Has a WNBA team ever gone winless in a regular season? Which franchise has the fewest wins?
With Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever still in search of their first win, some have questioned who has the most losses in the WNBA. Let’s take a look.
It’s been over 30 years since the WNBA was founded and in that time we’ve seen some teams come to the fore, others cease to exist, and others just keep plugging away. Regardless, what’s certain is that we’ve witnessed the best of women’s basketball. Yet, who among those teams has won the most, and who has the dubious honor of losing the most?
History has not favored the Washington Mystics’
Founded back in 1996, with official play beginning in 1997, The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has like most other professional leagues maintained a record of its win-loss statistics since its inception. At present there are 12 teams that play in the WNBA, however, there are also six defunct teams that are accounted for when dealing with the records of teams. On that note, it’s worth noting that of the league’s eight inaugural teams, only four remain: the Las Vegas Aces, Los Angeles Sparks, New York Liberty, and the Phoenix Mercury.
Understandably, all four of those teams are tied for the most games played in WNBA history, with 894. When it comes to new additions, it’s the Atlanta Dream that are the WNBA’s team, having begun to play in 2008. As for wins and losses, it’s the Sparks that hold the highest winning percentage at 522–372. This of course brings us to the opposite side of the spectrum and both the Dallas Wings and Washington Mystics are tied for the lowest winning percentage, with a record of 383–483 (.442). If you’re wondering there is no team that has gone winless during a WNBA season, however, the New York Liberty came close during the covid-19 bubble season of 2020 when they registered just two wins.
As for the league’s newest superstar and No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, Caitlin Clark, the former Iowa sensation is as mentioned before still on the hunt for her first career win, but there is no need for alarm bells just yet as the Fever are definitely not perennial losers, something she herself seems to be taking stock of. “You’re never happy to lose,” Clark said following her team’s 85-83 loss to the Seattle Storm on Wednesday night. “It’s not fun, but at the same time, there’s just a lot of things to build on. That’s why I’m just trying to be as positive as possible, continue to learn, continue to stack days. I know our first win will be right around the corner.”