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The WNBA finals is the championship series of the league. The winners for 2018 Season were the Seattle Storm. However, the Minnesota Lynx and now defunct Houston Comets share the record for most championships with four each.

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The WNBA is the Women's National Basketball Association and is the NBA's female counterpart and is the premier professional womens basketball league in America. The league was formed April 24, 1996 by former NBA commissioner David Stern and the Inaugural Season was in 1997. The League originally consisted of 8 teams, the Cleveland Rockers, Charlotte Sting, Houston Comets, Sacramento Monarchs, New York Liberty, Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury, and Utah Starzz. However out of the original 8, only the Sparks, Liberty, and Mercury are the only remaining franchises.

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In the first year of the WNBA they focused their slogan as "We Got Next" and legends such as Rebecca Lobo, Lisa Leslie, Cynthia Cooper and Sheryl Swoopes showcased their talents throughout the 1997 season as the Houston Comets defeated the New York Liberty in the first ever WNBA Championship Finals. The "We Got Game" slogan became the new slogan for the league in 2000.

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In 2018, there are currently 12 teams in the league and this past season was their most successful season in terms of attendance since 2011. In 2018 the Seattle Storm won their first championship since 2008 led by WNBA legend Sue Bird and 2018 WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart, they swept the Washington Mystics in the finals. As well, currently the WNBA is going through one of its biggest periods of growth yet with bigger television deals and growing fan support.

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[WNBA Finals Game 3] Seattle Storm vs Washington Mystics, Full Game Highlights, September 12, 2018

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The NBA and WNBA have worked together to support eachother on and off the court and that includes the charity work as the WNBA formed "WNBA Cares" which focuses on "creating programs that improve the quality of life for all people."

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WNBA Compilation BEST Plays of All Time (2016)

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Cynthia Cooper was one of the original players in the WNBA and is considered one of the greatest female basketball players of all time. She was the inaugural WNBA MVP in the leagues first season in 1997. As well in her four year WNBA career, she won 4 championships and 2 WNBA MVP awards.

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The NBA and WNBA have most of the same rules, for example, the baskets are both 10 feet high, five players are allowed on the court at the same time. However, some key difference include 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 the men. As well, the three point line is closer in the WNBA than in the NBA.

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Thursday, June 18, 1998; Page F02 Rules and Other Curiosities of WNBA

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.

&COPY; Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company

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Washingtonpost.com: Rules and Other Curiosities of WNBA

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Thursday, June 18, 1998; Page F02 Rules and Other Curiosities of WNBA 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.

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Diana Taurasi, was the first overall pick by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2004 WNBA Draft, as a guard out of the University of Connecticut. Since then, she's been named to the WNBA All-Star game 9 times, she's won an MVP Award, and has won the WNBA Championship 3 times and on June 18, 2017, Taurasi became the WNBA all-time leading scorer. Furthermore, she's been called the "Michael Jordan of the WNBA" as well as the "female Kobe Bryant."