The WNBA was founded in 1996 and had its first season in 1997.
The league has gone through some major upheaval over the years, as the number of teams has fluctuated dramatically. There are currently 12 teams, including the Los Angeles Sparks, Chicago Sky and others.
The WNBA signed a new collective bargaining agreement in 2020, that includes larger base salaries and other incentives.
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The WNBA is an individual business entity that has different owners, including the NBA.
The question is - does the WNBA lose money?
As of 2018, the answer was - absolutely.
In 2018, Adam Silver, Commissioner of the NBA, said that the WNBA had lost an average of $10 million per year for every year of its existence, including the posting of a $12 million loss in 2017.
Never - not once - in the history of the WNBA had the league turned a profit.