August 7, 1996: Val Ackerman named first president of the WNBA.

October 23, 1996: Sheryl Swoopes becomes the first player signed by the WNBA.

October 30, 1996: WNBA announces eight teams to compete in the inaugural season – Charlotte, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, New York, Phoenix, Sacramento and Utah.

January 22, 1997: The league’s first 16 players are allocated to teams, an elite group comprised of Olympians and college stars.

April 19, 1997: WNBA and Spalding introduce the league’s official orange-and-oatmeal game ball at the WNBA Pre-Draft Camp at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Fla.

April 28, 1997: Tina Thompson is the first No. 1 draft pick, selected by the Houston Comets in the inaugural WNBA Draft.

June 21, 1997: New York Liberty and Los Angeles tip off first WNBA game at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles. Sparks guard Penny Toler scores the league’s first basket at 19:01. New York wins 67-57.

June 23, 1997: Utah Starzz become first team to pass the 100-point mark in 102-89 victory over Los Angeles.

July 2, 1997: New York’s Rebecca Lobo wins her 100th consecutive victory when Liberty defeat Houston 70-67. Wining streak comprised Lobo’s 35-0 senior season at UConn, 60-0 as member of U.S. Olympic Team and 5-0 as a member of the Liberty. The streak ends at 102.

August 30, 1997: The Houston Comets become the first WNBA Champion, employing the unstoppable Cynthia Cooper and a suffocating defense for a 65-51 victory over the New York Liberty at The Summit.

October 1, 1997: The WNBA announces that franchises in Detroit and Washington will join the fold as expansion teams for the 1998 season.

April 22, 1998: The league announces the addition of expansion teams in Orlando and Minnesota for the 1999 season, bringing the total number of teams to 12.

June 19, 1998: Lisa Leslie sets a WNBA record by pulling down 21 rebounds in the Sparks’ victory over New York.

June 21, 1998: Leslie notches her seventh-straight double-double, setting a WNBA record.

July 18, 1998: Cynthia Cooper is first player to reach 1,000 points during Comets’ 75-44 rout of Sacramento.

July 29, 1998: Ticha Penicheiro dishes out 16 assists in a 75-67 loss vs. Cleveland to set a WNBA record. Penicheiro has led the league in assists every season since joining the WNBA in 1998 as the second overall pick in the draft.

August 29, 1998: In Game 2 of the championship, Houston, trailing Phoenix 1-0 in the best-of-three series, erases a 12-point deficit in the final 7:24 to force overtime. Houston would go on to win the series and claim its second of four titles.

April 29, 1999: The WNBA and WNBPA reach final accord as the league’s first collective bargaining agreement is signed.

June 7, 1999: WNBA announces the addition of four expansion teams to begin play in 2000 – Indiana, Miami, Portland and Seattle. The WNBA family now includes 16 teams.

June 29, 1999: Sacramento and Minnesota let the threes rain down as the two teams combine for a WNBA-record 21 three-pointers (10 by Sacramento, 11 by Minnesota) in the Monarchs’ 86-72 victory.

July 14, 1999: Whitney Houston sings the National Anthem in front of an electrified crowd on hand at Madison Square Garden to witness the Inaugural WBNA All-Star Game. The West defeats the East 79-61 as Lisa Leslie is named MVP.

July 27, 1999: Sheryl Swoopes records the WNBA’s first triple-double with 15 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in an 85-46 win over Detroit at the Compaq Center.

September 4, 1999: Teresa Weatherspoon nails a shot from beyond the midcourt line with 2.4 seconds remaining to give the Liberty a 68-67 victory over the Houston Comets in Game 2 of the WNBA Championship. The shot sends the series to a decisive Game 3, which the Comets win to claim their third straight WNBA title.

June 7, 2000: Cleveland Rockers forward Eva Nemcova ends her record-streak of 66 consecutive free throws made with a miss against Orlando. Nemcova did not miss from the foul line from June 14, 1999 to June 5, 2000.

July 17, 2000: The West defeats the East 73-61 at the 2000 WNBA All-Star Game, hosted by the Mercury at America West Arena in Phoenix. Houston’s Tina Thompson captures MVP honors.

August 25, 2000: Cleveland point guard Suzie McConnell Serio is named the recipient of the first Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award presented by American General, named in honor of Houston’s Kim Perrot, who passed away from cancer in 1999.

August 26, 2000: Cynthia Cooper turns in a clutch performance to earn her fourth Championship MVP as the Houston Comets claim fourth straight title by defeating the New York Liberty. ... In Game 1 of the Championship Series at Madison Square Garden, Coop converts a crucial three-point play with 25.4 seconds remaining to push the Comets’ lead to five. In Game 2, she scores six of her 25 points in overtime and nine of Houston’s final 18 points. It would mark Cooper’s last appearance in the championship. She retires following the season as the WNBA’s all-time scoring leader.

June 2, 2001: Van Chancellor becomes first WNBA coach to record 100 victories as the Houston Comets defeat the Detroit Shock 74-73.

June 7, 2001: Margo Dydek records the WNBA's second triple-double, setting a league record for blocked shots in the process as her 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks leads Utah to an 82-79 win over Orlando.

July 3, 2001: Washington and Seattle battle through four overtime periods – the longest game in WNBA history – before the Mystics edge the Storm 72-69.

July 7, 2001: Katie Smith sets the WNBA single-game scoring record with a 46-point performance, including six three-pointers, in a 100-95 overtime loss to Los Angeles.

July 14, 2001: The West three-peats at the 2001 WNBA All-Star Game in Orlando, Fla., defeating the East 80-72. Lisa Leslie earns her second nod as All-Star MVP.

July 30, 2001: Lisa Leslie scores her 2,538th point to become the WNBA’s career scoring leader, surpassing Cynthia Cooper.

August 10, 2001: Katie Smith scores 22 points in Minnesota’s 65-51 win over Seattle to break the WNBA single-season scoring record of 686 points set by Cynthia Cooper in 1999.

August 11, 2001: Los Angeles becomes first team to go undefeated at home for an entire season, finishing 16-0 at the STAPLES Center.

August 27, 2001: The Charlotte Sting, after dropping the opener of the Eastern Conference Finals at home, go into Madison Square Garden and take both games against the Liberty to derail New York’s hopes of making a third consecutive trip to the WNBA Championship. Charlotte advances to the championship after beginning the season with a 1-10 start.

Sept 1, 2001: The Sparks claim their first WNBA Championship to give the city of Los Angeles a sweep of professional basketball titles. Lisa Leslie becomes first WNBA player to capture all three MVP awards in the same season, joining NBA greats Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan and Willis Reed as the only pro hoopsters to accomplish that feat. ... Sparks coach Michael Cooper becomes the first person to claim NBA and WNBA titles, having won five championships with the Lakers.

Sept. 1, 2001: The WNBA welcomes its 10 millionth fan prior to Game 2 of the WNBA Championship at the STAPLES Center.

Nov. 13, 2001: The Seattle Storm win the first pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft in the inaugural WNBA Draft Lottery, held in New York.

April 19, 2002: Sue Bird is the No. 1 draft pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft, selected by the Seattle Storm.

June 4, 2002: Minnesota Lynx guard Katie Smith becomes the WNBA’s all-time career leader for three-pointers made, surpassing Cynthia Cooper (232). Smith sets the mark during the Lynx’s 78-68 loss to the Seattle Storm.

June 5, 2002: New York Liberty guard Teresa Weatherspoon becomes the first WNBA player to record 1,000 assists during the Liberty’s 60-59 victory over the Detroit Shock at Madison Square Garden.

June 8, 2002: The Orlando Miracle and Cleveland Rockers squared off for the longest game in WNBA history, in regard to time. The Miracle claimed a 103-99 victory in the 2:57 contest that spanned three overtime periods.

June 22, 2002: Natalie Williams records the first 20/20 performance in WNBA history when she scores 22 points and grabs 20 rebounds in Utah’s 77-61 over Sacramento at ARCO Arena.

July 15, 2002: The West earns its fourth straight victory in the 2002 WNBA All-Star Game in Washington, D.C., edging the East 81-76. Lisa Leslie takes All-Star MVP honors for the second straight year and third time in her career.

July 22, 2002: Lisa Leslie becomes the first WNBA player to record 3,000 points during the Sparks’ 92-84 victory over Orlando at the STAPLES Center. Leslie recorded 24 points and 21 rebounds (tying the league record she set on 6/19/98) in the victory.

July 30, 2002: Lisa Leslie becomes the first WNBA player to dunk in a game when she throws down a one-handed breakaway layup with 4:44 remaining in the first half in Los Angeles’ 82-73 loss to Miami at the STAPLES Center.

August 3, 2002: Ticha Penicheiro joins Teresa Weatherspoon as the only two WNBA players in the 1,000 assist club as she passes the mark in an 81-71 loss to Los Angeles.

August 9, 2002: Margo Dydek becomes the first WNBA player to record 500 career blocks.

August 15, 2002: Chamique Holdsclaw of the Washington Mystics becomes the first player to lead the league in both scoring (19.9 ppg) and rebounding (11.6 rpg) in a single season.

August 29, 2002: Rookie Nikki Teasley nails the game-winning shot in the waning seconds of Game 2 of the WNBA Finals to give the Los Angeles Sparks their second consecutive WNBA Championship, defeating the New York Liberty.

Sparks center Lisa Leslie earns Finals MVP honors for the second straight year.

October 8, 2002 : The NBA Board of Governors votes to restructure the WNBA to allow individual team ownership, and to allow teams to be owned by non-NBA owners and located in non-NBA markets.

December 5, 2002: The WNBA announces that the Utah Starzz will relocate to San Antonio for the 2003 season. San Antonio was awarded a WNBA franchise in November after exceeding its season ticket pledge requirement of 6,000 tickets.

January 10, 2003: San Antonio announces “Silver Stars” as its official team name.

January 28, 2003: The Connecticut Sun were awarded the Orlando Miracle franchise and join the WNBA for 2003, as the Mohegan Tribe of Indians becomes the first non-NBA owner in league history.

April 24, 2003: The Cleveland Rockers get the first overall selection in the 2003 WNBA Draft via the WNBA Draft Lottery.

April 24, 2003: The WNBA holds a Dispersal Draft to disseminate the players from the Miami and Portland franchises. The Detroit Shock select former Miami center Ruth Riley with the first overall selection.

April 25, 2003: The WNBA and the WNBAPA announced the signing of a new collective bargaining agreement that covers four seasons with a league option for a fifth year. The agreement introduces the first free agency system in women’s professional sports.

April 25, 2003: LaToya Thomas is the No. 1 draft pick in the 2003 WNBA Draft, selected by the Cleveland Rockers.

May 23, 2003: The Washington Mystics Chamique Holdsclaw breaks the WNBA record for rebounds in a game grabbing 24 in a season-opening win over the Charlotte Sting. She also added 22 points and become the first WNBA player to record two 20 point, 20 rebound performances in a career.

May 31, 2003: The Washington Mystics Chamique Holdsclaw becomes the third fastest player to 2,000 points and the fourth fastest player to 1,000 rebounds, passing both milestones in a 71-60 loss at Indiana

June 7, 2003: Lauren Jackson of the Seattle Storm becomes the youngest player in WNBA history to reach the 1,000 point plateau at 22 years and 27 days old.

June 10, 2003: The Minnesota Lynx Katie Smith becomes the first WNBA player to record 300 three-point field goals in her career.

June 10, 2003: New York’s Becky Hammon scores 28 points off the bench in 73-65 win over Cleveland establishing a new WNBA record for points in a game by a reserve in the process.

June 14, 2003: Los Angeles ties the WNBA record for consecutive wins at the start of the season with a 67-60 win at Madison Square Garden over the New York Liberty, running its record to 9-0. The win is also the 100th career regular season victory for Sparks Head Coach Michael Cooper.

July 12, 2003: The West All-Stars captures its fifth straight WNBA All-Star game in New York’s Madison Square Garden by defeating the East All-Stars 84-75, while Sparks guard, Nikki Teasley earns the MVP award.

July 31, 2003: Seattle Storm forward, Lauren Jackson scores 23 points and pulls down 20 rebounds becoming only the fourth player in WNBA history to record the feat.

August 6, 2003: Seattle Storm guard, Sue Bird records her eighth point-assist double-double of the year adding to her record for most in a season.

August 12, 2003: Lauren Jackson extends her streak of consecutive double-doubles in points and rebounds to seven straight games.

August 25, 2003: Nikki Teasley finishes the year averaging 11.5 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.1 rebounds becoming the first player in WNBA history to average more than ten points, five assists, and five rebounds for a season.

September 14, 2003: The Seattle Storm forward Lauren Jackson becomes the first international player to win the WNBA’s Most Valuable Player.

September 16, 2003: The Detroit Shock win their first WNBA title against the Los Angeles Sparks in front of a sell out crowd and record attendance for the WNBA of 22,076.

Detroit’s center Ruth Riley records a career high 27 points in game three and earns the series MVP.

September 23, 2003: Rebecca Lobo, one of three original WNBA players signed by the league, retires after a seven-year career.

December 3, 2003: The Phoenix Mercury wins the first pick in the 2004 WNBA Draft in the third annual WNBA Draft Lottery.

January 6, 2004: The WNBA holds a Dispersal Draft to disseminate the players from the Cleveland franchise. The Phoenix Mercury select forward Penny Talyor with the first overall selection.

April 17, 2004: The league holds the 2004 WNBA Draft, and Phoenix takes the University of Connecticut's Diana Taurasi as the #1 overall pick.

June 17, 2004: Ticha Penicheiro passes Teresa Weatherspoon to take over the number one spot in career assists.

July 29, 2004: Lisa Leslie scores her 4,000th career point becoming the first WNBA player to reach the milestone.

August 2-31, 2004: The WNBA stops play to give WNBA players the opportunity to compete in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

August 5, 2004: USA Basketball beats the WNBA All-Stars 74-58 as the two teams face-off in the historic game at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The game was a send off for the US Women's National team as they prepared to compete in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

September 10, 2004: Lisa Leslie records the WNBA's third triple-double, tying Margo Dydek's record for blocked shots in the process as her 29 points, 15 rebounds and 10 blocked shots leads Los Angeles to an 81-63 victory over the Detroit Shock.

October 12, 2004: The Seattle Storm win their first WNBA title against the Connecticut Sun before a sell-out crowd of 17, 072. For the first time in WNBA history, all three games of the WNBA Finals were sell-outs.
Seattle's guard Betty Lennox averaged 22.3 points for the three games on her way to earning the series MVP.

December 1, 2004: The Charlotte Sting beats the odds to win the first pick in the 2005 WNBA Draft in the fourth annual WNBA Draft Lottery. Charlotte had only a 9.7 percent chance of capturing the first pick.

February 8, 2005: NBA Commissioner David Stern announced that the WNBA will be coming to Chicago for the 2006 season. The Chicago Sky is the second WNBA team to be owned and run by an entity outside of the NBA. In 2003, the Connecticut Sun became the first independently owned and operated WNBA team.

May 24, 2005: Sheila Johnson, co-founder of Black Entertainment Television, became the WNBA's first African-American female owner when she joined Ted Leonsis' Lincoln Holdings LLC, which in turn purchased the Washington Mystics from Washington Wizards' owner Abe Pollin.

May 25, 2005: The Chicago Sky announced the hiring of former Boston Celtics great and "Hall-of-Famer" Dave Cowens as head coach of the new team.

July 13, 2005: Katie Smith became the first woman in US basketball history to score 5,000 points.

August 18, 2005: Anne Donovan became the first female WNBA coach - and fourth overall in the league - to win 100 games.

September 18, 2005: Sheryl Swoopes became the first three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player in league history.

September 20, 2005: Sacramento Monarchs clinch the 2005 WNBA Championships bringing the city of Sacramento their first basketball title.

October 24, 2005: The Minnesota Lynx beat the odds to win the first pick in the 2006 WNBA Draft in the fifth annual WNBA Draft Lottery. Minnesota had only a 16.7 percent chance of capturing the first pick.

November 16, 2005: The Chicago sky select 13 players in the Expansion Draft and have their first roster in history.

April 6, 2006: Seimone Augustus is the No. 1 draft pick in the 2006 WNBA Draft, selected by the Minnesota Lynx.

June 25, 2006: Lisa Leslie became the first player in WNBA history to score 5,000 career points.

July 10, 2006: Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi scored a league-record 47 points in a 111-110 triple-overtime victory over the Houston Comets.

September 3, 2006: Lisa Leslie became the second three-time Most Valuable Player in league history.

September 9, 2006: The Detroit Shock won their second WNBA Championship in four years by defeating the Sacramento Monarchs, 80-75, in Game Five of the 2006 Finals. Deanna Nolan was named Finals MVP.

October 26, 2006: Despite having only a 2.5 percent chance of garnering the top selection, the Phoenix Mercury won the sixth annual WNBA Draft Lottery and scored the top pick in the 2007 WNBA Draft.

April 4, 2007: The Phoenix Mercury select Duke guard Lindsey Harding with the first pick in the WNBA draft, then trade her rights to the Minnesota Lynx for center Tangela Smith. With the second pick, the San Antonio Silver Stars select Ohio State center Jessica Davenport, then trade her to New York for All-Star guard Becky Hammon.

July 15, 2007: At the WNBA All-Star Game in Washington, D.C., the East earns its second straight victory, topping the West 103-99. Detroit Shock forward Cheryl Ford is named the game's MVP after scoring 16 points and pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds.

July 24, 2007: Seattle forward Lauren Jackson scores 47 points in the Storm's 97-96 loss to the Mystics, tying Diana Taurasi's all-time WNBA mark for most points scored in a single game.

July 27, 2007: Just three days later, Jackson becomes the youngest (26 years, 77 days) and fastest (209 games) player in league history to break the 4,000-point barrier for her career, registering 27 points against the Indiana Fever.

September 5, 2007: Seattle Storm forward Lauren Jackson earns her second WNBA Most Valuable Player Award, topping Silver Stars guard Becky Hammon for the honor.

September 16, 2007: The Phoenix Mercury top the defending champion Detroit Shock 108-92 in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals in Detroit to capture the franchise's first ever league title. Second-year guard Cappie Pondexter, who scored 26 points in Game 5, is named the series MVP.

October 23, 2007: The Los Angeles Sparks win the seventh annual WNBA Draft Lottery and earn the top pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft.

April 9, 2008: Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks), Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky) and Candice Wiggins (Minnesota Lynx) are selected as the top three overall picks in the 2008 WNBA Draft.

May 17, 2008: Rookie Candace Parker makes her much heralded regular season debut as she posts 34 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists as her Los Angeles Sparks top the defending champion Phoenix Mercury 99-94.

May 23, 2008: The Atlanta Dream lose their franchise home debut 88-76 to the Detroit Shock in front of a sell-out crowd of 11,609 at Philips Arena.

June 22, 2008: Candace Parker becomes the second player to dunk in a WNBA game as the Sparks beat the Fever 77-63. Parker took a pass from teammate Raffaella Masciadri, dribbled the length of the court and dunked with her right hand with 29 seconds to play.

July 19, 2008: The Indiana Fever defeated the New York Liberty 71-55 in the 2008 Liberty Outdoor Classic, the WNBA's first outdoor game, played at Arthur Ashe Stadium on the grounds of the USTA's National Tennis Center in Queens.

August 23, 2008: The U.S. women's basketball team wins its fourth straight Olympic gold medal, earning a 92-65 victory over Australia in Beijing. The team is made up of 12 WNBA players.

October 3, 2008: Los Angeles Sparks forward Candace Parker is named the 2008 WNBA Most Valuable Player, marking the first time in the WNBA's 12 seasons that a rookie has earned the award. Parker also won the Rookie of the Year award earlier in the day.

October 5, 2008: The Detroit Shock win their third title in six seasons, trouncing the San Antonio Silver Stars 76-60 in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Mich. Veteran guard Katie Smith, who averaged 21.7 points per game throughout the series, is named Finals MVP.