NBA at 75: David Stern launches game-changing WNBA in 1997

NBA at 75: David Stern launches game-changing WNBA in 1997

With the NBA booming in the 1990s and women’s sports in the headlines following the 1996 Olympics, Commissioner David Stern felt it was time to start a professional women’s basketball league. For it to be successful, Stern connected it to the NBA — starting with the name.