Women's American Basketball Association
SportWomen's basketball
Founded1984 (1984)
Inaugural season1984
CeasedDecember 1984
PresidentBill Byrne
CountryUnited States
Last
champion(s)
Dallas Diamonds (1984)
TV partner(s)Satellite Program Network

The Women's American Basketball Association (WABA) was a women's basketball league founded in 1984 by Bill Byrne[1] that included players such as Nancy Lieberman, Molly Bolin, Pam McGee and Paula McGee. Lieberman, who signed a signing a three-year, $250,000 contract with the Dallas Diamonds,[2] was voted the league's Most Valuable Player after averaging 27 points per game and helping Dallas win the 1984 WABA championship, but the league folded after the season.[3] The final game played was between the Diamonds and the WABA All-Stars, where Lieberman scored 19 points and was named the game's MVP in the Diamonds' 101–94 victory.[4]

Teams

TeamArenaHead coach
Atlanta Comets Cobb Arena Robert Reese
Chicago Spirit College of DuPage Richard Maack / Vonnie Tomich
Columbus Minks Ohio State Fairgrounds Coliseum Larry Jones
Dallas Diamonds Moody Coliseum Greg Williams
Houston Shamrocks University of St. Thomas Elvin Hayes
Virgina Wave Scoop Arena Nat Frazier[5]
  • Elvin Hayes resigned after one game. Robert Reese was later replaced with Karen Brown, who became the first female head coach in the league.[6]

Standings

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts
1 Dallas Diamonds 21 19 2 0 0 0 38
2 Columbus Minks 17 12 5 0 0 0 24
3 Atlanta Comets 13 7 6 0 0 0 14
4 Virginia Wave 14 5 9 0 0 0 10
5 Chicago Spirit 20 6 14 0 0 0 12
6 Houston Shamrocks 17 3 14 0 0 0 6
Updated to match(es) played on 15 October 2023. Source: The History of Women's Professional Basketball

List of WABA championships

Year Champion Runner-up Result Host city Game MVP Ref
1984 Dallas Diamonds Chicago Spirit Nancy Lieberman [7]

References

  1. "Women's League to draft today". The Wichita Eagle. 24 April 1984. p. 26. Retrieved 15 October 2023 via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  2. "Lieberman, Nancy". Archived from the original on 29 November 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2009.
  3. Stan Hovatter Jr. (16 December 1984). "Lieberman working to help Diamonds, league improve". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 16B. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  4. Marjorie Lewis (17 December 1984). "Diamonds defeate WABA all-stars". Fort Worth Star Telegram. p. 6D. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  5. John O'Connor (19 September 1984). "Is world ready for WABA?". Richmond Times-Dispatch. pp. D1, D6. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  6. George Vecsey (30 October 1984). "It's the 'Lady Magic' show". The News Tribune. New York Times. p. C5. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  7. "The History of Women's Professional Basketball". Association for Professional Basketball Research. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
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