WNBA faces an odd statistic. Home teams have only won 29% of games
Playing at home hasn't provided much comfort for WNBA teams this season. Out of the 15 teams, only New York has a winning record at home. This is the worst percentage to start a season by home teams in the league's 30-year history, according to Elias Sports Bureau stats provided to The Associated Press by the WNBA.
NEW YORK (AP) — Playing at home hasn't provided much comfort for WNBA teams this season. Through nearly the first two weeks, home teams have only won about 29% of games. Out of the 15 teams, only New York has a winning record at home.
This is the worst percentage to start a season by home teams in the league's 30-year history, according to Elias Sports Bureau stats provided to The Associated Press by the WNBA. Through an equivalent number of games, the previous worst was 41% in 2021 — when fans weren't allowed to attend games early on because of the COVID pandemic. Home teams won 43% of their games to start the 2016 season.
Both those years the number reached over 50% by the end of the season. There was nearly a 54% home advantage in 2021 and 55% in 2016. There are a lot of factors that go into the poor start at home so far, including scheduling.
The expected top teams Las Vegas and New York have been on the road for most of the start of the season. That said, Chicago, which was near the bottom of the standings last year, went 3-1 on the road to begin this season. “It’s bizarre and interesting, but I don’t think it signals a trend that will continue,” ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo said.