WNBA By:Ta'yanna Harvey

1. What is the name of the union

1.1. "Women's National Basketball Association Player's union" or "Womens National Basketball Player's Association"

2. What are the primary functions of this union?

2.1. Formed in 1998, the WNBPA works to provide safety/security, protect the rights of the WNBA, and the social and economic well being of all of its players, on and off the court.

3. Synopsis

3.1. The players of the WNBA have been struggling with getting better pay. The highest paid player (was) Diana Taurasi, making less than $107,000 a year. She has now decided she will no longer play for America, but she will play for the Russian League and make about $1.5 million. This is a huge downfall for the WNBA because Diana Taurasi was one of their most important players helping the USA win Gold in 2004, 2008, and 2012. This is quite often the chase where players go overseas to play for a larger salary. This movement is hopefully going to spark up some things to help players in the WNBA get paid more. The WNBA Player's Association is looking into this as a big loss and is working to get fair pay for these players who work year round during the season and the offseason.

4. How is the leader chosen?

4.1. Leaders of the WNBPA are elected by other players of the team and team owners

5. Who is the leader?

5.1. The WNBPA is comprised of all WNBA players and is governed by team player representatives from each team and an executive committee.

6. Who is the leader?

6.1. The current Commissioner for the WNBA as of a few months ago is David Stern.

7. Who is the governing body?

7.1. The Women's National Basketball Association is the governing body for the NBA. It was created in 1996 with the "pillars of WNBA" Lisa Leslie, Rebecca Lobo, and Sheryl Swoopes.

8. How is a leader chosen?

8.1. Leaders elected by the owners of the league's clubs, and function as Executive Directors of the various owners associations describing themselves as Leagues and handle matters such as discipline, disputes, etc.

9. What do they govern?

9.1. The commissioners are kind of like the President, at the end of the day, they are the ones in charge. But they cannot make changes all on their own, (like the President). They can suggest change and bring owners and players together to get an agreement to make that change.