Section 5: Rules of Play
Game Duration
A WNBA game consists of four 10-minute quarters, for a total of 40 minutes of regulation play. This is a key structural difference from the NBA's 12-minute quarters and aligns the WNBA more closely with FIBA international rules timing. The game clock stops for dead balls, fouls, violations, timeouts, and other stoppages; actual elapsed time is typically 1.75 to 2 hours.
- Halftime: A 15-minute intermission occurs between the second and third quarters
- Between quarters: A short break occurs between the first and second quarters and between the third and fourth quarters
Shot Clock (24 Seconds)
The offensive team must attempt a shot that hits the rim within 24 seconds of gaining possession of the ball.
- Full reset (24 seconds): After a change of possession, a defensive foul that does not result in free throws, or a kicked-ball violation by the defense
- Partial reset (14 seconds): After an offensive rebound, after the ball goes out of bounds off the offensive team and is retained in the frontcourt, or after specified defensive infractions in the frontcourt
- Shot clock violation: If the shot clock expires before a valid shot attempt (one that hits the rim), possession is awarded to the opposing team
Starting Play
- Jump ball: Each game begins with a jump ball at center court. Two opposing players stand inside the center circle and the referee tosses the ball upward between them; each jumper may tap the ball after it reaches its highest point.
- Held-ball situations: Held balls and simultaneous possessions during play are resolved as specified in the rule book (typically by a referee-tossed jump ball at the nearest circle).
Ball Advancement
- The offensive team must advance the ball past the half-court line within 10 seconds of gaining possession in the backcourt
- Once the ball is established in the frontcourt (both feet of the ball-handler and the ball are past the half-court line), the offensive team may not return the ball to the backcourt — doing so is a backcourt violation (over-and-back)
Timeouts
- Each team is granted a fixed number of timeouts per game, allocated by half and quarter under league rules
- Timeout duration and television-mandated breaks are governed by the league's broadcast protocol
- Limits apply on how many timeouts a team may carry into the final stretch of the fourth quarter
- Each team receives additional timeouts for any overtime period; unused regulation timeouts do not carry over
Overtime
- If the score is tied at the end of the fourth quarter, a 5-minute overtime period is played
- Overtime begins with a jump ball at center court
- Additional overtime periods are played until one team has a higher score at the end of a period — WNBA games cannot end in a tie
- Personal fouls carry over from regulation into overtime; team foul counts reset for each overtime period
Inbounding the Ball
- After a violation, a foul resulting in a throw-in, or an out-of-bounds play, the ball is inbounded from the designated spot nearest to the infraction. The inbounding player has 5 seconds to release the pass.
- In the final stretch of the fourth quarter and overtime, a team calling a timeout after a made basket may elect to inbound from the frontcourt sideline instead of behind the baseline (the "advance the ball" rule)