The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league based in the United States and is composed of 12 teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association (NBA). League play began in 1997. The regular season runs from May to September, with each team playing 40 games. The top eight teams qualify for the playoffs, culminating in the WNBA Finals, which is played in October. The All-Star game occurs midway through the season in July. The league hosts an annual mid-season competition, The Commissioner's Cup, which dates vary from year to year.
The NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1955–56 season to the best performing player of the regular season. Since the 2022–23 season, winners receive the Michael Jordan Trophy, named for the five-time MVP often considered to be the greatest player in NBA history.
The NBA Defensive Player of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the best defensive player of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of 124 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Each first-place vote is worth five points, second-place votes are worth three points, and a third-place vote is worth one. The player with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award. Since the 2022–23 NBA season, winners receive the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy, named after the two-time defensive player of the year winner.
Candace Nicole Parker, nicknamed "Ace", is an American former professional basketball player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest WNBA players of all time, she was selected as the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. She spent 13 seasons on the Sparks, two seasons with the Chicago Sky, and one season with the Las Vegas Aces, winning a championship with each team.
Michael Jerome Cooper is an American basketball coach and former player. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers during his entire career in the National Basketball Association, winning five NBA championships with the Lakers during their Showtime era. Regarded as one of the greatest defensive players of his generation, he was an eight-time selection to the NBA All-Defensive Team, including five times on the first team. He was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1987. In 2024, it was announced that Cooper would be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Following his Hall of Fame announcement, it was announced on August 15, 2024 that Cooper would have his No. 21 retired by the Lakers on January 13, 2025.
The NBA's Most Improved Player (MIP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the player who has shown the most progress during the regular season compared to previous seasons. The winner is selected by a panel of sportswriters throughout the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Each first-place vote is worth five points; each second-place vote is worth three points, and each third-place vote is worth one point. The player with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award. The criteria for selecting the most improved player was initially open-ended, but the NBA clarified in later years that it was intended for an up-and-coming player who improved dramatically and not a player who made a comeback, distinguishing it from the defunct NBA Comeback Player of the Year Award. Since the 2022–23 NBA season, winners receive the George Mikan Trophy, named after the five-time NBA champion.
Tamara Kim "Tammy" Sutton-Brown is a Canadian retired professional basketball player. Her primary position was center. Throughout her playing career, Sutton-Brown played for the Charlotte Sting and Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She had also played in Asia and Europe. Sutton-Brown has won a WNBA championship (2012) and is a two-time WNBA All-Star.
The National Basketball Association All-Star weekend is a weekend festival held every February during the middle of the NBA regular season that consists of a variety of basketball events, exhibitions and performances culminating in the NBA All-Star Game held on Sunday night. No regular season games are held during this period, which is also known as the All-Star break. It is right after the trade deadline.
Elena Delle Donne is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Delle Donne played college basketball for the Delaware Blue Hens from 2009 to 2013. She was drafted by the Chicago Sky with the second overall pick of the 2013 WNBA draft, and led the Sky to the 2014 WNBA Finals, where they were defeated by the Phoenix Mercury. Delle Donne was traded to the Washington Mystics in 2017 and led them to their first WNBA championship in 2019.
Candice Dupree is an American former basketball player and is currently the head coach for the women's basketball team at Tennessee State University. She was selected sixth in the 2006 WNBA draft by the Chicago Sky. In 2014, Dupree won the WNBA Championship with the Phoenix Mercury. She has also played basketball professionally in Europe and Asia. She has won two FIBA World Cups with Team USA.
The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in two five-man lineups, a first and a second team. Voting is conducted by a panel of 123 writers and broadcasters. Prior to the 2013–14 NBA season, voting was performed by the NBA head coaches, who were restricted from voting for players on their own team. The players each receive two points for each first team vote and one point for each second team vote. The top five players with the highest point total make the first team, with the next five making the second team. In the case of a tie at the fifth position of either team, the roster is expanded. If the first team consists of six players due to a tie, the second team will still consist of five players with the potential for more expansion in the event of additional ties. Ties have occurred several times, most recently in 2013 when Tyson Chandler and Joakim Noah tied in votes received.
In basketball, small ball is a style of play that sacrifices height, physical strength and low post offense/defense in favor of a lineup of smaller players for speed, agility and increased scoring. It is closely tied to the concepts of pace and space, which pushes the speed of the offense and spreads out the defense with extra shooters on the court. Many small ball lineups feature a non-traditional center who offers skills that are not normally found from players at that position. Teams often move a physically dominant player who would typically play the small forward position into the power forward position. Examples of players who have been used in this role include Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and LeBron James. That individual would play alongside either a traditional power forward, or alongside a center.
The WNBA All-Rookie Team is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) honor given since the 2005 WNBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the WNBA head coaches, who are not allowed to vote for players on their own team. Each coach selects five players. A player is given a point for every vote they receive. The top vote getters comprise the team, regardless of the positions they play. Through the 2021 season, this differed from the WNBA's voting procedure for the All-WNBA and All-Defensive Teams, in which all first and second teams consisted of a center, two forwards, and two guards. The WNBA has since adopted the positionless format for its All-WNBA and All-Defensive Teams, respectively adopting the format in 2022 and 2023.
The All-WNBA Team is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every season. The voting is conducted by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States. The team has been selected in every season of the league's existence, dating back to its inaugural season in 1997. The All-WNBA Team is composed of two five-woman lineups—a first and second team, comprising a total of 10 roster spots.
The WNBA All-Defensive Team is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) honor given since the 2005 WNBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the WNBA head coaches. who are not allowed to vote for players on their own team. The All-Defensive Team is composed of two five-woman lineups, a first and a second team, comprising a total of 10 roster spots. The players each receive two points for each first team vote and one point for each second team vote. The top five players with the highest point total make the first team, with the next five making the second team. Starting with the 2023 season, players are selected without regard to position; this follows the WNBA having adopted a "positionless" format for the All-WNBA Team in 2022. Before 2023, each team consisted of one center, two forwards, and two guards. During that time, if there was already a center on the first team, but another center received more points than two of the guards on the first team, that center would still be on the second team.
The 2024 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game played on February 18, 2024, during the National Basketball Association's 2023–24 season. It was the 73rd edition of the NBA All-Star Game. It was hosted by the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. This was the second time that Indianapolis hosted the All-Star Game; the last time the game was played in the city was in 1985 at the Hoosier Dome. This year's All-Star Game featured the return of the Eastern Conference versus Western Conference format that was last used in 2017. The game was televised by TNT for the 22nd consecutive year. All-Star Voting began on December 19, 2023, and ended on January 20, 2024.
Azurá Breeona Stevens is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). Stevens played college basketball at Duke and UConn. She was drafted with the 6th overall pick in the 2018 WNBA draft by the Dallas Wings.
The 2022 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition game played on February 20, 2022, during the National Basketball Association's 2021–22 season. It was the 71st edition of the NBA All-Star Game. The game was hosted by the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. This was the third time that the Cleveland area hosted the All-Star Game, the first being in 1981 at the Coliseum in nearby Richfield, Ohio, and most recently in 1997—three years after the Cavaliers moved back to downtown Cleveland to play in the newly built Gund Arena, which is now known as Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Coincidentally, on the occasion Cleveland hosted an All-Star Game, the NBA celebrated its 35th season (1981), 50th anniversary (1997), and 75th anniversary (2022). The announcement of the site selection was made on November 1, 2018, at a press conference held by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The 2023 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition game played on February 19, 2023, during the National Basketball Association's 2022–23 season, held on the 30th anniversary of the first All-Star Game held in Salt Lake City in 1993. It was the 72nd edition of the event. The game was hosted by the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena, and was televised nationally by TNT for the 21st consecutive year.
Haley Jones is an American professional basketball player for Geelong United of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). She is also contracted with the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal of the Pac-12 Conference, helping the team win the national championship in 2021 while being named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player. She was selected sixth overall in the 2023 WNBA draft by the Atlanta Dream.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander^ (2)
Jalen Brunson^
Nikola Jokić ^ (6)
Luka Dončić^ (5)
Domantas Sabonis^ (2)
Giannis Antetokounmpo^ (8)