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Thursday, June 18, 1998; Page F02
Q. Since when is summer the season for pro basketball?
A. NBA officials realized their women's pro league couldn't succeed unless it had access to arenas for practices and games, and television coverage. During the fall and winter, the sports schedule is crowded with pro and college basketball, football and hockey, but broadcasters were eager for summer sports programming, so the WNBA chose June, July and August for its season.
Q. How are players recruited?
A. The WNBA is owned collectively by the NBA's 29 teams, and players sign contracts with the league, not with individual teams. The WNBA competes for the best college and international players with the American Basketball League. Of the 1998 class of college seniors, the WNBA signed seven Kodak all-Americans. The ABL signed North Carolina State all-American Chasity Melvin and also has U.S. national team stars such as Jennifer Azzi, Dawn Staley and Kara Wolters.
Q. What are the major rule differences between the NBA and the WNBA?
A. Most of the rules are identical, but some of the basics are different. WNBA games consist of two 20-minute halves, instead of the NBA's four 12-minute quarters. The shot clock rule gives WNBA teams 30 seconds to shoot the basketball; NBA teams have 24 seconds. Women play with a smaller basketball than men, one with a circumference of 28.5 inches, like the basketball used by women in college and high school. The WNBA basketball also has its own orange-and-oatmeal color scheme. The women's three-point line is 19 feet 9 inches, as in NCAA competition (the NBA's line is 23-9 at its farthest point and 22 feet at the corners). The WNBA shooting lane is 12 feet wide, four feet narrower than the NBA's. One of the most noticeable differences between the WNBA and the NBA is that women are permitted to use a zone defense. So, fans won't hear whistles and see players shooting technicals for illegal defense in the WNBA.
Q. How much do WNBA players make in salary?
A. Not nearly as much as their NBA counterparts. For the 30-game regular season, most players make between $13,000 and $62,500. A handful of players, including Rebecca Lobo of the New York Liberty and Nikki McCray of the Washington Mystics, have signed contracts that include money for endorsements and other personal services and are worth $200,000 or more. There has been talk among players of forming a union, such as exist in other pro sports, in order to boost salaries and ensure certain benefits.
Q. How were the Washington Mystics put together?
A. The team's first two players, McCray and Alessandra Santos de Oliveira, were assigned to Washington by the league. Four more players Heidi Burge, Deborah Carter, Tammy Jackson and Penny Moore were selected from existing WNBA teams in an expansion draft. The league then held its college draft and the Mystics picked Murriel Page from Florida, Rita Williams from Connecticut and two other players who failed to make the team. Two Mystics players, Adrienne Shuler and Keri Chaconas, were invited to participate in training camp and ended up making the 11-player roster.
Q. Which teams make the playoffs?
A. The teams with the best records in each conference receive the top two playoff seeds, and the four-team field is completed by the two teams with the next best records. Last season's single-elimination format has been replaced with two best-of-three semifinal series. The semifinal winners advance to a best-of-three final series.
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