Bethany Donaphin is Head of League Operations for the Women’s National Basketball Association. In this role, she oversees all on-court basketball operations, including the management of rule changes, the enforcement of conduct standards, the evaluation of game officials, and the application of analytics and innovation on the future of the game. She also leads the administration of player-related policies and programs and the strategic development of the league’s social justice platform. Additionally, Donaphin partners with USA Basketball, the NCAA, and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association to promote the growth of women’s basketball.
Donaphin formerly served as the NBA’s Associate Vice President, Basketball Operations, with a focus on career development for former players. In addition to leading programs for retired players transitioning into the business world, she advised on projects to advance the on-court product for the NBA, WNBA and G League.
Before joining the NBA in 2016, Donaphin was a management consultant at Deloitte in the Strategy & Operations division, where she helped Fortune 500 companies execute global business model transformations. Donaphin played professional basketball in the WNBA with the New York Liberty, and overseas in Spain, Turkey, and Italy. She has a B.A. in Public Policy from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
