA
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wnba/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wnba/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wnba

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/wnba
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-13