WNBA NEWS - WNBA Finals to expand to best-of-seven format

Caitlin ClarK established WNBA single-season rookie records of 769 points and 122 three-pointers made - (WNBA photo) CAITLAN CLARK WNBA Rookie of the Year

A two-time WNBA All-Defensive Second Team selection, the 6-1 Collier helped Minnesota rank second in the league in both defensive rating (94.8) and fewest points allowed (75.6) - ( WNBA photo) Napheesa Collier named WNBA Defensive Player of the Year

Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese set a league record for double-doubles with 10 straight - ( WNBA photo) CAITLAN CLARK & ANGEL REESE ROCK WNBA

Los Angeles Lakers Magic Johnson and Boston Celtics Larry Bird in Game two of the 1985 NBA Finals at Boston Garden Date 30 May 1985 - Steve Lipofsky www.Basketballphoto.com ALL TIME NBA 1st TEAM - BREAKING IT DOWN

Effective with the 2025 season, replacing the best-of-five format. The Board has also approved a 1-1-1 setup for the best-of-three First Round of the WNBA Playoffs - THIS DAY IN THE NBA

NEW YORK, NY USA

Saturday October 12, 2024

The WNBA announced that the WNBA Board of Governors has approved a new, best-of-seven format for the WNBA Finals presented by YouTube TV, effective with the 2025 season, replacing the best-of-five format. The Board has also approved a 1-1-1 setup for the best-of-three First Round of the WNBA Playoffs presented by Google, with the higher seed hosting Games 1 and 3 and its opponent hosting Game 2 - a change from the higher seed hosting Games 1 and 2 and its opponent hosting Game 3. In addition, the regular-season schedule will increase to 44 games per team starting next season, when the expansion Golden State Valkyries begin play as the league's 13th franchise. Teams have played 40 regular-season games in each of the last two seasons.

"We are seeing an incredible demand for WNBA basketball, as reflected in the number of cities pursuing expansion franchises, fans attending games and engaging with our social and digital platforms in record fashion, and game broadcasts and streams being consumed like never before," said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. "The incredible demand for WNBA basketball makes this the ideal time to increase the regular season to 44 games per team and expand the WNBA Finals presented by YouTube TV to a best-of-seven series," said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. "These changes will create more opportunities to watch the best players in the world compete at the highest level and give our fans a championship series format that they are accustomed to seeing in other sports."

"The new 1-1-1 structure for the First Round of the WNBA Playoffs presented by Google will guarantee a home game for both teams in a series, which was a priority based on discussions with the WNBA's team presidents, head coaches, general managers and the Competition Committee," said Bethany Donaphin, WNBA Head of League Operations.

Beginning with the league's 29th season in 2025, the WNBA Finals presented by YouTube TV will have a 2-2-1-1-1 structure in which the higher seed will host Games 1, 2, 5 and 7, and its opponent will host Games 3, 4 and 6. The bracket-style postseason will continue to have three rounds of series play and maintain the format of best-of-three in the First Round and best-of-five in the Semifinals, followed by the new best-of-seven Finals.

October 12, 1979 Chris Ford of the Boston Celtics scored the first three-point basket in NBA history with 3:48 left in the first quarter of a 114-106 victory over Houston at Boston Garden. This game also marked the debut of Boston rookie Larry Bird.

October 12, 1979 Magic Johnson made his debut for the Los Angeles Lakers at the San Diego Clippers. The Lakers won 103-102.

October 12, 1989 The NBA joined USA Basketball, the national governing body for the sport in the United States.

October 12, 1999 NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain passed away at his home in Bel-Air, California at the age of 63. A 13-time NBA All-Star, first-ballot Hall of Famer and holder of numerous records, many of which will never be broken, Chamberlain arrived in the NBA in 1959 out of the University of Kansas (1955-58), after a one-year stint with the Harlem Globetrotters (1958-59). In his first season with the Philadelphia Warriors, Chamberlain astonished the professional basketball world by averaging an NBA rookie record 37.6 points and 27.0 rebounds on his way to capturing the NBA MVP and NBA Rookie of the Year Awards following the 1959-60 season.

National Radio text has been published in five languages, Thai, French, Russian, Khmer (Cambodian language) and English, Any of our foreign language material and our Roman Wanderaugh columns are legally available ONLY on our National Radio.com & National Radio World.com sites

Also our sports, entertainment and feature programming has been broadcast on over 1000 radio stations in America.

The most accurate history of www.nationalradio.com & nationalradioWORLD.com is available on the BING search engine. On the Bing nationalradioWORLD.com search page - Press: see only nationalradioworld.com results

NationalRadio.com & NationalRadioWorld.com is not about one country, we are about… THE WORLD

© Copyright: National Radio. Any use of these materials, whole or in part, is prohibited unless authorized in writing by National Radio. Contact: nationalradio@yahoo.com All rights reserved.