Women's American Basketball Association (1984)

For the current league, see Women's American Basketball Association.
Women's American Basketball Association
SportWomen's basketball
Founded1984; 40 years ago (1984)
First 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 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

Team Arena Head 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
Virginia 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 defeat 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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