The Women’s National Basketball Association is experiencing the dawn of an exciting new generation.
The WNBA is now in its 27th season and it is breaking new ground on an annual basis, with popular players coming to the fore in the WNBA as new generation superstars - including New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, Dallas Wings scorer Arike Ogunbowale and Las Vegas Aces two-time MVP A'Ja Wilson - snatch the baton from legends like Candace Parker and Diana Taurasi at a time where the Aces, the 2022 WNBA champions, are as celebrated and visible in Sin City as the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders.
Simply looking at the framework of the WNBA is somewhat disheartening, though. Amid all the talk of talent and the celebration that was last month’s 2023 WNBA Draft, there are only 12 franchises involved. When the league began back in 1996, there were eight teams before it grew to 16 between 2000 and 2002, but there have only been 12 teams present since 2010.
