A comprehensive guide explaining the basic structure of a WNBA game.
WNBA, the women’s professional basketball league in the United States, was founded in 1996. The women’s counterpart of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the league is currently in its 29th season. The WNBA and the NBA have been designed on the same fundamentals of basketball. Both the leagues have many similarities including their quarter structure as well as the 24-second shot clock.
However, there are a few rules that set both the leagues apart. These differences make for the unique dynamics in each league. From the dimensions of the ball to the timeout rules, both leagues maintain a distinction while sticking to the core values and essence of the sport. One major rule which is different in both the leagues is the duration of the quarters.
While each quarter is 12-minute long in the NBA, the duration is 10 minutes in the WNBA. It means that the typical length of a game in the WNBA is 40 minutes. The reason behind shorter duration is directly related to the pace and players’ stamina.
Val Ackerman, the first President of the WNBA, earlier revealed the reason for the 40-minute length of a game. She said that the length ensures that the game is completed in, or around, two hours, which comes as a key consideration for televisions.
The WNBA, like its men counterpart, NBA, follows the four-quarter format. It is to be noted that the league originally followed two 20-minute halves formats. However, it decided to switch to four 10-minute quarters in the 2006 season. The change in the format aligned the league with the rules set by FIBA, which has four 10-minute quarters, as well as improving the overall flow of the game.
The overtime duration in a WNBA game is five minutes, similar to the NBA. If the score remains tied even after the extra period, another overtime is played until there is a clear winner.
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