Women's American Basketball Association (1984)
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]
| Sport | Women's basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1984 |
| Inaugural season | 1984 |
| Ceased | December 1984 |
| President | Bill Byrne |
| Country | United States |
| Last champion(s) | Dallas Diamonds (1984) |
| TV partner(s) | Satellite Program Network |
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 |
| 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
- "Women's League to draft today". The Wichita Eagle. 24 April 1984. p. 26. Retrieved 15 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Lieberman, Nancy". Archived from the original on 29 November 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2009.
- Stan Hovatter Jr. (16 December 1984). "Lieberman working to help Diamonds, league improve". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 16B. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- Marjorie Lewis (17 December 1984). "Diamonds defeate WABA all-stars". Fort Worth Star Telegram. p. 6D. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- John O'Connor (19 September 1984). "Is world ready for WABA?". Richmond Times-Dispatch. pp. D1, D6. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- George Vecsey (30 October 1984). "It's the 'Lady Magic' show". The News Tribune. New York Times. p. C5. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- "The History of Women's Professional Basketball". Association for Professional Basketball Research. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
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