Tutorial · 8 min · endpoints verified 2026-09-22

How to build a WNBA live scoreboard

Build a date-aware WNBA score strip from the 2026 matches feed. This guide uses only the routes currently supported for WNBA; it never fills a gap with NBA data.

API coverage and endpoint overview: Explore the WNBA API

Why this is hard

The data contract behind a WNBA live scoreboard

A scoreboard must distinguish scheduled, live, and final games while making the scheduled-refresh latency visible.

  • WNBA scores use scheduled REST refreshes and can lag by hours during a live game.
  • Do not render player leaders or standings beside this board; those WNBA products are not loaded.
  • Preserve canonical match and team IDs instead of joining on display names.
  • Show source timestamps and a useful empty state when a query returns no rows.

Path 1 · recommended

Have your AI agent build it

Use MCP for discovery, then make the workflow-specific REST request when the MCP tool set does not expose that enrichment.

1. Connect the MCP server

Add the server in your MCP client and sign in with your Big Balls account. Your client registers itself and handles the token exchange — there is no key to copy.

MCP client configjson
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bigballs-sports-data": {
      "url": "https://mcp.bigballsdata.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

2. Tools your agent gets

  • get_matches

    Live, upcoming or historical matches for a sport or league.

  • get_coverage

    Machine-readable map of what we hold and what we do not.

3. Ask for what you want

Paste this at your agent. It is written to make the model check coverage before it designs anything, which is what stops it inventing a field we do not serve.

Prompttext
Build a WNBA live scoreboard. Start with get_coverage for basketball, then get_matches with league=wnba. Preserve canonical IDs and timestamps. Use only WNBA capabilities documented by Big Balls Sports Data. If a field is unavailable, show that state and do not substitute an NBA value.

What the agent cannot reach

The MCP server does not expose every REST route used below. It also cannot make an unsupported WNBA field appear, so keep the REST capability boundary visible in the final interface.

Path 2 · hand-coded

Build it yourself

The sequence below starts from a league-filtered collection, follows a returned ID, and shapes only fields the response actually carries.

  1. 01

    List the WNBA population

    Begin with an explicit sport and league filter. Check HTTP status before interpreting an empty data array.

    League-scoped requestbash
    curl -s "https://api.bigballsdata.com/v1/matches?sport=basketball&league=wnba&date=today" \
+  -H "x-api-key: $BBS_API_KEY"
  2. 02

    Follow the canonical identifier

    Take the ID from the list response and request the exact workflow-specific resource. Never manufacture an ID from a team name.

    Workflow detail requestbash
    curl -s "https://api.bigballsdata.com/v1/matches/$MATCH_ID" \
+  -H "x-api-key: $BBS_API_KEY"
  3. 03

    Create the product view model

    Transform the served fields without inferring unavailable metrics. The example keeps null and empty states explicit.

    Honest view modeltypescript
    const card = {
  id: game.id,
  away: game.away.name,
  home: game.home.name,
  score: game.score ?? null,
  status: game.status,
  observedAt: response.meta?.generated_at ?? null,
};

Reference

Every endpoint this tutorial uses

All on the gateway at api.bigballsdata.com. Verified against production on 2026-09-22.

MethodPathReturnsWhy you need itPlan
GET/v1/matches?sport=basketball&league=wnbaLeague-scoped games, teams, status and scoresDefines the exact game population and supplies canonical identifiers.Free
GET/v1/matches/:idOne game with status, score and period linescoreRefreshes only the selected scoreboard card.Free

Pricing, honestly

The scoreboard starts on Free

Both match discovery and game detail are Free routes. Upgrade for volume or another verified capability, not for a field the WNBA feed does not hold.

Free key

jsonjson
Today’s games, status, final scores and period linescores where present.

Solo

jsonjson
Higher request allowances; the WNBA score shape stays the same.
  • Cache completed games instead of polling immutable rows.
  • Treat plan_required as a product boundary, not a retryable outage.
  • Keep the WNBA capability set separate from NBA.
See the full plan ladder →

More tutorials

Other build guides

Known gaps

What this workflow deliberately leaves out

A useful first version is narrower than a misleading one. Add another panel only when its league-specific route and fields are verified.

  • WNBA scores use scheduled REST refreshes and can lag by hours during a live game.
  • Do not render player leaders or standings beside this board; those WNBA products are not loaded.

Questions

Can I replace missing WNBA fields with NBA data?
No. The schemas may be related, but the identities, competitions, and capability depth are not interchangeable.
What should the UI do with an empty response?
Check the status and error envelope, then show a dated empty state. Never turn a failed read into a factual zero.
Where do the plan labels come from?
The route floors come from the endpoint-plan registry used by the product and its checks. A sport-specific floor can override the shared route floor.

Related APIs

Other APIs you can build with:

WNBA APIBasketball API — Every League, One SchemaNBA API — Live Scores, Box Scores & PropsNCAA Basketball API

Also on this sport

NBA Player Props APIInjury Data API for Developers: Free

Stats reference

NBA Player Stats APINBA Player Props API

Ship a WNBA live scoreboard

Start with the supported WNBA workflow, preserve its evidence, and add depth only when the league really serves it.