Timeline of women's basketball
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1881–1890

1885 Events January–March * January 3– 4 – Sino-French War – Battle of Núi Bop: French troops under General Oscar de Négrier defeat a numerically superior Qing Chinese force, in northern Vietnam. * January 4 – ...
* Formation of the Association for the Advancement of Physical Education


1891–1900

1891 Events January–March * January 1 ** Paying of old age pensions begins in Germany. ** A strike of 500 Hungarian steel workers occurs; 3,000 men are out of work as a consequence. **Germany takes formal possession of its new Africa ...
* James Naismith, born in Almonte, Ontario, invents basketball while teaching at a school now known as
Springfield College Springfield College is a private college in Springfield, Massachusetts. It confers undergraduate and graduate degrees. It is known as the birthplace of basketball because the sport was invented there in 1891 by Canadian-American instructor J ...
1892 Events January–March * January 1 – Ellis Island begins accommodating immigrants to the United States. * February 1 - The historic Enterprise Bar and Grill was established in Rico, Colorado. * February 27 – Rudolf Diesel applies for ...
* Senda Berenson reads about Dr. Naismith's new game, and with modified rules, introduces the game to
Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...
students. * First inter-institutional game between the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
and Miss Head's School.
1893 Events January–March * January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America. * Mark Twain started writing Puddn'head Wilson. * January 6 – Th ...
* Clara Gregory Baer introduces (as it was written at the time) to Sophie Newcomb College (now part of
Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...
)
1894 Events January–March * January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire. * January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United S ...
* RULE Change—Dribbling and guarding another player prohibited
1895 Events January–March * January 5 – Dreyfus affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his army rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. * January 12 – The National Trust for Places of Histor ...
* Clara Gregory Baer writes the first book of rules for women's basketball. * The first public women's basketball game in the South is played at a men's only club, the Southern Athletic Club.
1896 Events January–March * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that Wil ...
* First intercollegiate contest between the University of California, Berkeley and
Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
was held on April 4, 1896. Stanford won, 2–1.
1897 Events January–March * January 2 – The International Alpha Omicron Pi sorority is founded, in New York City. * January 4 – A British force is ambushed by Chief Ologbosere, son-in-law of the ruler. This leads to a puniti ...
* First recorded women's basketball game in Australia, played in Victoria, using wet paper bags for baskets. * First women's high school game between Austin High and Oak Park. Won by Austin 16–4.
1899 Events January 1899 * January 1 ** Spanish rule ends in Cuba, concluding 400 years of the Spanish Empire in the Americas. ** Queens and Staten Island become administratively part of New York City. * January 2 – **Bolivia sets up a c ...
* Senda Berenson publishes the first issue of Basketball Guide for Women, which she would edit and update for eighteen years. These rules, with minor modifications, would remain in use until the 1960s. * Stanford abolishes intercollegiate competition of women. (The players formed an independent club team). File:Senda Berenson.jpg, alt=A photograph of Senda Berenson, a pioneer of women's basketball, who authored the first Basketball Guide for Women, Senda Berenson File:California-berkeley-womens-basketball-team-1899.png, University of California-Berkeley women's basketball team, photographed in 1899 File:Newcomb Handbook.jpg, Clara Gregory Baer's original rules of
Newcomb ball Newcomb ball (also known simply as Newcomb, and sometimes spelled Newcombe (ball))As the game is named after Sophie Newcomb College, its name has been typically capitalized. is a ball game played in a gymnasium or court using two opposing teams ...


1901–1910

1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system. * ...
* Stanford rescinds the prohibition against intercollegiate competition of women.
1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...
* Women's basketball featured on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post File:Saturday evening post 1906 Oct 06.jpg, Saturday evening post 1906 Oct 06 featuring women's basketball File:Minnesota 1909.jpg, 1909 University of Minnesota women's basketball team


1911–1920

1913 Events January * January 5 – First Balkan War: Battle of Lemnos (1913), Battle of Lemnos – Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it will not ven ...
* RULE Change—A single dribble is permitted as long as it bounces knee-high
1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...
* RULE Change—Half-court play is allowed.
1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...
* The Edmonton Grads, then known as the Commercial High School basketball team, won the Intercollegiate Basketball League. They would go on to play as the Grads, with a record of 502–20 between 1915 and 1940. James Naismith would go on to refer to them as "the finest basketball team that ever stepped out on a floor".
1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * ...
* RULE Change—Coaching from sidelines prohibited during game, except for halftime
1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...
* RULE Change—The bottom of the basket is removed. Substitutes allowed for first time (but cannot re-enter game). The bounce pass is allowed


1921–1930

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...
* Basketball played for perhaps the first time in Europe at the
1921 Women's Olympiad The 1921 Women's Olympiad and was the first international women's sports event, a 5-day multi-sport event organised by Alice Milliat and held on 24–31 March 1921 in Monte Carlo at the International Sporting Club of Monaco. The tournamen ...
1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz. ** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of V ...
* The
Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...
sponsored the first-ever American national women's basketball championship.
1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 * ...
* RULE Change—Players must wear a number on the back


1931–1940

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
* RULE Change—guarding another player first allowed *
FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its na ...
, the International Basketball Federation, is formed in
Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
.
1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...
* RULE Change—the first time a guard, called a "rover" was allowed to play the entire court * The
All American Red Heads Team The All American Red Heads were one of the first professional women's basketball teams. In 1936, almost 50 years after women's basketball began, C. M. "Ole" Olson (who also founded Olson's Terrible Swedes) started a barnstorming team which would ...
a barnstorming professional team was formed. They would go on to tour the country for 50 years, playing men's team using men's rules.
1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...
* RULE Change—The court is now divided into two sections, rather than three. Team size remains six players each.


1941–1950

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...
* RULE Change—Players must wear a number on the front and the back
1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...
*
Hazel Walker Hazel Leona Walker (August 8, 1914 – December 18, 1990) was an amateur basketball player in the 1930s and 1940s. She is recognized as one of the greatest amateur basketball players of the era. Walker led her college team to the 1934 AAU Nati ...
became the first woman to own a professional basketball team, the Arkansas Travelers. * RULE Change—Players now allowed a two-bounce dribble. (Continuous dribble used in experimental season, but not adopted)


1951–1960

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...
* RULE Change—Coaching from sidelines during time outs permitted
1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...
* First FIBA World Championship for Women :: Gold—USA :: Silver—Chile :: Bronze—France
1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...
* Missouri (Arledge) Morris—named an All-American, the first black AAU All-American * RULE Change—Three second rule implemented. Players in the offensive lane may not hold the ball for more than three seconds.
1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...
* FIBA World Championship for Women :: Gold—USA :: Silver—Soviet Union :: Bronze—Czechoslovakia
1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...
*
Wayland Baptist Wayland Baptist University (WBU) is a Private university, private Baptist university based in Plainview, Texas. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas (Southern Baptist Convention). Wayland Baptist has 11 campuses in five ...
won 131 consecutive games, a streak that extends from 1954 to 1958.
1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...
* FIBA World Championship for Women :: Gold—Soviet Union :: Silver—Bulgaria :: Bronze—Czechoslovakia


1961–1970

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...
* First women officials in AAU national tournament—Fran Koening and Carol Walter * RULE Change—Two "rovers" allowed (players permitted to run the entire court)
1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...
* FIBA World Championship for Women :: Gold—Soviet Union :: Silver—Czechoslovakia :: Bronze—Bulgaria
1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
* RULE Change—Continuous dribble allowed
1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
* FIBA World Championship for Women :: Gold—Soviet Union :: Silver—Korea :: Bronze—Czechoslovakia
1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...
* RULE Change—Coaching from sidelines during game permitted
1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
* Carol Eckman forms the first National Invitational Women's Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament *
Nera White Nera D. White (November 15, 1935 – April 13, 2016) was an American basketball player. White played in the AAU national tournaments for the Nashville Business College team while completing her education at George Peabody College for Teache ...
is named an AAU All-American for the 15th consecutive year. * West Chester (Pennsylvania) defeated
Western Carolina Western Carolina University (WCU) is a public university in Cullowhee, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. The fifth oldest institution of the sixteen four-year universities in the UNC system, WCU was founded t ...
65–39 in the CIAW invitational tournament
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
*
Cal State-Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...
defeated West Chester 50–46 in the CIAW invitational tournament


1971–1980

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...
* FIBA World Championship for Women :: Gold—Soviet Union :: Silver—Czechoslovakia :: Bronze—Brazil * RULE Change—Full court, five player game instituted for first time for collegiate and AAU games * The
Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
(AIAW) formed to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships. The transition from the CIAW to the AIAW covered a ten-month period starting in April 1971. *
Mississippi State College for Women Mississippi University for Women (MUW or "The W") is a coeducational public university in Columbus, Mississippi. It was formerly named the Industrial Institute and College for the Education of White Girls and later the Mississippi State College f ...
defeated West Chester 57–55 in the CIAW invitational tournament
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
*
Title IX Title IX is the most commonly used name for the federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other educat ...
signed into law June 23, 1972. *
UBC Thunderbirds The UBC Thunderbirds are the athletic teams that represent the University of British Columbia in the University Endowment Lands just outside the city limits of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In Canadian intercollegiate competition, the Thun ...
won the inaugural
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the winner of the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union (CIAU; now
U Sports U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is the Ca ...
) women's basketball tournament. *
Immaculata The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Mariology, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely reveal ...
(Pennsylvania) defeated West Chester 52–48 in the
DGWS The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
invitational tournament
1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...
* First (partial) scholarships offered to female students *
UBC Thunderbirds The UBC Thunderbirds are the athletic teams that represent the University of British Columbia in the University Endowment Lands just outside the city limits of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In Canadian intercollegiate competition, the Thun ...
won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the CIAU winner in women's basketball *
Immaculata The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Mariology, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely reveal ...
defeated
Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
(New York) 59–52 in the
AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
invitational tournament
1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
* First full scholarship offered. The recipient was
Ann Meyers Ann Meyers Drysdale (born Ann Elizabeth Meyers; March 26, 1955) is an American former basketball player and sportscaster. She was a standout player in high school, college, the Olympic Games, international tournaments, and the professional level ...
who attended
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
*
UBC Thunderbirds The UBC Thunderbirds are the athletic teams that represent the University of British Columbia in the University Endowment Lands just outside the city limits of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In Canadian intercollegiate competition, the Thun ...
won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the CIAU winner in women's basketball *
Immaculata The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Mariology, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely reveal ...
defeated
Mississippi State College for Women Mississippi University for Women (MUW or "The W") is a coeducational public university in Columbus, Mississippi. It was formerly named the Industrial Institute and College for the Education of White Girls and later the Mississippi State College f ...
68–53 in the
AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
invitational tournament
1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
* The first nationally televised game is played by
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
and
Immaculata The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Mariology, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely reveal ...
. Some source report that Immaculata won 80–48, while others report 85–63. * First Kodak All-American team is named. * FIBA World Championship for Women :: Gold—Soviet Union :: Silver—Japan :: Bronze—Czechoslovakia * Laurentian Lady Vees won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the CIAU winner in women's basketball * Delta State (Mississippi) defeated
Immaculata The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Mariology, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely reveal ...
90–81 in the
AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
large college invitational tournament *
Phillips University Phillips University was a private university Enid, Oklahoma. It opened in 1906 and closed in 1998. It was affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). It included an undergraduate college and a graduate seminary. The university wa ...
(Oklahoma) won the
AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
Division II invitational tournament
1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
* First Olympic competition for women :: Gold—Soviet Union :: Silver—USA :: Bronze—Bulgaria * Laurentian Lady Vees won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the CIAU winner in women's basketball * Delta State defeated
Immaculata The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Mariology, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely reveal ...
69–64 in the
AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
large college invitational tournament *
Berry College Berry College is a private liberal arts college in the Mount Berry community adjacent to Rome, Georgia. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Berry College was founded on values based on Christian pri ...
(Georgia) won the
AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
Division II invitational tournament
1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
*
Parade Magazine ''Parade'' was an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 700 newspapers in the United States until 2022. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., ''Parade'' had a circulation of 32 million and a readership of 5 ...
names its first high school All-American team for girls' basketball. The first team includes future
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame honors those who have contributed to the sport of women's basketball. The Hall of Fame opened in 1999 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. It is the only facility of its kind dedicated to all levels of women's bask ...
members Denise Curry, Cindy Noble and Lynette Woodard. * First
Broderick Cup The Honda-Broderick Cup is a sports award for college-level female athletes. The awards are voted on by a national panel of more than 1000 collegiate athletic directors. It was first presented by Tom Broderick, an American owner of a women's sports ...
awarded to "the best athlete in each sport". The first recipient was
Lusia Harris Lusia Mae Harris (February 10, 1955 – January 18, 2022) was an American professional basketball player. Harris is considered to be one of the pioneers of women's basketball. She played for Delta State University and won three consecutive Ass ...
. * Laurentian Lady Vees won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the CIAU winner in women's basketball * Delta State defeated
LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
68–55 in the
AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
large college invitational tournament * Southeastern Louisiana won the
AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
Division II invitational tournament
1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
* The Women's Professional Basketball League formed, the first professional women's basketball league in the United States. It lasted until 1981. * First
Wade Trophy The Wade Trophy is an award presented annually to the best upperclass women's basketball player in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I competition. It is named after three–time national champion Delta State University coac ...
awarded to the best women's basketball player in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I competition The first recipient was
Carol Blazejowski Carol Ann Blazejowski (born September 29, 1956) is an American retired professional women's basketball player and the former president and General Manager of the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA ...
. * Laurentian Lady Vees won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the CIAU winner in women's basketball *
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
defeated
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
90–74 in the
AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
large college invitational tournament * High Point (North Carolina) won the
AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
Division II invitational tournament
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
* FIBA World Championship for Women :: Gold—USA :: Silver—Korea :: Bronze—Canada * Laurentian Lady Vees won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS; now
U Sports U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is the Ca ...
) winner in women's basketball *
Old Dominion Old Dominion most commonly refers to: *The Old Dominion, a nickname for the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia ** Colony of Virginia *Old Dominion University, a public university in Norfolk, Virginia **Old Dominion Monarchs, the athletic teams represe ...
defeated Louisiana Tech 75–65 in the
AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
large college invitational tournament *
South Carolina State South Carolina State University (SCSU or SC State) is a public, historically black, land-grant university in Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States. It is the only public, historically black land-grant institution in South Carolina, is a memb ...
won the
AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
Division II invitational tournament
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...
* Olympic competition for women :: Gold—Soviet Union :: Silver—Bulgaria :: Bronze—Yugoslavia * Victoria Vikes won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the CIS winner in women's basketball * Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) established, with responsibility for eight sports including basketball *
Old Dominion Old Dominion most commonly refers to: *The Old Dominion, a nickname for the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia ** Colony of Virginia *Old Dominion University, a public university in Norfolk, Virginia **Old Dominion Monarchs, the athletic teams represe ...
defeated
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
68–53 in the
AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
Division I invitational tournament *
University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The univ ...
won the
AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
Division II invitational tournament * Worcester State College (Massachusetts) won the
AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
Division III invitational tournament


1981–1990

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
* The
Women's Basketball Coaches Association The Women's Basketball Coaches Association is an association of coaches of women's basketball teams at all levels. The organization was formed in 1981, with the goal of addressing the needs of women's basketball coaches. The mission of the WBCA ...
(WBCA), an association of coaches of women's basketball teams at all levels, is formed. * Victoria Vikes won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Louisiana Tech defeated
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
79–59 in the
AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
Division I invitational tournament * William Penn College (Iowa) won the
AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
Division II invitational tournament * Wisconsin–La Crosse won the
AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
Division III invitational tournament * Inaugural season of the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
* St Kilda Saints won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
* Louisiana Tech (35-1) won the first NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * Cal Poly Pomona (29-7) won the first NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship * Elizabethtown (26-1) won the first
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* Victoria Vikes won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Rutgers defeated
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
83–77 in the final
AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
Division I invitational tournament * Francis Marion College (South Carolina) won the
AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
Division II invitational tournament * Concordia College (Minnesota) won the
AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
Division III invitational tournament * St Kilda Saints won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship
1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
*
USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...
(31-2) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament *
Virginia Union Virginia Union University is a private historically black Baptist university in Richmond, Virginia. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. History The American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS) founded the school as Rich ...
(27-2) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship * North Central (Ill.) (26-6) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* Bishop's Gaiters won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Nunawading Spectres won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * FIBA World Championship for Women :: Gold—Soviet Union :: Silver—USA :: Bronze—Chile
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
* RULE Change—The ball circumference for NCAA play is reduced by one inch (to 28.5–29 inches) compared to the ball used previously, and used by men. This size ball is also called size 6. * Olympic competition for women :: Gold—USA :: Silver—Korea :: Bronze—China * West Virginia's
Georgeann Wells Georgeann Wells is an All-American basketball player, who was active at West Virginia University (WVU) from 1982 to 1986. Among her other accomplishments, Wells is notable as the first American woman to register a dunk in an official NCAA intercoll ...
became the first woman to register a dunk in an official NCAA intercollegiate basketball game. * USC (29-4) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament *
Central Missouri The University of Central Missouri (UCM) is a public university in Warrensburg, Missouri. In 2019, enrollment was 11,229 students from 49 states and 59 countries on its 1,561-acre campus. UCM offers 150 programs of study, including 10 pre-profes ...
(27-5) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship *
Rust Rust is an iron oxide, a usually reddish-brown oxide formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the catalytic presence of water or air moisture. Rust consists of hydrous iron(III) oxides (Fe2O3·nH2O) and iron(III) oxide-hydroxide (FeO(OH ...
(26-5) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* Bishop's Gaiters won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Nunawading Spectres won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
* Lynette Woodard becomes the first woman to play for the
Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name ''Harlem'' because of i ...
. * Old Dominion (31-3) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * Cal Poly Pomona (26-7) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship * Scranton (31-1) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* Victoria Vikes won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Coburg Cougars won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...
* Texas (34-0) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, completing the first undefeated season in NCAA Division I history. * Cal Poly Pomona (30-3) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship * Salem State (29-1) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* Toronto Varsity Blues won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Nunawading Spectres won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * RULE Change—The alternating possession arrow is first used, although a jump ball is still used at the beginning of the game, and the beginning of overtime. Coaches must stay within coaching box, and only the head coach may stand while the ball is live * FIBA World Championship for Women :: Gold—USA :: Silver—Soviet Union :: Bronze—Canada
1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
* RULE Change—The three-point field goal is introduced for any field goal completed when shot beyond a line set at 19 feet, and 9 inches from the center of the basket. * Tennessee (28-6) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament *
New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...
(29-2) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship * Wisconsin–Stevens Point (27-2) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* Victoria Vikes won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Nunawading Spectres won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship
1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
* Olympic competition for women :: Gold—USA :: Silver—Yugoslavia :: Bronze—Soviet Union * Louisiana Tech (32-2) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * Hampton (33-1) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship * Concordia-Moorhead (29-2) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
*
Manitoba Bisons The Manitoba Bisons are the athletic teams that represent the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The football team plays their games at Investors Group Field. The soccer team play their home games at the University of Manitoba ...
won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Nunawading Spectres won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship
1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
* Tennessee (35-2) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * Delta State (30-4) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship * Elizabethtown (29-2) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* Calgary Dinos won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Nunawading Spectres won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship
1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
*
Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
(32-1) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * Delta State (32-1) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship *
Hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...
(24-2) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* Laurentian Lady Vees won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * North Adelaide Rockets won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * FIBA World Championship for Women :: Gold—USA :: Silver—Yugoslavia :: Bronze—Cuba


1991–2000

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
*
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
(30-5) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament *
North Dakota State North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as th ...
(31-2) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship * St. Thomas (MN) (29-2) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* Laurentian Lady Vees won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Hobart Islanders won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship
1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
* Olympic competition for women :: Gold—Com. of Independent States(CIS) :: Silver—China :: Bronze—USA *
Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
(30-3) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * Delta State (30-4) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship *
Alma Alma or ALMA may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Alma'' (film), a 2009 Spanish short animated film * ''Alma'' (Oswald de Andrade novel), 1922 * ''Alma'' (Le Clézio novel), 2017 * ''Alma'' (play), a 1996 drama by Joshua Sobol about Alma ...
(24-3) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* Victoria Vikes won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball *
Perth Breakers The Perth Lynx are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Lynx compete in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) and play their home games at Bendat Basketball Centre. For sponsorship reasons, ...
won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship
1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
*
Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...
(31-3) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * North Dakota State (30-2) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship * Central (IA) (24-5) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
*
Winnipeg Wesmen The Winnipeg Wesmen are the athletic teams that represent the University of Winnipeg in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. As an undergraduate school, the Wesmen participate in the sports of basketball, volleyball, and soccer in both the men's and women ...
won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball *
Sydney Flames The Sydney Flames are an Australian professional basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a b ...
won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * The WBA (Women's Basketball Association) plays its first official game on its way to three seasons of Women's Professional Basketball.
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
* FIBA World Championship for Women :: Gold—Brazil :: Silver—China :: Bronze—Cuba *
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
(33-2) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * North Dakota State (27-5) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship *
Capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...
(30-1) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
*
Winnipeg Wesmen The Winnipeg Wesmen are the athletic teams that represent the University of Winnipeg in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. As an undergraduate school, the Wesmen participate in the sports of basketball, volleyball, and soccer in both the men's and women ...
won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Adelaide Lightning won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship
1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
*
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
(35-0) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * North Dakota State (32-0) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship * Capital (33-0) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
*
Winnipeg Wesmen The Winnipeg Wesmen are the athletic teams that represent the University of Winnipeg in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. As an undergraduate school, the Wesmen participate in the sports of basketball, volleyball, and soccer in both the men's and women ...
won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Adelaide Lightning won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship
1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
* Olympic competition for women :: Gold—USA :: Silver—Brazil :: Bronze—Australia * Tennessee (32-4) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * North Dakota State (30-2) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship * Wisconsin-Oshkosh (31-0) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
*
Manitoba Bisons The Manitoba Bisons are the athletic teams that represent the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The football team plays their games at Investors Group Field. The soccer team play their home games at the University of Manitoba ...
won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Adelaide Lightning won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * The WNBA is founded, with eight initial teams.
Sheryl Swoopes Sheryl Denise Swoopes (born March 25, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player. She was the first player to be signed in the WNBA, is a three-time WNBA MVP, and was named one of the league's Top 15 Players of All Time at the 20 ...
is the first player signed. * The American Basketball League (ABL) formed, a professional basketball league for women in the United States. It lasted two full seasons, and suspended operations in the third.
1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
* Tennessee (29-10) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament *
North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...
(28-4) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship *
NYU New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-United States Secretary of the Treasu ...
(29-1) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
*
Manitoba Bisons The Manitoba Bisons are the athletic teams that represent the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The football team plays their games at Investors Group Field. The soccer team play their home games at the University of Manitoba ...
won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball *
Sydney Flames The Sydney Flames are an Australian professional basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a b ...
won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * First WNBA draft, with
Tina Thompson Tina Marie Thompson (born February 10, 1975) is an American former WNBA professional basketball player who served as the head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers women's basketball team from 2018-2022. Thompson was inducted into both the Women's Bas ...
as the first player selected. The first game is held on 21 June 1997, between the
New York Liberty The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was f ...
and the
Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...
. The Liberty won 67–57. * The
Houston Comets The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Houston. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. They are one of two ...
win the first WNBA Championship. *
Trent Tucker Rule The Trent Tucker Rule is a basketball rule that disallows any regular shot to be taken on the court if the ball is put into play with under 0.3 seconds left in game or shot clock. The rule was adopted in the 1990-91 NBA season and named after New ...
adopted by WNBA.
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
*
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
(39-0) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * North Dakota (31-1) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship * Washington (MO) (28-2) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* Victoria Vikes won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Adelaide Lightning won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * FIBA World Championship for Women :: Gold—USA :: Silver—Russia :: Bronze—Australia * The
Houston Comets The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Houston. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. They are one of two ...
won the WNBA Championship.
1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
*
Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...
(34-1) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * North Dakota (31-1) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship * Washington (MO) (30-0) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
*
Alberta Pandas The Alberta Golden Bears and Pandas are the sports teams that represent the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Alberta athletics teams have won a total of 93 national championships, including 79 U Sports sanctioned sports, making ...
won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball *
Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...
won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * The
Houston Comets The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Houston. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. They are one of two ...
won the WNBA Championship.
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
* Olympic competition for women :: Gold—USA :: Silver—Australia :: Bronze—Brazil * Connecticut (36-1) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * Northern Kentucky (32-2) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship * Washington (MO) (30-0) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* Victoria Vikes won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Canberra Capitals won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * First outdoor college basketball game: Tennessee defeats
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
67–63 * The
Houston Comets The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Houston. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. They are one of two ...
won the WNBA Championship.


2001–2010

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
* Notre Dame (34-2) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * Cal Poly Pomona (27-3) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship * Washington (MO) (28-2) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
*
Regina Cougars The Regina Cougars are the athletic teams that represent the University of Regina in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The Cougars compete in all sports except football; the university's football team is known as the Regina Rams. A number of the R ...
won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Sydney Panthers won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * The
LA Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...
won the WNBA Championship.
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
* FIBA World Championship for Women :: Gold—USA :: Silver—Russia :: Bronze—Australia *
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
(39-0) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * Cal Poly Pomona (28-4) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship * Wisconsin-Stevens Point (30–3) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* Simon Fraser Clan won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Canberra Capitals won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * The first
McDonald's All-American Game The McDonald's All-American Game is the all-star basketball game played each year for American and Canadian boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the concl ...
for girls is played at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
in New York City. * The
Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...
won the WNBA Championship.
2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
*
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
(37-1) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament *
South Dakota State South Dakota State University is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest and most comprehensive university and the oldest continually ...
(32-3) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship * Trinity (Texas) (28-5) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* Victoria Vikes won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Canberra Capitals won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * The
Detroit Shock The Detroit Shock were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006, and 2008 WNBA champions. Debuting in 1998, the Shock were one of the league's first expansion franchises. ...
won the WNBA Championship.
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
* Olympic competition for women :: Gold—USA :: Silver—Australia :: Bronze—Russia *
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
(31-4) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * California (PA) (35-1) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship * Wilmington (Ohio) (27-6) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
*
UBC Thunderbirds The UBC Thunderbirds are the athletic teams that represent the University of British Columbia in the University Endowment Lands just outside the city limits of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In Canadian intercollegiate competition, the Thun ...
won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball *
Dandenong Rangers The Dandenong Rangers were an Australian professional women's basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League ( WNBL). The club is based in Dandenong, Melbourne, Victoria. The team was founded as the Dandenong Rangers, howeve ...
won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * The
Seattle Storm The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerl ...
won the WNBA Championship.
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
* Baylor (33-3) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament *
Washburn Washburn (alternatively Wasseburne, Wasseborne, Wasshebourne, Wassheborne, Washbourne, Washburne, Washborne, Washborn, Wasborn, Washbon) is a toponymic surname, probably of Old English origin, with likely Anglo-Norman and Norman-French influen ...
(35-2) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship * Millikin (29-2) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* Simon Fraser Clan won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball *
Dandenong Rangers The Dandenong Rangers were an Australian professional women's basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League ( WNBL). The club is based in Dandenong, Melbourne, Victoria. The team was founded as the Dandenong Rangers, howeve ...
won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * The
Sacramento Monarchs The Sacramento Monarchs were a basketball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1997 until folding on November 20, 2009. They played their home games at ARCO Arena. The Mona ...
won the WNBA Championship.
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
* FIBA World Championship for Women :: Gold—Australia :: Silver—Russia :: Bronze—USA *
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
(34-4) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament *
Grand Valley State Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale Charter Township, Michigan, Allendale, Michigan. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on approximately ...
(33-3) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship *
Hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...
(33-1) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
*
UBC Thunderbirds The UBC Thunderbirds are the athletic teams that represent the University of British Columbia in the University Endowment Lands just outside the city limits of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In Canadian intercollegiate competition, the Thun ...
won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Canberra Capitals won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * The
Detroit Shock The Detroit Shock were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006, and 2008 WNBA champions. Debuting in 1998, the Shock were one of the league's first expansion franchises. ...
won the WNBA Championship.
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
*
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
(34-3) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament *
Southern Connecticut State Southern Connecticut State University (Southern Connecticut, Southern Connecticut State, SCSU, or simply Southern) is a public university in New Haven, Connecticut. Part of the Connecticut State University System, it was founded in 1893 and is g ...
(34-2) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship *
DePauw Pauw (Dutch for "peacock"), de Pauw or DePauw are variants of a Dutch or Flemish surname and may refer to: People ;Pauw * Adriaan Pauw (1585–1653), Dutch Grand Pensionary of Holland *Jacques Pauw, South African investigative journalist * Michiel ...
(31-3) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* Simon Fraser Clan won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Canberra Capitals won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * The
Phoenix Mercury The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the league ...
won the WNBA Championship.
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
* Olympic competition for women :: Gold—USA :: Silver—Australia :: Bronze—Russia *
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
(36-2) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * Northern Kentucky (28-8) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship * Howard Payne (33-0) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
*
UBC Thunderbirds The UBC Thunderbirds are the athletic teams that represent the University of British Columbia in the University Endowment Lands just outside the city limits of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In Canadian intercollegiate competition, the Thun ...
won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Adelaide Lightning won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * The
Detroit Shock The Detroit Shock were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006, and 2008 WNBA champions. Debuting in 1998, the Shock were one of the league's first expansion franchises. ...
won the WNBA Championship.
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
*
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
(39-0) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * Minnesota State Mankato (32-2) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship *
George Fox George Fox (July 1624 – 13 January 1691) was an English Dissenter, who was a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends. The son of a Leicestershire weaver, he lived in times of social upheaval and ...
(32-0) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* Simon Fraser Clan won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Canberra Capitals won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * The
Phoenix Mercury The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the league ...
won the WNBA Championship.
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
* FIBA World Championship for Women :: Gold—USA :: Silver—Czech Republic :: Bronze—Spain *
Trent Tucker Rule The Trent Tucker Rule is a basketball rule that disallows any regular shot to be taken on the court if the ball is put into play with under 0.3 seconds left in game or shot clock. The rule was adopted in the 1990-91 NBA season and named after New ...
was adopted for FIBA women's play. *
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
(39-0) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament *
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
had their 89th consecutive victory, one more than the all-time NCAA men's wins record of 88 held by
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
; the streak ended at 90 wins. *
Emporia State Emporia State University (Emporia State or ESU) is a public university in Emporia, Kansas, United States. Established in March 1863 as the Kansas State Normal School, Emporia State is the third-oldest public university in the state of Kansas. E ...
(30-5) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship * Washington (MO) (29-2) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* Simon Fraser Clan won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Canberra Capitals won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * The
Seattle Storm The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerl ...
won the WNBA Championship.


2011–2020

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
* Texas A&M (33-5) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * Clayton State (35-1) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship *
Amherst Amherst may refer to: People * Amherst (surname), including a list of people with the name * Earl Amherst of Arracan in the East Indies, a title in the British Peerage; formerly ''Baron Amherst'' * Baron Amherst of Hackney of the City of London, ...
(32-1) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* Windsor Lancers won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball *
Bulleen Boomers The Melbourne Boomers are an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. The Boomers compete in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) and play the majority of their home games at Melbourne Sports Centre – Par ...
won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * The story of the first of three consecutive AIAW national championship by
Immaculata The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Mariology, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely reveal ...
is made into a movie, released in 2011: ''
The Mighty Macs ''The Mighty Macs'' is a 2009 American sports drama film by director Tim Chambers. It stars Carla Gugino in the lead role of Cathy Rush, a Hall of Fame women's basketball coach. The film premiered in the 2009 Heartland Film Festival and was release ...
'' * The
Minnesota Lynx The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team won the WNBA title in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017. Founded pr ...
won the WNBA Championship.
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
* Olympic competition for women :: Gold—USA :: Silver—France :: Bronze—Australia * Baylor (40-0) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament *
Shaw Shaw may refer to: Places Australia *Shaw, Queensland Canada *Shaw Street, a street in Toronto England *Shaw, Berkshire, a village *Shaw, Greater Manchester, a location in the parish of Shaw and Crompton *Shaw, Swindon, a List of United Kingdom ...
(29-6) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship * Illinois Wesleyan (28-5) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* Windsor Lancers won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the CIS women's basketball champion. *
Dandenong Rangers The Dandenong Rangers were an Australian professional women's basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League ( WNBL). The club is based in Dandenong, Melbourne, Victoria. The team was founded as the Dandenong Rangers, howeve ...
won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * The
Indiana Fever The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the 2000 season began. The team is owned ...
won the WNBA Championship. * First women's game played on an aircraft carrier.
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
*
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
(35–4) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * Ashland (38–1) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship *
DePauw Pauw (Dutch for "peacock"), de Pauw or DePauw are variants of a Dutch or Flemish surname and may refer to: People ;Pauw * Adriaan Pauw (1585–1653), Dutch Grand Pensionary of Holland *Jacques Pauw, South African investigative journalist * Michiel ...
(35–0) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* Windsor Lancers won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Bendigo Spirit won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * Before the start of the 2013–14 season, the NCAA adopts the 10-second backcourt limit for the first time. Prior to this change, NCAA women's basketball was the only level of basketball in the world that did not have a backcourt possession time limit. * The
Minnesota Lynx The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team won the WNBA title in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017. Founded pr ...
won the WNBA Championship.
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
*FIBA World Championship for Women :: Gold—USA :: Silver—Spain :: Bronze—Australia :This was the last event known as the "FIBA World Championship for Women". Shortly after the 2014 edition, the competition was renamed the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup. *
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
(40–0) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament *
Bentley Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded as Bentley Motors Limited by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, North ...
(35–0) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship. * Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham (33–0) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* Windsor Lancers won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball * Bendigo Spirit won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * On August 5, Becky Hammon, set to retire at the end of the
2014 WNBA season The 2014 WNBA season was the 18th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. The season started in May and concluded in September to accommodate the 2014 Women's World Championship. Notable occurrences * The New York Liberty returned ...
as a player with the
San Antonio Stars The San Antonio Stars were a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the Utah Starzz before the ...
, is hired as an assistant by the city's NBA team, the Spurs, effective with her retirement from play. Hammon is the first woman to be hired as a full-time coach in any of North America's four major professional leagues. * The
Phoenix Mercury The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the league ...
won the WNBA Championship.
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
*
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
(38–1) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * California (PA) (32–4) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship. * Thomas More (33–0) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* Windsor Lancers won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball *
Townsville Fire The Townsville Fire are an Australian professional female basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). They are the only female professional sporting team of any discipline in the northern half of Australia. The t ...
won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * Effective with the 2015–16 season, the NCAA changed women's basketball from 20-minute halves to 10-minute quarters. *
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
wins the gold medal at the
2015 Pan American Games Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak alb ...
* The
Minnesota Lynx The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team won the WNBA title in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017. Founded pr ...
won the
2015 WNBA finals The 2015 WNBA Finals was the championship series for the 2015 WNBA season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). On August 26, vegasinsider.com projected that the Minnesota Lynx has the highest odds to win the series (11/10). Th ...
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
* Olympic competition for women :: Gold—USA :: Silver—Spain :: Bronze—Serbia *The University of Saskatchewan Huskies (18–2) won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport winner in women's basketball. *The WNBL switches from a single game to a best of 3 finals *
Townsville Fire The Townsville Fire are an Australian professional female basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). They are the only female professional sporting team of any discipline in the northern half of Australia. The t ...
won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * With their eleventh championship win in 2016, the UConn Huskies (38–0) passed the UCLA Bruins men's team for most college basketball championships, and became the first Division 1 women's basketball team to win four straight national championships. * Breanna Stewart was named the AP Player Of The Year (making her the first female college basketball player to win that award three times) * Breanna Stewart was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four (making her the first person to be most outstanding player of the Final Four four times) *
Lubbock Christian University Lubbock Christian University (LCU) is a private Christian university associated with the Churches of Christ and located in Lubbock, Texas. Chartered originally as part of a grade school called Lubbock Christian School in 1954, the institution br ...
(35–0) won the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship * Thomas More (33–0) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* The
Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...
won the WNBA Championship.
2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
* The Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team obtained the longest winning streak in college basketball (both men's and women's), 111 straight wins, which started with a win against Creighton on December 23, 2014, and continued for 111 games until March 31, 2017, when they were beaten 66–64 on a last second shot in overtime by Mississippi State in the 2017 NCAA Final Four. This streak included an undefeated season in 2015–16. *
McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
(25–9) won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the women's basketball champion of the newly renamed
U Sports U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is the Ca ...
. * Sydney Uni Flames won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship *
South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
(33–4) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * Ashland (37–0) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship *
Amherst Amherst may refer to: People * Amherst (surname), including a list of people with the name * Earl Amherst of Arracan in the East Indies, a title in the British Peerage; formerly ''Baron Amherst'' * Baron Amherst of Hackney of the City of London, ...
(33–0) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* The
Minnesota Lynx The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team won the WNBA title in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017. Founded pr ...
won the WNBA Championship.
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
* Carleton won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the
U Sports U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is the Ca ...
women's basketball champion. *
Townsville Fire The Townsville Fire are an Australian professional female basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). They are the only female professional sporting team of any discipline in the northern half of Australia. The t ...
won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * Notre Dame (35-3) won the
NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship The NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 women's college basketball teams from the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic ...
*
Central Missouri The University of Central Missouri (UCM) is a public university in Warrensburg, Missouri. In 2019, enrollment was 11,229 students from 49 states and 59 countries on its 1,561-acre campus. UCM offers 150 programs of study, including 10 pre-profes ...
(30–3) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship *
Amherst Amherst may refer to: People * Amherst (surname), including a list of people with the name * Earl Amherst of Arracan in the East Indies, a title in the British Peerage; formerly ''Baron Amherst'' * Baron Amherst of Hackney of the City of London, ...
(33–0) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
* The
Seattle Storm The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerl ...
won the WNBA Championship.
2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
* McMaster won the
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
, awarded to the
U Sports U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is the Ca ...
women's basketball champion. * UC Capitals won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship * Baylor (37–1) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * Lubbock Christian (32–5) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship. * Thomas More (33–0) won the
NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of women's NCAA Division III collegiate basketball in the United States. It was held annually from 1982, when the NCAA began to spo ...
. * The
Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was founded pri ...
won the WNBA Championship.
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
*
Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
won the Bronze Baby, awarded to the
U Sports U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is the Ca ...
women's basketball champion. * UC Capitals won the Australian
Women's National Basketball League The Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) is the pre-eminent professional women's basketball league in Australia. It is currently composed of eight teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Baske ...
Championship *NCAA Div I, II and III post-season tournaments cancelled due to
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
* After Gregg Popovich was ejected in the second quarter in the Spurs' 121–107 loss to the
Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
on December 30, 2020, Hammon became the first female acting head coach in NBA history.


2021–2030

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
* The first
WNBA Commissioner's Cup The WNBA Commissioner's Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the WNBA Commissioner's Cup Presented By Coinbase, is an in-season competition of the Women's National Basketball Association that begins at the start of the regular season and continue ...
, delayed from its originally planned 2020 launch due to COVID-19 issues, was held, with the
Seattle Storm The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerl ...
defeating the Connecticut Sun in the Cup final in Phoenix. * The
Bronze Baby The Bronze Baby trophy is awarded to the winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship, contested among competing Canadian universities. The trophy features a figure that is a replica of a statue that was in the grounds of Dunfermli ...
championship was not held due to
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
issues. *
Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
(31–2) won the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament * Lubbock Christian (23–0) won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship. *The NCAA Division III championship was canceled.
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
* The Mexican women's professional league (Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional Femenil) was formed and played its first matches on 23 April * NCAA championships: ** Division I:
South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
defeated UConn 64–49 in the
championship game In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
. ** Division I: Glenville State defeated Western Washington 85–72 in the championship game. ** In the first Division III tournament since 2019,
Hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...
defeated Wisconsin–Whitewater 71–58 in the championship game.


See also

*
Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
* History of basketball *
Saskatchewan Huskies The University of Saskatchewan began in 1907 and has operated teams that compete with others since 1911. The term Huskie Athletics is defined as those student athletes from the University of Saskatchewan that compete in elite interuniversity ...
*
Timeline of women's sports This is a timeline of women's sports, spanning from ancient history up to the 21st century. It includes both competitive sports and notable physical feats. Early history 2134–2000 BCE – Illustrations on Egyptian temple walls from the Eleventh ...
*
Women's basketball Women's basketball is the team sport of basketball played by women. It began being played in 1892, one year after men's basketball, at Smith College in Massachusetts. It spread across the United States, in large part via women's college compet ...
*


Notes


References

* * * * * * * * * *{{cite web, url=http://www.oregonpdf.org/print-script.cfm?path=../pdf\&src=PE4327Su%2815-1%29.pdf, title=Collegiate Women's Sports And A Guide To Collecting And Identifying Archival Materials, last=Su, first=Mila Chin Ying, date=May 2002, publisher=The Pennsylvania State University, accessdate=2012-10-27 *Berenson, Senda (1901). '' Basket Ball for Women.'' New York: American Sports Publishing Company. at
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
Women in sports Women's basketball
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
History of basketball