Women's basketball league running from 1992 to 1995
The Women's Basketball Association (WBA or WWBA) was the first women's professional basketball summer league, operating from 1992 to 1995. The league was called the WWBA and WBA for the first All-Star tour in 1992, before settling on WBA. The pioneer league was formed in 1992 by Lightning N Mitchell and played three full seasons from 1993 to 1995.[1][2]
The WBA played a 15-game schedule, and games were broadcast on Liberty Sports of Dallas. The All-Star games were also televised on Fox Sports. Kansas Jayhawks All-American Geri "Kay-Kay" Hart and Robelyn "Robbie" Garcia announced the game on Fox Radio and Nancy Lieberman was the TV announcer for the 1995 All-Star game.[3] The team was featured on the cover of the Star Magazine, an arts publication run by the Kansas City Star from 1924 until the late 1990s.[4][5]USA Today did a story on the Kansas City Mustangs coached by Joe C. Meriweather, and included a full-team picture.[5]
The WBA played three full seasons, with plans to play as a 12-team league in 1997, but disbanded before the season began. When Fox Sports purchased Liberty Sports and the WBA, they dissolved the league shortly after and sold off the franchising rights. The league was the first American professional women's basketball league to be successful as a summer league, like their counterpart WNBA.[6]
WBA 2nd Round Playoffs (Best out of 2 or the total number of points score in 2 games) Memphis won series in Points (195–185)
Kansas City 98, Memphis 94
Memphis 101, Kansas City 87
Nebraska won series by winning 2–0 over Indiana
Nebraska 99, Indiana 89
Nebraska 91, Indiana 87
1995 Last WBA Championship Game Chicago 107, St. Louis 96 Co-MVP: Diana Vines & Petra Jackson
References
^Robert Bradley; Jack Black; F. Travis Boley; Robert Bradley; Tom Goddard; John Guy; Steve Mau; Shawn Oliver; Mark Pollak; Pat Premo; Dennis Slusher (June 16, 2006). "The History of Women's Professional Basketball". Archived from the original on December 11, 2003.
