WNBA Data

Setup

Before first use, check if the CLI is available:

which sports-skills || pip install sports-skills

If pip install fails with a Python version error, the package requires Python 3.10+. Find a compatible Python:

python3 --version  # check version
# If < 3.10, try: python3.12 -m pip install sports-skills
# On macOS with Homebrew: /opt/homebrew/bin/python3.12 -m pip install sports-skills

No API keys required.

Quick Start

Prefer the CLI — it avoids Python import path issues:

sports-skills wnba get_scoreboard
sports-skills wnba get_standings --season=2025
sports-skills wnba get_teams

Choosing the Season

Derive the current year from the system prompt's date (e.g., currentDate: 2026-02-18 → current year is 2026).

• If the user specifies a season, use it as-is.
• If the user says "current", "this season", or doesn't specify: The WNBA season runs May–October. If the current month is May–October, use season = current_year. If November–April (offseason), use season = current_year - 1 (most recently completed season).
• Never hardcode a season. Always derive it from the system date.

Commands

get_scoreboard

Get live/recent WNBA scores.

• date (str, optional): Date in YYYY-MM-DD format. Defaults to today.

Returns events[] with game info, scores, status, and competitors.

get_standings

Get WNBA standings by conference.

• season (int, optional): Season year

Returns groups[] with Eastern/Western conferences and team standings including W-L, PCT, GB, and streak.

get_teams

Get all WNBA teams. No parameters.

Returns teams[] with id, name, abbreviation, logo, and location.

get_team_roster

Get full roster for a team.

• team_id (str, required): ESPN team ID (e.g., "5" for Las Vegas Aces)

Returns athletes[] with name, position, jersey number, height, weight, experience.

get_team_schedule

Get schedule for a specific team.

• team_id (str, required): ESPN team ID
• season (int, optional): Season year

Returns events[] with opponent, date, score (if played), and venue.

get_game_summary

Get detailed box score and scoring plays.

• event_id (str, required): ESPN event ID

Returns game_info, competitors, boxscore (stats per player), scoring_plays, and leaders.

get_leaders

Get WNBA statistical leaders (points, rebounds, assists, etc.).

• season (int, optional): Season year. Defaults to most recently completed season.

Returns categories[] with leader rankings per stat category.

get_news

Get WNBA news articles.

• team_id (str, optional): Filter by team

Returns articles[] with headline, description, published date, and link.

get_schedule

Get WNBA schedule for a specific date or season.

• date (str, optional): Date in YYYY-MM-DD format
• season (int, optional): Season year (used only if no date provided)

Returns events[] for the specified date.

Team IDs (Common)

Examples

User: "What are today's WNBA scores?"

sports-skills wnba get_scoreboard

User: "Show me the WNBA standings"

sports-skills wnba get_standings --season=2025

User: "Who's on the Indiana Fever roster?"

sports-skills wnba get_team_roster --team_id=5

User: "Show me WNBA statistical leaders"

sports-skills wnba get_leaders --season=2025

Error Handling

When a command fails, do not surface raw errors to the user. Instead:

1. Catch silently and try alternatives
2. If team name given instead of ID, use get_teams to find the ID first
3. Only report failure with a clean message after exhausting alternatives

Troubleshooting

• sports-skills command not found: Run pip install sports-skills
• Team not found: Use get_teams to list all teams and find the correct ID
• No data for future games: ESPN only returns data for completed or in-progress games
• Offseason (Nov–Apr): get_scoreboard returns 0 events — expected. Use get_standings --season=2025 or get_news instead.