WNBA has strong leader, big future.

Donna Orender keeps hearing that her league is going to fold, that the slumping economy will close the deal, that the men don’t want to play along, that girls should stick to basket weaving and badminton. And she keeps saying the skeptical gods are crazy. “From day one, there’s been a prediction that the WNBA [...]

WNBA Betting On The Future.

The WNBA will exist as long as the benevolence of David Stern exists. But what happens after Stern? Will enough owners, independent and NBA alike, be smart and committed enough to make it work for decades to come? Will that perfect blend of NBA and outside ownership be struck? Individual sports are one thing, but [...]

WNBA ready to run with big dogs.

“You can feel it when we are walking through the casino or we come out for warm-ups: People have bought into us,” Jones said. “The support is growing every season.” That’s been Orender’s mantra since she became president three years ago. Now she says she can confidently speak it without having to put a fancy [...]

WNBA works to reverse attendance drop that has plagued it during past decade.

Before a room full of Sacramento businesswomen and civic leaders, Donna Orender worked the crowd. The WNBA president pitched her league and its future before a group that not only represented potential fans, but partners. Orender brought Dave Knepler and his family to Thursday night’s Monarchs-Sparks game. Knepler is a Marin father and “a guy [...]

WNBA Coming Of Age.

There is a new eight-year television deal with ABC/ESPN that will provide the riches of rights fees for the first time. And a six-year collective bargaining agreement will ensure labor peace as the WNBA begins its 12th season Saturday.  “What’s happened in the first 11 years of our history is we’ve essentially completed a generation [...]