The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) was founded in 1996 and began play in 1997.[1] The WNBA has kept a record of its win–loss statistics since its inception. There are currently 12 teams that play in the WNBA, and there are also six defunct WNBA teams accounted for in the league's win–loss records.
As of the end of the 2023 WNBA season, and among active teams, the Sparks hold the highest winning percentage at 522–372 (.584), whereas the Dallas Wings and Washington Mystics are tied for the lowest winning percentage, both holding a 383–483 (.442) record.[4] When considering defunct franchises, the Houston Comets have the highest winning percentage at 241–149 (.618) and the Portland Fire have the lowest with a 37–59 (.385) record.[4] The Sparks also hold the record for most wins (522), while the Wings and Mystics are tied for most losses (483).[4]
In regards to playoff win–loss records, the Minnesota Lynx have the highest winning percentage, with a 43–27 (.614) record.[6] The Mystics hold the lowest winning percentage among active franchises, with an 18–34 (.346) record.[6] Meanwhile, the Sparks hold the record for most playoff games played (90) and wins (47), sharing the latter record with the Phoenix Mercury.[6] The Sparks also have the most losses (43) in WNBA playoff history.[6] The defunct Portland Fire are the only WNBA franchise to have never qualified for the playoffs, meaning they rank as the team with the fewest playoff games played, wins, and losses (all at 0).[7] Meanwhile, the Charlotte Sting have the lowest all-time playoff win–loss record, at 6–13 (.316), when considering both active and defunct franchises.[6]
^The Los Angeles Sparks, New York Liberty, and Phoenix Mercury all began play in 1997.[1] As the Aces were founded in 1997 as the Utah Starzz (and later relocated to San Antonio, and then again to Las Vegas), they are also considered one of the WNBA's inaugural franchises.[2][3]
^The Connecticut Sun played as the Orlando Miracle (1999–2002), prior to their relocation to Connecticut and rebranding as the Sun.[7]
^The Las Vegas Aces began play in 1997 as the Utah Starzz. After their 2002 season, they relocated to San Antonio, where they played as the San Antonio Silver Stars from 2003–2013. They then rebranded as simply the San Antonio Stars, which they played as from 2014–2017, before relocating to Las Vegas. Since 2018, they have played as the Las Vegas Aces.[7]