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League Champion: Washington Mystics (First WNBA title)
Top Draft Pick: Jackie Young (LVA, University of Notre Dame)
&nbsp;
<a href="http://www.wnba.com/awards/">Awards</a>
<ul>
<li>Most Valuable Player: <a href="https://www.wnba.com/elena-delle-donne-2019-wnba-most-valuable-player/">Elena Delle Donne (WAS), 2nd MVP</a></li>
<li>Rookie of the Year: <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/minnesotas-napheesa-collier-named-2019-wnba-rookie-of-the-year/">Napheesa Collier (MIN)</a></li>
<li>Defensive Player of the Year: <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/seattles-natasha-howard-named-2019-wnba-defensive-player-of-the-year/">Natasha Howard (SEA)</a></li>
<li>Sixth Woman of the Year: <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/las-vegas-dearica-hamby-named-2019-wnba-sixth-woman-of-the-year/">Dearica Hamby (LVA</a>)</li>
<li>Most Improved Player: <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/leilani-mitchell-named-2019-wnba-most-improved-player/">Leilani Mitchell (PHX), 2nd Sixth</a></li>
<li>Coach of the Year: <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/chicagos-james-wade-named-2019-wnba-coach-of-the-year/">James Wade (CHI)</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Top Players
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/mvp-delle-donne-unanimously-selected-to-2019-all-wnba-first-team/">All-WNBA First Team</a>: Elena Delle Donne (WAS), Chelsea Gray (LAS), Brittney Griner (PHX), Natasha Howard (SEA), Courtney Vandersloot (CHI)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-WNBA Second Team: Liz Cambage (LVA), Diamond DeShields (CHI), Jonquel Jones (CON), Nneka Ogwumike (LAS), Odyssey Sims (MIN)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/rookie-of-the-year-collier-headlines-2019-all-rookie-team/">All-Rookie Team</a>: Napheesa Collier (MIN), Teaira McCowan (IND), Arike Ogunbowale (DAL), Brianna Turner (PHX), Jackie Young (LVA)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/wnba-defensive-player-of-the-year-natasha-howard-highlights-2019-wnba-all-defensive-first-team/">All-Defense First Team</a>: Jordin Canada (SEA), Natasha Howard (SEA), Jonquel Jones (CON), Nneka Ogwumike (LAS), Jasmine Thomas (CON)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-Defense Second Team: Ariel Atkins (WAS), Alysha Clark (SEA), Natasha Cloud (WAS), Brittney Griner (PHX), Alyssa Thomas (CON)</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Stats Leaders
<ul>
<li>Points Per Game: Brittney Griner (PHX): 20.7</li>
<li>Rebounds Per Game: Jonquel Jones (CON): 9.7</li>
<li>Assists Per Game: Courtney Vandersloot (CHI): 9.1</li>
<li>Steals Per Game: Jordin Canada (SEA): 2.3</li>
<li>Blocks Per Game: Brittney Griner (PHX) / Jonquel Jones (CON): 2.0</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Regular Season
A new season also brought new leadership to the WNBA as Cathy Engelbert was appointed as the Commissioner of the WNBA on May 15. She joined the WNBA on July 17 when her four-year term as the CEO of Deloitte concluded.
For the first time in league history, one franchise held the No. 1 overall draft pick for three consecutive years. After drafting Kelsey Plum with the first pick in 2017 and A’ja Wilson as the top pick in 2018, the Las Vegas Aces selected Notre Dame’s Jackie Young with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft. Young was followed by Asia Durr (New York), Teaira McCowan (Indiana), Katie Lou Samuelson (Chicago), Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas) and Napheesa Collier (Minnesota) in the top half of the first round.
Some players can go an entire career without ever making a buzzer-beater to win a game. Fever rookie Teaira McCowan did it in her professional debut as <a href="https://on.nba.com/39tTvi4">her layup at the buzzer off a great pass from Candice Dupree</a> upended the Liberty 81-80.
While many rookies showed flashes of their potential throughout the year<a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/minnesotas-napheesa-collier-named-2019-wnba-rookie-of-the-year/">, the Rookie of the Year race came down to two players</a> – Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier and Dallas’ Arike Ogunbowale.
Collier showcased her all-around game as she averaged 13.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.9 steals (tied for 3rd in WNBA) and 0.94 blocked shots while starting all 34 games for the Lynx and logging a WNBA-high 33.3 minutes per game.
Ogunbowale entered the WNBA after being a scoring machine in college and showed she could get buckets on the professional level as well.  She led all rookies in scoring and ranked third in the WNBA at 19.1 points per game. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWUHDhrj23U">Ogunbowale tied the WNBA record with four straight 30-point games</a> – the most ever by a rookie, but it was Collier that took home the award as she won the ROY vote 29-14.
Seattle’s title defense hopes were dealt a pair of huge blows in the months leading up to the 2019 season. First, reigning league and Finals MVP Breanna Stewart suffered a torn Achilles while playing in the EuroLeague championship in April that would force her to miss the entire season. Then, during training camp, the Storm announced that Sue Bird would undergo knee surgery, and while there was hope that she could return, she also ended up missing the entire 2019 season.
The phrase “next man up” is often overused in sports, but the Storm showcased that mentality, as the loss of both Stewart and Bird did not derail them from competing on a nightly basis. Behind a career-year from Defensive Player of the Year Natasha Howard and a strong sophomore season from Jordin Canada, who had the near-impossible task of filling in for the veteran Bird, the Storm went 18-16 on the year and still qualified for the playoffs.
The 2019 season also saw a pair of All-Star switch teams as Connecticut traded Chiney Ogwumike to the Los Angeles Sparks, where Chiney reunited with her sister Nneka for the first time since their college days together at Stanford. The Dallas Wings traded Liz Cambage to the Las Vegas Aces, where she teamed up with reigning Rookie of the Year A’ja Wilson to form one of the most imposing frontlines in the league.
But it was a team that stayed together from the previous season that found the most success as the Washington Mystics adopted the motto of “Run It Back” in their quest to not only get back to the WNBA Finals but also finish the job and capture their first WNBA title.
Washington finished atop the standings at 26-8, followed by Connecticut (23-11), Los Angeles (22-12), Las Vegas (21-13) and Chicago (20-14) as those five teams all finished with at least 20 wins.
Leading the way for the Mystics was Elena Delle Donne, who put together a historic season en route to winning her second Most Valuable Player award. After winning the 2015 MVP with the Chicago Sky, Delle Donne became the sixth player to win multiple MVPs and the first to win MVPs with two different franchises.
Delle Donne finished second in the league in scoring (19.5 PPG), fifth in rebounding (8.3 RPG) and tied for 10th in blocks (1.3 BPG). She also <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/wnba-stats-50-40-90-is-the-icing-on-edds-historic-season/">became the first WNBA player to join the exclusive 50-40-90 club</a> as she shot 51.5% from the field, 43.0% from 3-point range and a league-record 97.4% from the free throw line. Only eight NBA players have ever reached that level of shooting efficiency and all of them were quick to welcome EDD to the club.
Phoenix’s Brittney Griner won her second scoring title and extended her streak of leading the league in blocks for every season of her career. In 2019, Griner shared the league lead with Connecticut’s Jonquel Jones, who flourished as she returned to a full-time starter after the departure of Chiney Ogwumike.
Chicago’s Courtney Vandersloot once again led the league in assists as she became the first player in league history to dish out 300 assists in a single season (9.1 per game). Vandersloot now ranks sixth in career assists behind Sue Bird, Ticha Penicheiro, Lindsay Whalen, Diana Taurasi and Becky Hammon.
Whalen &#8211; who retired in 2018 to become the head women’s basketball coach at her alma mater, the University of Minnesota – had her No. 13 jersey retired not only by the Minnesota Lynx, which she helped lead to four championships, but also the Connecticut Sun, where she spent the first six seasons of her career and led to two Finals appearances.
Another legendary guard was honored in 2019 as Teresa Weatherspoon was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year was welcomed to the Hall by a trio of Houston Comets – Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson and Cynthia Cooper-Dyke – whom Weatherspoon shocked with her famous half-court game-winning shot in Game 2 of the 1999 WNBA Finals.
&nbsp;
All-Star
Las Vegas hosted the WNBA All-Star Game for the first time and the city known as the entertainment capital of the world lived up to that reputation as they put on an incredible show. All-Star 2019 was a two-day event with the introduction of WNBA All-Star Friday Night, which featured the Skills Challenge, Three-Point Contest, beach concert and party.
<a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/stricklen-deshields-win-three-point-contest-and-skills-challenge/">Chicago’s Diamond DeShields won the Skills Challenge</a> as she came from behind to edge out Connecticut’s Jonquel Jones in the final round. Connecticut’s Shekinna Stricklen won the Three-Point Contest as she scored 23 points in the final round of the to edge hometown favorite Kayla McBride by a single point.
In Saturday’s All-Star Game, it was Indiana’s Erica Wheeler that stole the show as she led Team Wilson to a 129-126 win over Team Delle Donne to take home Most Valuable Player honors. Wheeler finished with 25 points, seven assists and record-tying seven 3-pointers, as she became the first undrafted player to ever win WNBA All-Star MVP.
&nbsp;
Playoffs
<ul>
<li>First Round: (5) Chicago Sky def. (8) Phoenix Mercury, 105, 76</li>
<li>First Round: (6) Seattle Storm def. (7) Minnesota Lynx, 84-74</li>
<li>Second Round: (3) Los Angeles Sparks def. (6) Seattle Storm, 92-69</li>
<li>Second Round: (4) Las Vegas Aces def. (5) Chicago Sky, 93-92</li>
<li>Semifinals: (2) Connecticut Sun def. (3) Los Angeles Sparks, 3-0</li>
<li>Semifinals: (1) Washington Mystics def. (4) Las Vegas Aces, 3-1</li>
<li>Finals: (1) Washington Mystics def. (2) Connecticut Sun, 3-2</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
In the first three years of the new playoff format that featured single-elimination games in the first two rounds, there were always upsets that knocked higher seeds out earlier than expected. In 2019, it was chalk through the first two rounds as the semifinals featured the top four seeds in the league – No. 1 Washington, No. 2 Connecticut, No. 3 Los Angeles and No. 4 Las Vegas.
In the opening round, Phoenix’s undefeated run in single elimination playoff games came to an end with a 105-76 loss to Chicago. Seattle knocked off Minnesota in a battle of last two WNBA champions.
In the second round, Los Angeles routed Seattle to end the Storm’s title defense. The other second-round matchup between Las Vegas and Chicago gave basketball fans a moment they’ll remember for years to come.
Trailing by two with 13.5 seconds left and Chicago inbounding the ball, Las Vegas would need a miracle to come back and win this game. Enter Dearica Hamby. After Courtney Vandersloot took the inbounds pass and circled back to avoid the quick foul by Kelsey Plum, Sydney Colson came to help and forced Vandersloot to make a pass across half court. <a href="https://www.wnba.com/video/all-angles-of-dearica-hambys-game-winning-shot/">Hamby intercepted the pass, tight-roped the sideline to avoid going out of bounds and launched a 38-footer (with seven seconds still on the clock) that went in with five seconds to play</a>, giving the Aces a one-point lead that they would hold to pull off the improbable win.
Las Vegas’ magic ran out in the semifinals as they were ousted by the top-seeded Mystics in four games. In the other semifinal, the Connecticut Sun swept the Los Angeles Sparks in a series that may be most remembered for this quote from Sun guard Courtney Williams: “Tell ‘em a bunch of role players did that!”
The Sun were tired of hearing about how other teams had more superstars than they did and how the Sun were a great bunch of role players. The Sun adopted the theme of “DisrespeCT” with a series of hype videos and had the phrase emblazoned across their warm up shirts.
The Finals matchup between the Mystics and Sun guaranteed that a new WNBA champion would be crowned as the Mystics were 0-1 in the Finals (2018) and the Sun were 0-2 (2004, 2005).
The Mystics held home court in Game 1 as Elena Delle Donne (22 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists) and Ariel Atkins (21 points) led Washington to a 95-86 win. The Sun struck back in Game 2 behind a monster game from Jonquel Jones, who had 32 points and 18 rebounds, including a Finals record nine offensive boards, while the Mystics played much of the game without Delle Donne, who left in the first quarter with back spasms and never returned.
After a four-day break between Games 2 and 3, Delle Donne was able to return for the Mystics and helped Washington take a 2-1 lead with a 94-81 win in Connecticut. The Mystics tied the Finals record with 16 3-pointers made during the game as Emma Meesseman, Delle Donne and Kristi Toliver combined to shoot 10-12 from deep.
With their season on the line, the Sun battled to earn a 90-86 win to force a winner-take-all Game 5 back in D.C. Connecticut got double-doubles from Jones (18 points, 13 boards) and Alyssa Thomas (17 points, 11 assists, which tied the Finals record) as they stayed alive.
After using the motto of “Run It Back” all season long, the Mystics achieved their goal of winning their first WNBA title as they took Game 5 89-78. Washington got huge games from Elena Delle Donne (21 points, nine boards), Emma Meesseman (22 points), Kristi Toliver and Natasha Cloud (18 points each) to win the title on their home floor. Meesseman made history as the first reserve player to be named Finals MVP after she averaged 18 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 57.1% for the Finals.

wnba-decade-in-review-2019

WNBA Decade In Review: 2019

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League Champion: Seattle Storm (Third title in franchise history)
Top Draft Pick: A’ja Wilson (LVA, University of South Carolina)
&nbsp;
<a href="http://www.wnba.com/awards2018/">Awards</a>
<ul>
<li>Most Valuable Player: <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/seattles-breanna-stewart-named-2018-most-valuable-player/">Breanna Stewart (SEA)</a></li>
<li>Rookie of the Year: <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/aces-aja-wilson-unanimously-selected-2018-wnba-rookie-of-the-year/">A’ja Wilson (LVA)</a></li>
<li>Defensive Player of the Year: <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/sparks-alana-beard-named-2018-defensive-player-of-the-year/">Alana Beard (LAS), 2nd DPOY</a></li>
<li>Sixth Woman of the Year: <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/connecticut-sun-jonquel-jones-named-2018-wnba-sixth-woman-of-the-year/">Jonquel Jones (CON)</a></li>
<li>Most Improved Player: <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/seattles-natasha-howard-named-2018-wnba-most-improved-player/">Natasha Howard (SEA)</a></li>
<li>Coach of the Year: <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/atlantas-nicki-collen-named-2018-wnba-coach-of-the-year/">Nicki Collen (ATL)</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Top Players
<ul>
<li>All-WNBA First Team: Liz Cambage (DAL), Elena Delle Donne (WAS), Tiffany Hayes (ATL), Breanna Stewart (SEA), Diana Taurasi (PHX)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-WNBA Second Team: Skylar Diggins-Smith (DAL), Brittney Griner (PHX), Maya Moore (MIN), Candace Parker (LAS), Courtney Vandersloot (CHI)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-Rookie Team: Ariel Atkins (WAS), Diamond DeShields (CHI), Kelsey Mitchell (IND), Azurá Stevens (DAL), A&#8217;ja Wilson (LVA)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-Defense First Team: Alana Beard (LAS), Jessica Breland (ATL), Brittney Griner (PHX), Natasha Howard (SEA), Jasmine Thomas (CON)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-Defense Second Team: Ariel Atkins (WAS), Rebekkah Brunson (MIN), Sylvia Fowles (MIN), Tiffany Hayes (ATL), Nneka Ogwumike (LAS)</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Stats Leaders
<ul>
<li>Points Per Game: Liz Cambage (DAL): 23.0</li>
<li>Rebounds Per Game: Sylvia Fowles (MIN): 11.9</li>
<li>Assists Per Game: Courtney Vandersloot (CHI): 8.6</li>
<li>Steals Per Game: Maya Moore (MIN): 1.7</li>
<li>Blocks Per Game: Brittney Griner (PHX): 2.6</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Regular Season
The 2018 season saw a breakthrough year for a young superstar, the return of a star center after a four-year absence, a historic rookie season from the top pick in the draft and more milestones reached and records broken along the way.
On April 12, a new crop of talent was added to the league at the 2018 WNBA Draft. For the second straight year the Las Vegas Aces franchise held the No. 1 overall pick and selected the consensus NCAA Player of the Year A’ja Wilson from South Carolina. Following Wilson, Kelsey Mitchell went to Indiana at No. 2, and Diamond DeShields and Gabby Williams were selected by Chicago at No. 3 and 4, respectively.
Wilson was the unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year after <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/aja-wilson-rookie-year-greatest-wnba-history/">putting together one of the greatest debut seasons in the history of the WNBA</a>. Wilson finished with averages of 20.7 points (tied for 3rd in WNBA), 8.0 rebounds (sixth) and 1.7 blocks (sixth) as she led the Aces to a six-game improvement as they nearly snuck into the playoffs. Wilson finished seventh in MVP voting and was the only rookie selected to the 2018 All-Star Game. Historically, she had the second-highest scoring average by a rookie (Seimone Augustus, 21.9 PPG in 2006) and the fourth-highest PER by a rookie (behind the trio of Tamika Catchings, Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne).
After a four-year absence from the WNBA, Liz Cambage returned to the league and showed exactly why she was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 Draft. The 6-foot-8 center from Australia won her first WNBA scoring title as she averaged 23.0 points to go with 9.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 blocks per game for the Dallas Wings. Cambage finished as the runner-up in Most Valuable Player voting as she reintroduced herself as one of the most dominant women’s basketball players in the world.
She showed off her full arsenal of talents in a July 17 win over New York as she <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/breaking-down-liz-cambages-record-setting-game/">set a new WNBA record for points in a single game with a 53-point performance</a>. Cambage was simply on fire as she shot 17-of-22 (77.3%) from the field, 4-of-5 (80%) from 3-point range, and missed just one free throw in 16 attempts (93.8%). She summed up her performance best in her postgame interview: “I&#8217;ve had big numbers in China. I&#8217;ve had big numbers in Australia. I&#8217;ve heard a lot of people say I could never have big numbers here in the WNBA. So I guess this game was for y&#8217;all.”
As great as Wilson and Cambage were, the 2018 season belonged to Breanna Stewart and the Seattle Storm. <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/stewart-wins-mvp-as-she-leads-storm-resurgence/">The 2016 Rookie of the Year took her game to another level in her third WNBA season</a>. Stewart finished second in scoring (21.8 PPG), third in rebounding (8.4 RPG), seventh in blocks (1.4 BPG) and tied for fifth in steals (1.4 SPG) as she led the Storm to a league-best 26-8 record that was the second-best in franchise history and the first winning season for Seattle since 2011.
Before the season began, Stewart discussed her disdain for losing – she went 31-39 in her first two WNBA season, more losing than she had experienced in her life – and how she was ready to get back to her winning ways.
“It’s time to start winning,” she said. “I don’t want to come off as crass or cocky or anything like that, but losing sucks. It does. That’s just how I feel about it. And, no, I won’t ever get used to it. I can’t. That’s not how I’m wired.”
Winning Most Valuable Player trophies is something that Stewart is definitely used to – she won four straight Final Four Most Outstanding Player awards at UConn – and she took home her first WNBA MVP award at the end of the regular season.
In the East, the Atlanta Dream had a remarkable turnaround in their first season under head coach Nicki Collen. The Dream went from 12-22 in 2017 to 23-11 and the top record in the Eastern Conference (second overall) in 2018. The 11-game improvement was rewarded with Coach of the Year honors for Collen, Executive of the Year honors for Chris Sienko and an All-WNBA First Team honor for Tiffany Hayes.
In Chicago, it was another record-breaking year for point guard Courtney Vandersloot. After narrowly breaking Ticha Penicheiro’s single season assist average mark in 2017 (8.1), Vandersloot topped her own mark in 2018 with a league-leading 8.6 assists per game.
After finishing with the top two records in the league for the first two years of the new playoff format (2016 and 2017), the Minnesota Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks both fell down the standings a bit. Both still qualified for the playoffs, but would meet in a first round single elimination game rather than the five-game championship round.
A bunch of milestones were reached in 2018 by some of the league’s all-time greatest players. <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/sue-bird-reaches-game-no-500-and-counting/">Sue Bird became the all-time leader in games played</a> – passing DeLisha Milton-Jones &#8211; as she eclipsed the 500 games mark on July 21.
Already the league’s all-time leader in career points and 3-pointers made, <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/records-made-to-be-tied-broken-in-2018-wnba-season/">Diana Taurasi became the first player to ever reach 8,000 career points</a> and 1,000 career 3-pointers made.
On July 5, Rebekkah Brunson – the only player in WNBA history with five championships – became the league’s all-time leading rebounder. She began the game against Los Angeles in third place but passed both Lisa Leslie (3,307) and Tamika Catchings (3,316) to reach the top of the leaderboard.
Mike Thibault became the first coach in league history to reach 300 wins. And his star player Elena Delle Donne became the fastest player in league history to reach 3,000 career points as she reached the benchmark in just 148 games.
Two WNBA legends got their call to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018, as Tina Thompson and Katie Smith became the sixth and seventh WNBA players inducted into the Hall. Thompson and Smith combined for six WNBA titles, five Olympic gold medals and 16 WNBA All-Star selections. At the end of the decade, the two remain ranked in the top five in both games played (Thompson 3rd, Smith 4th), career points (Thompson 2nd, Smith 5th) and career 3-pointers made (Smith 2nd, Thompson 5th).
&nbsp;
All-Star
Minnesota hosted its first-ever WNBA All-Star Game and saw the introduction of a new format that removed the East vs. West matchup and had team captains from each conference select their own teams from the complete pool of All-Stars.
Maya Moore was the leading vote-getter but declined the option to serve as a captain, so the teams were led by Washington’s Elena Delle Donne and Los Angeles’ Candace Parker.
Moore may not have been a captain, but she was the best player on the court for the third straight All-Star Game. She finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists as she led Team Parker to a 119-112 win over Team Delle Donne and won her third straight All-Star MVP. She joined Lisa Leslie as the only three-time All-Star MVP and became the all-time scoring leader in All-Star history, passing Tamika Catchings’ mark of 108 total points.
In a nod to the record books, the second quarter began with the WNBA’s all-time leaders in points (Taurasi), assists (Bird) and rebounds (Brunson) all on the court together. Kristi Toliver of Team Delle Donne did her best to make it close at the end as she led all players with 23 points and shot 7-of-11 from 3-point range.
But the best 3-point shooting display came during halftime as Chicago’s Allie Quigley and Las Vegas’ Kayla McBride had an incredible shootout during the Three-Point Contest. Quigley earned the victory in a tie-breaker round with an All-Star record 29 points. It is the highest score ever posted in a three-point contest in either the WNBA or NBA.
&nbsp;
Playoffs
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>First Round: Los Angeles Sparks def. Minnesota Lynx, 75-68</li>
<li>First Round: Phoenix Mercury def. Dallas Wings, 101-83</li>
<li>Second Round: Phoenix Mercury def. Connecticut Sun, 96-86</li>
<li>Second Round: Washington Mystics def. Los Angeles Sparks, 96-64</li>
<li>Semifinals: Seattle Storm def. Phoenix Mercury, 3-2</li>
<li>Semifinals: Washington Mystics def. Atlanta Dream, 3-2</li>
<li>Finals: Seattle Storm def. Washington Mystics, 3-0</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
The first round began with a rematch of the previous two WNBA Finals as the Los Angeles Sparks eliminated the Minnesota Lynx 75-68 to advance. However, the Sparks were knocked out by the Connecticut Sun, who advanced to the semifinals for the first time under the new format.
The Phoenix Mercury continued their remarkable run of winning elimination games. Since the new playoff format debuted in 2016, the Mercury went 6-0 in the first two rounds of single-elimination games. They advanced to the semifinals to take on Seattle in what turned out to be the best series of the 2018 postseason.
The best-of-five series between Seattle and Phoenix began with a 91-87 Storm home win behind a game-high 28 points from Breanna Stewart and served as an appetizer of the drama that was to come.
Game 2 was an absolute classic as the Mercury overcame a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime. The Phoenix run including a jaw-dropping barrage of 3-pointers from Diana Taurasi, including one to tie the game with 3.6 seconds left to force overtime. In the extra session, the Storm were able to regain the lead and held on for a 91-87 win.
Facing elimination at home, the Mercury left little doubt that this series was not going to end in a sweep as they blitzed the Storm and won by 20. Game 4 once again saw the Storm build a 17-point lead like they did in Game 2 and once again saw the Mercury come charging back. Phoenix got a playoff career-high 29 points from Brittney Griner to force a winner-take-all Game 5 back in Seattle. In addition to losing the game, Seattle’s Sue Bird suffered a broken nose in the second quarter and was unable to return to the game.
Bird was back for the decisive Game 5, donning a protective mask over her broken nose – an injury she had suffered four previous times in her career. While it was Phoenix that played from behind for most of the series, this time it was the Storm that had to mount a comeback. And in the fourth quarter the Masked Bird caught fire. Bird scored 14 of her 22 points in the final six minutes of the game, making five of her six shots as the Storm overcame an 11-point first half deficit to earn a 94-84 win and their third trip to the WNBA Finals. In the process, the Storm ended one of the most remarkable streaks in league history as Diana Taurasi had been 13-0 in winner-take-all game before this Game 5 loss.
The other semifinal series also went five games and had its own drama surrounding the health of Mystics superstar Elena Delle Donne, who suffered a left knee bone bruise late in the fourth quarter of Washington’s Game 2 loss.
Delle Donne would miss Game 3 and the Mystics would fall to Atlanta to go down 2-1 in the series. With their season on the line in Game 4, Delle Donne returned to the lineup to give the Mystics everything she had while clearly being limited by the injury. Delle Donne posted a double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds) as all five Washington starters scored in double figures to defeat the Dream 97-76 and set up a winner-moves-on Game 5 in Atlanta.
With Delle Donne limited, the Mystics got big performances from rookie Ariel Atkins (20 points) and veterans Kristi Toliver (19 points) and Tianna Hawkins (17 points off the bench) to lead the Mystics to an 86-81 win. Delle Donne posted another double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds) and her free throws in the final 12 seconds seal the down-to-the-wire win.
While the semifinals were packed with drama, the Finals were much more one-sided as the Storm swept the Mystics in three games to claim their third WNBA title in franchise history. The Storm were dominant in Game 1 as they led by as many as 27 points and got a combined 45 points from Jewell Loyd and Breanna Stewart.
The Mystics put up a much tougher fight in Game 2, as Game 2 was a back-and-forth affair with seven ties and six lead changes. The Mystics led by four at the half and by three at the beginning of the fourth quarter. But Stewart came up clutch for the Storm with her offense (game-high 25 points) and defense (a pair of key fourth quarter steals) to carry Seattle to a 75-73 win.
The series shifted to the DMV as the Mystics hosted their first Finals game in franchise history. Unfortunately for Washington, it was also their final game of the season as the Storm prevailed as they took the lead midway through the first quarter and never looked back. Natasha Howard (29 points, 14 rebounds) had the best game of her career and Finals MVP Stewart had a game-high 30 points in the Storm’s 98-82 championship-clinching win.

wnba-decade-in-review-2018

WNBA Decade In Review: 2018

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<a href="https://www.wnba.com/wnba-playoff-picture-2017/">League Champion: Minnesota Lynx (Fourth title in franchise history)</a>
<a href="https://www.wnba.com/2017-wnba-draft/#/panel2-1">Top Draft Pick: Kelsey Plum (SAS, University of Washington)</a>
&nbsp;
Awards
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/sylvia-fowles-2017-wnba-mvp/">Most Valuable Player: Sylvia Fowles (MIN)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/dallas-allisha-gray-named-2017-wnba-rookie-year/">Rookie of the Year: Allisha Gray (DAL)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/los-angeles-alana-beard-named-2017-wnba-defensive-player-year/">Defensive Player of the Year: Alana Beard (LAS)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/new-yorks-sugar-rodgers-named-2017-wnba-sixth-woman-year/">Sixth Woman of the Year: Sugar Rodgers (NYL)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/connecticuts-jonquel-jones-named-2017-wnba-improved-player/">Most Improved Player: Jonquel Jones (CON)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/connecticuts-curt-miller-named-wnba-coach-year/">Coach of the Year: Curt Miller (CON)</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Top Players
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/2017-mvp-sylvia-fowles-headlines-2017-wnba-first-team/">All-WNBA First Team:</a> Tina Charles (NYL), Skylar Diggins-Smith (DAL), Sylvia Fowles (MIN), Maya Moore (MIN), Candace Parker (LAS)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-WNBA Second Team: Chelsea Gray (LAS), Brittney Griner (PHX), Jonquel Jones (CON), Nneka Ogwumike (LAS), Diana Taurasi (PHX)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/history_all-rookie-teams/">All-Rookie Team: </a>Kaela Davis (DAL), Allisha Gray (DAL), Kelsey Plum (SAS), Brittney Sykes (ATL), Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (WAS)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-Defense First Team: Alana Beard (LAS), Tina Charles (NYL), Sylvia Fowles (MIN), Nneka Ogwumike (LAS), Jasmine Thomas (CON)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-Defense Second Team: Rebekkah Brunson (MIN), Brittney Griner (PHX), Briann January (IND), Maya Moore (MIN), Alyssa Thomas (CON)</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Stats Leaders
<ul>
<li>Points Per Game: Brittney Griner (PHX): 21.9</li>
<li>Rebounds Per Game: Jonquel Jones (CON): 11.9</li>
<li>Assists Per Game: Courtney Vandersloot (CHI): 8.1</li>
<li>Steals Per Game: Alana Beard (LAS): 2.1</li>
<li>Blocks Per Game: Brittney Griner (PHX): 2.5</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Regular Season
With the top pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft, the San Antonio Stars selected the (then) NCAA women’s all-time leading scorer Kelsey Plum of the University of Washington. The Sky selected South Carolina’s Alaina Coates at No. 2 and the Dallas Wings added Kentucky’s Evelyn Akhator and South Carolina’s Allisha Gray at Nos. 3 and 4, respectively.
Once again, the Minnesota Lynx got off to a hot start, opening the season with nine straight wins and improving to 13-1 after defeating the Sparks in a Finals rematch after their epic five-game battle in 2016. The loss to the Lynx snapped an eight-game win streak for the Sparks, who opened the season 12-3.
For the second straight season, the Lynx (27-7) and Sparks (26-8) ran away with the top two records in the league. They were followed by a pair of 20-win teams from the Eastern Conference – the New York Liberty (22-12) and Connecticut Sun (21-13). This was the third straight year that the Liberty finished first in the East thanks to a 10-game win streak to close out the regular season, but the Sun’s rise came as a bit of a surprise.
With 2014 No. 1 pick Chiney Ogwumike set to miss the entire WNBA season for a second time (she missed 2015 with a knee injury, 2017 with a ruptured Achilles), expectations dipped for the Sun. They opened the season with four straight losses and were 1-5 before things began to click. Jonquel Jones emerged as the Most Improved Player in the league as she absorbed the minutes left by Ogwumike. After their 1-5 start, the Sun would put together three win streaks of five games or more as they went 20-8 the rest of the season to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
The new-look Washington Mystics finished at 18-16 – a five-win improvement from 2016 – after adding 2015 league MVP Elena Delle Donne and 2016 champion Kristi Toliver during the offseason.
After joining the Lynx midway through the 2015 season, Sylvia Fowles made an immediate impact on the team. She was named Finals MVP as the Lynx won their third title (Fowles’ first) that same year. A year later she was named Defensive Player of the Year for the third time in her career as she helped the Lynx get back to the Finals.
But in 2017, she took on a larger role in the team’s offense and made the most of those added opportunities as she displayed a two-way dominance that made her a clear-cut choice for her first MVP honor in her 10th WNBA season. She joined Tamika Catchings as the only other WNBA player to win their first MVP in their 10th season or later. On the NBA side, only Hakeem Olajuwon (10th), Kobe Bryant (12th) and Karl Malone (12th) have ever done it.
How dominant was Fowles? Take a look at her season averages: 18.9 points (fifth in WNBA), 10.4 rebounds (second), 2.0 blocks (tied for second), 65.5 FG% (first, fourth-highest mark in history). And she did that on the team that finished with the best record in the league for the second straight year and the fifth time in the last seven seasons.
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Just as Fowles broke the mold by winning MVP a decade into her career, Allisha Gray broke the mold of the Rookie of the Year winner. Since 2004 with Diana Taurasi, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft has gone on to win Rookie of the Year in 11 of the past 16 years. Gray, the fourth pick in the 2017 Draft, is one of five exceptions to this trend during that time.
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>2005: Janel McCarville No. 1 pick, Temeka Johnson ROY (No. 6 pick)</li>
<li>2007: Lindsey Harding No. 1 pick, Armintie Price ROY (No. 3 pick)</li>
<li>2013: Brittney Griner No. 1 pick, Elena Delle Donne ROY (No. 2 pick)</li>
<li>2017: Kelsey Plum No. 1 pick, Allisha Gray ROY (No. 4 pick)</li>
<li>2019: Jackie Young No. 1 pick, Napheesa Collier ROY (No. 6 pick)</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
The 2017 season also saw two of the most important all-time records set by two of the biggest stars in the league’s history.
On June 18, in the closing seconds of the first half of Phoenix’s game against the Sparks in Los Angeles (near her hometown of Chino), Diana Taurasi passed Tina Thompson’s mark of 7,488 points to become the all-time leading scorer in league history. While Thompson needed 17 seasons to reach her total, Taurasi needed only 13 to top it.  Since that time, Taurasi has increased her scoring total, becoming the only player to surpass 8,000 career points as she sits at 8,575 points after the 2019 season.
On Sept. 1, in the first quarter of Seattle’s game against the Mystics in Washington, D.C., Sue Bird became the WNBA’s all-time leader in assists as she surpassed Ticha Penicheiro’s mark of 2,599. At the end of the 2019 season, Bird has increased the record to 2,831 assists and should add to it in 2020 as both Bird and Taurasi will be back on the court.
While these two UConn legends continue their WNBA careers, a former Husky and one of the first players signed to play in the WNBA back in 1996, Rebecca Lobo became the fifth WNBA player to be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September.
On the business side, the WNBA had the first women’s sporting event ever streamed live on <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/live-wnba-games-streaming-twitter-2017-season/">Twitter as the league and the social media platform entered into a multi-year agreement to stream games.</a> The WNBA also became the first major sport to have a game streamed live game on a music streaming platform (TIDAL). And for the first time, all 12 WNBA teams, plus All-Star rosters, were available in the new NBA Live 18 video game.
In October, the WNBA and NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved the relocation of the Stars franchise from San Antonio to Las Vegas for the 2018 season. In November, the Las Vegas franchise won the WNBA Draft Lottery, giving them the top selection in the 2018 Draft. In December, the team unveiled its logo, colors and new name as the Las Vegas Aces became the city’s second major professional sports team, following the NHL’s Las Vegas Golden Knights.
&nbsp;
All-Star
The 2017 WNBA All-Star Game marked the first time that the marquee event was hosted by the city of Seattle. In front of a sellout crowd of 15,221 at KeyArena,<a href="https://www.wnba.com/video/the-top-5-plays-from-the-verizon-wnba-all-star-game-2018/"> the West All-Stars defeated the East 130-121.</a> Maya Moore won her second straight All-Star MVP as she scored a team-high 23 points in 23 minutes. Sue Bird, who tied Tina Thompson for the most All-Star appearances with 10, racked up an All-Star Game record 11 assists. Jonquel Jones of the Sun led all players with 24 points for the Eastern Conference, with the final two coming on a dunk in the closing seconds.
For the first time in eight years, the 3-point contest returned to WNBA All-Star as five of the league’s top sharpshooters competed in the two-round event during halftime of the All-Star Game. The final round came down to New York’s Sugar Rodgers and Chicago’s Allie Quigley, with Quigley coming out on top with an impressive 27-point performance in the final.
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Playoffs
<ul>
<li>First Round: (5) Phoenix Mercury def. (8) Seattle Storm, 1-0</li>
<li>First Round: (6) Washington Mystics def. (7) Dallas Wings, 1-0</li>
<li>Second Round: (5) Phoenix Mercury def. (4) Connecticut Sun, 1-0</li>
<li>Second Round: (6) Washington Mystics def. (3) New York Liberty, 1-0</li>
<li>Semifinals: (2) Los Angeles Sparks def. (5) Phoenix Mercury, 3-0</li>
<li>Semifinals: (1) Minnesota Lynx def. (6) Washington Mystics, 3-0</li>
<li>Finals: (1) Minnesota Lynx def. (2) Los Angeles Sparks, 3-2</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
The second year of the new playoff format brought about many of the same results that were seen in its debut during the 2016 Playoffs.
The Lynx and Sparks finished 1-2 for the second straight season and earned the double-bye to the semifinal round. There were upsets in the single-elimination rounds as both the No. 3 seed Liberty and No. 4 seed Sun were bounced after just one game as they were upended by the No. 6 Mystics and No. 5 Mercury, respectively.
However, the Mystics and Mercury were unable to keep the magic going against the top two seeds as the Lynx and Sparks both swept their way to the finals to set up a rematch of last year’s five-game classic.
The 2017 Finals were playing out eerily similar to the 2016 Finals. The Sparks stole Game 1 in Minnesota thanks to a last-second shot – this time it was Chelsea Gray that knocked down the game-winner. The Lynx responded to even the series as it shifted to Los Angeles. The Sparks won Game 3 to put them on the cusp of the title, but with their backs against the wall, the Lynx stayed alive and forced another winner-take-all Game 5 back in Minnesota.
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History was on the line in Game 5 as the Sparks looked to become the first team in 15 years to successfully defend the championship (the 2001 and 2002 Sparks were the last team to win back-to-back titles) and the Lynx looked to claim their fourth WNBA title, matching the Houston Comets for the most ever by a single team.
The Lynx built an early lead – going up by 11 points with 2:34 remaining in the first quarter – and fought back every Sparks rally the rest of the night. L.A. cut the lead to two by the end of the first quarter, but the Lynx responded and pushed the lead back to 11 with a minute left in the first half. The Sparks closed the half on a 7-2 run to cut the lead to six at the halftime break.
The Lynx scored the first six points of the second half to build their biggest lead of the game at 12 points. Once again, the Sparks had to chip away at the lead; they cut it to four points (60-56) to close the third quarter. The Lynx had yet another answer as they pushed the lead back to 12 with 2:32 remaining in the game. But everyone knew the defending champion Sparks had one more run left in them.
The Sparks would score the game’s next nine points, cutting the Lynx lead to three (79-76) with 34.9 seconds left after an old fashioned jumper by Odyssey Sims. With all of the momentum on L.A.’s side, the Lynx nearly committed another turnover on the inbounds pass. Seimone Augustus saved the ball from a backcourt violation and got it to Sylvia Fowles, she handed it off to Maya Moore, who drove and hit a tough runner from the free throw line to make it a two-possession game with 26.5 seconds left. Sims missed a three with 22 seconds left and Fowles grabbed her 20th rebound of the game to essentially seal the victory. Fowles and Lindsay Whalen each knocked down a pair of free throws to close out the 85-76 victory.
Fowles was named Finals MVP for the second time in her career, and Whalen won a WNBA champion in the same gym – Williams Arena at the University of Minnesota – where her college jersey hangs in the rafters.
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The 2017 WNBA Finals on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 is the third most-watched WNBA Finals ever on ESPN networks averaging 559,000 viewers for the five-game series since the networks began exclusively televising the Finals in 2003.

wnba-decade-in-review-2017

WNBA Decade In Review: 2017

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League Champion: Los Angeles Sparks (Third title in franchise history)
Top Draft Pick: Breanna Stewart (SEA, University of Connecticut)
&nbsp;
<a href="http://www.wnba.com/awards2016/">Awards</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.wnba.com/nneka-ogwumike-2016-wnba-mvp/">Most Valuable Player: Nneka Ogwumike (LAS)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.wnba.com/breanna-stewart-2016-wnba-rookie-of-year/">Rookie of the Year: Breanna Stewart (SEA)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/sylvia-fowles-named-2016-defensive-player-of-year/">Defensive Player of the Year: Sylvia Fowles (MIN)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/sparks-jantel-lavender-named-2016-wnba-sixth-woman-year/">Sixth Woman of the Year: Jantel Lavender (LAS)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/elizabeth-williams-2016-wnba-most-improved-player-award/">Most Improved Player: Elizabeth Williams (ATL)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/minnesota-lynx-cheryl-reeve-2016-wnba-coach-of-year/">Coach of the Year: Cheryl Reeve (MIN), 2nd COY</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Top Players
<ul>
<li>All-WNBA First Team: Sue Bird (SEA), Tina Charles (NYL), Elena Delle Donne (CHI), Maya Moore (MIN), Nneka Ogwumike (LAS)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-WNBA Second Team: Sylvia Fowles (MIN), Jewell Loyd (SEA), Angel McCoughtry (ATL), Breanna Stewart (SEA), Diana Taurasi (PHX)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-Rookie Team: Moriah Jefferson (SAS), Imani McGee-Stafford (CHI), Tiffany Mitchell (IND), Aerial Powers (DAL), Breanna Stewart (SEA)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-Defense First Team: Alana Beard (LAS), Sylvia Fowles (MIN), Briann January (IND), Angel McCoughtry (ATL), Nneka Ogwumike (LAS)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-Defense Second Team: Tamika Catchings (IND), Brittney Griner (PHX), Breanna Stewart (SEA), Jasmine Thomas (CON), Tanisha Wright (NYL)</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Stats Leaders
<ul>
<li>Points Per Game: Tina Charles (NYL): 21.5</li>
<li>Rebounds Per Game: Tina Charles (NYL): 9.9</li>
<li>Assists Per Game: Sue Bird (SEA): 5.8</li>
<li>Steals Per Game: Tamika Catchings (IND): 1.8</li>
<li>Blocks Per Game: Brittney Griner (PHX): 3.1</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Regular Season
The year 2016 brought a new president, a new superstar and a new playoff format to the WNBA.
On April 14, the new president Lisa Borders introduced the new superstar, <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/seattle-storm-select-breanna-stewart-reaction/">Breanna Stewart, as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft</a> by the Seattle Storm. This was the second straight No. 1 pick for Seattle (Jewell Loyd in 2015) as the Storm laid the foundation for their future success.
Stewart entered the WNBA following a historic run of success at the University of Connecticut. She led the Huskies to the national championship each year of her college career and is the only player in NCAA Division I history to be named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four four times.
A pair of her college teammates followed her in the draft – Moriah Jefferson to San Antonio and Morgan Tucker to Connecticut – marking the first time in WNBA history that three players from the same school were selected with the top three picks in the draft.
Once the season tipped off, the defending champion Minnesota Lynx (12-0) and Los Angeles Sparks (11-0) both started the season red hot, setting up a historic matchup of unbeaten teams when they met on June 21. The matchup marked the first time in history that two teams from the WNBA, NBA, NFL, MLB, or NHL met with each team having 10 or more wins, no losses and no ties. The game lived up to the hype as the Lynx edged out the Sparks, 72-69, on a 3-point shot by Renee Montgomery with 2.9 seconds to play.
&nbsp;
That historic game took place 19 years to the date of the WNBA’s inaugural game on June 21, 1997. In celebration of the league’s 20th season, the WNBA unveiled the names of the 20 greatest and most influential players in league history – a group known as the Top 20@20. Four members of that elite group of 20 participated in the Sparks-Lynx matchup with Candace Parker representing L.A, while Seimone Augustus, Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen represented Minnesota.
The other 16 players honored for their contributions to the game were: Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Tamika Catchings, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, Yolanda Griffith, Becky Hammon, Lauren Jackson, Lisa Leslie, Deanna Nolan, Ticha Penicheiro, Cappie Pondexter, Katie Smith, Sheryl Swoopes, Diana Taurasi, Tina Thompson and Teresa Weatherspoon.
The Lynx (28-6) and Sparks (26-8) ran away from the entire Western Conference while the New York Liberty (21-13) finished first in the East. It would be star players from those three teams that went 1-2-3 in MVP voting. Los Angeles’ Nneka Ogwumike won her first MVP award, becoming the eighth different player in the last eight years to win the honor. New York’s Tina Charles finished second and Minnesota’s Maya Moore finished third in the voting.
Ogwumike shot a WNBA-best 66.5 percent from the field this season, the second-highest mark of all time, and set league records for consecutive field goals made (23) and most field goals in a game without a miss (12 vs. Dallas on June 11).  She finished third in the league in scoring (career-high 19.7 PPG) and rebounding (career-high 9.1 RPG) and recorded the second-most double-doubles (18).  She added career highs in assists (3.1 APG) and blocks (1.2 BPG) to go with 1.3 SPG in 33 games.
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While the MVP race was tight, the Rookie of the Year contest was a bit one-sided as Seattle’s Breanna Stewart ran away with the honor after putting together one of the most impressive debut seasons in league history. Stewart led all rookies with 18.3 points (sixth in the WNBA), 9.3 rebounds (second) and 1.8 blocks (third) as she helped the Storm make a six-win improvement from 2015 to return to the playoffs after a two-year absence. With Jewell Loyd winning ROY in 2015, the Storm became the first team in WNBA history to have the Rookie of the Year in consecutive seasons.
We go from the beginning of a promising career to the conclusion of one of the greatest careers of all time as <a href="https://www.wnba.com/tamika/">Indiana’s Tamika Catchings retired from the WNBA after 15 seasons</a>. The 2011 MVP, 2012 champion and Finals MVP, and five-time Defensive Player of the Year retired as the WNBA’s all-time leader in steals, rebounds and free throw attempts and the league’s second-leading scorer. (Catchings was later surpassed by Diana Taurasi and now ranks third all-time in scoring.) But her impact was felt far beyond the numbers she posted on the court. She played the game with a passion and intensity that few players ever have and is one of the most giving and inspirational players off the court.
Another WNBA legend was honored in 2016 as the San Antonio Stars retired the No. 25 jersey of Becky Hammon two years after she ended her WNBA playing career and began her NBA coaching career as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs. As the Stars honored one of their best in 2016, they also won the WNBA Draft Lottery to hold the top pick in the 2017 Draft.
On Sept. 9, three-time WNBA MVP and four-time WNBA champion Sheryl Swoopes received the ultimate honor as she was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame alongside Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson and Yao Ming in the Class of 2016. Swoopes was just the fourth WNBA player to join the Naismith Hall of Fame but would be joined by teammates and opponents in future classes throughout the remainder of the decade.
&nbsp;
All-Star
The was no WNBA All-Star Game held in 2016 due to the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. A record 26 active WNBA players began competition in the Summer Olympics, representing the United States, Australia, Brazil, Serbia and Spain &#8211; surpassing the previous record of 22 from the Sydney Games in 2000.
The United States would win their sixth consecutive gold medal – a streak that began with the 1996 team that helped launch the WNBA two decades earlier. The veteran trio of Sue Bird, Tamika Catchings and Diana Taurasi joined legends Teresa Edwards and Lisa Leslie as the only athletes in history with four Olympic gold medals in basketball.
&nbsp;
Playoffs
The 2016 season marked the debut of the WNBA’s new playoff format. Under the new postseason structure, the eight teams with the highest winning percentages regardless of conference qualify for the playoffs and are seeded based on their record.
The number of playoff rounds increased from three to four.  The top two seeds receive a bye to the semifinals (third round), and the third and fourth seeds receive a bye to the second round. Teams are re-seeded after each playoff round.
The first and second rounds are single elimination. In the first round, the No. 5 seed hosts the No. 8 seed and the No. 6 seed hosts the No. 7 seed.  In the second round, the No. 3 seed hosts the lowest-seeded first-round winner and the No. 4 seed hosts the other first-round winner.
The semifinals feature a best-of-five format, with the No. 1 overall seed playing the lowest remaining seed and the No. 2 overall seed meeting the remaining team.  The Nos. 1 and 2 seeds will host Games 1, 2 and 5, and the lower-seeded teams will host Games 3 and 4 in their respective series. The WNBA Finals remain best-of-five and follow the same 2-2-1 format.
<ul>
<li>First Round: (6) Atlanta Dream def. (7) Seattle Storm, 1-0</li>
<li>First Round: (8) Phoenix Mercury def. (5) Indiana Fever, 1-0</li>
<li>Second Round: (4) Chicago Sky def. (6) Atlanta Dream, 1-0</li>
<li>Second Round: (8) Phoenix Mercury def. (3) New York Liberty, 1-0</li>
<li>Semifinals: (2) Los Angeles Sparks def. (4) Chicago Sky, 3-1</li>
<li>Semifinals: (1) Minnesota Lynx def. (8) Phoenix Mercury, 3-0</li>
<li>Finals: (2) Los Angeles Sparks def. (1) Minnesota Lynx, 3-2</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
With five of the previous eight WNBA Finals ending in three-game sweeps, the new playoff format was designed to ensure that the top two teams in the league – regardless of conference affiliation – meet in the championship round to determine the league champion.
The debut season of the new format played that out to perfection. During the regular season, the Minnesota Lynx (28-6) and Los Angeles Sparks (26-8) finished well above the rest of the league – the next team (New York, 21-13) was five games behind the second-ranked Sparks.
In previous seasons, the Lynx and Sparks would likely have met in a best-of-three series in the Western Conference Finals with the winner moving on to the Finals against the top team from the East. Thanks to the new format, these two powerhouses could meet in a best-of-five series in the championship round.
The end result was a matchup of the two best teams in a five-game series that will go down as one of the most thrilling in league history. The Sparks struck first in Game 1 thanks to an Alana Beard baseline jumper at the buzzer to give L.A. the 78-76 road win.
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The Lynx would protect home court in Game 2 and send the series to Los Angeles tied at 1-1. The Sparks took Game 3 and were one win away from their first championship in 14 years. With their backs against the wall, the Lynx rode Maya Moore’s 31 points to force a winner-take-all Game 5 back in Minnesota.
Some games don’t live up to the hype – but this one exceeded it. Game 5 had 23 lead changes, 11 ties and neither team led by more than eight points all night. <a href="https://www.wnba.com/video/2016-wnba-finals-ending-game-winner/">The final 24 drama-filled seconds saw both teams take the lead twice.</a>
With 23.4 seconds remaining, Rebekkah Brunson put the Lynx up one (74-73) as she split a pair of free throws. Following a timeout, L.A. went to Nneka Ogwumike in the post, who found a cutting Candace Parker for a layup to put the Sparks up one (75-74) with 19.7 seconds left. Now it was Minnesota’s turn to take a timeout and draw up a play; they found Maya Moore for a turnaround jumper with 15.4 seconds that gave the lead back to the Lynx (76-75).
Out of timeouts, Chelsea Gray brought the ball up for the Sparks, dribbled into the lane, and put up a fadeaway jumper that missed with 7.5 seconds to play. Nneka Ogwumike grabbed the offensive rebound and put up a quick shot that was blocked by Sylvia Fowles with 5.2 seconds left. Ogwumike collected the blocked shot and put up a fadeaway jumper that dropped with 3.1 seconds to play to give the lead back to the Sparks (77-76). The Lynx got the ball to Lindsay Whalen for one last shot; she launched a half-court shot at the buzzer that only hit the backboard as the Sparks celebration began.
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wnba-decade-in-review-2016

WNBA Decade In Review: 2016

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League Champion: Minnesota Lynx (Third title in franchise history)
Top Draft Pick: Jewell Loyd (SEA, University of Notre Dame)
&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.wnba.com/awards2015/">Awards</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/elena-delle-donne-mvp-hub/">Most Valuable Player: Elena Delle Donne (CHI), 1st MVP</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/jewell-loyd-named-2015-wnba-rookie-of-the-year/">Rookie of the Year: Jewell Loyd (SEA)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/mercurys-brittney-griner-named-2015-wnba-defensive-player-of-the-year-presented-by-samsung/">Defensive Player of the Year: Brittney Griner (PHX), 2nd DPOY</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/allie-quigley-chicago-sky-named-2015-wnba-sixth-woman-of-the-year/">Sixth Woman of the Year: Allie Quigley (CHI), 2nd Sixth</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/suns-centerforward-kelsey-bone-named-2015-wnba-most-improved-player-presented-by-samsung/">Most Improved Player: Kelsey Bone (CON)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/libertys-bill-laimbeer-named-wnba-coach-of-the-year/">Coach of the Year: Bill Laimbeer (NYL), 2nd COY</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Top Players
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/2015-all-wnba-teams-official-release/">All-WNBA First Team:</a> DeWanna Bonner (PHX), Tina Charles (NYL), Elena Delle Donne (CHI), Angel McCoughtry (ATL), Maya Moore (MIN)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-WNBA Second Team: Tamika Catchings (IND), Brittney Griner (PHX), Candace Parker (LAS), Epiphanny Prince (NYL), Courtney Vandersloot (CHI)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/2015-wnba-all-rookie-team-release/">All-Rookie Team:</a> Natalie Achonwa (Tie) (IND), Brittany Boyd (NYL), Ana Dabovic (Tie) (LAS), Jewell Loyd (SEA), Kiah Stokes (NYL), Ramu Tokashiki (SEA)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/two-time-wnba-defensive-player-of-the-year-presented-by-samsung-brittney-griner-headlines-2015-wnba-all-defensive-team/">All-Defense First Team: </a>Tamika Catchings (IND), Brittney Griner (PHX), Briann January (IND), Angel McCoughtry (ATL), Nneka Ogwumike (LAS)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-Defense Second Team: DeWanna Bonner (PHX), Tina Charles (NYL), Sancho Lyttle (ATL), Kiah Stokes (NYL), Tanisha Wright (NYL)</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Stats Leaders
<ul>
<li>Points Per Game: Elena Delle Donne (CHI): 23.4</li>
<li>Rebounds Per Game: Courtney Paris (TUL): 9.3</li>
<li>Assists Per Game: Courtney Vandersloot (CHI): 5.8</li>
<li>Steals Per Game: Sancho Lyttle (ATL): 2.3</li>
<li>Blocks Per Game: Brittney Griner (PHX): 4.0</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Regular Season
After finishing with 12 wins in 2014 – their lowest win total since 2001 – the Seattle Storm won the Draft Lottery and held the first pick in April’s WNBA Draft. In addition to holding the No. 1 pick from the lottery, the Storm also made a trade with Connecticut to acquire the Nos. 3 and 15 picks in the draft and guard Renee Montgomery in exchange for Camille Little and Shekinna Stricklen.
At the draft, the Storm selected Notre Dame guard Jewell Loyd with the No. 1 pick, making her the first Fighting Irish player ever chosen with the top pick. After the Tulsa Shock chose Amanda Zahui B. of the University of Minnesota with the No. 2 pick, the Storm added Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis from Connecticut at No. 3.
Once the season tipped off, it was clear that Chicago’s Elena Delle Donne was back and ready to take her game to new heights. After a remarkable rookie season that saw her finish third in MVP voting, Delle Donne was limited to 16 regular season games during her sophomore season due to the effects of Lyme Disease.
Delle Donne opened up her third WNBA season by scoring at least 24 points in her first seven games, including a pair of 40-point performances, highlighted by a career-high 45-point effort in a win over Atlanta. Delle Donne became the fourth player in WNBA history to have two 40-point games in the same season – and she did in the same month.
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Behind the play of Delle Donne, the Sky finished the season at 21-13, second in the Eastern Conference behind New York. The Liberty posted the top record in the league at 23-11 behind the play of Tina Charles, who averaged 17.1 points and 8.5 rebounds in her second season in the Big Apple.
In the West, the Minnesota Lynx finished atop the conference standings for the fourth time in five years as they went 22-12 during the regular season. The Lynx also executed one of the biggest in-season trades in WNBA history when they acquired Sylvia Fowles from Chicago as part of a three-team deal with the Sky and Dream. With Seimone Augustus missing time due to injuries, the mid-season addition of Fowles helped bolster the Lynx and added another All-Star to their already stacked roster of talent.
The defending champion Phoenix Mercury finished second in the West at 20-14 and did so without Diana Taurasi, who sat out the 2015 WNBA season. The Mercury were led by DeWanna Bonner (15.8 PPG) and Defensive Player of the Year Brittney Griner (15.1 PPG, 8.1 RPG), who averaged a WNBA-record 4.0 blocks per game.
&nbsp;
Some major milestones were set during the 2015 season:
<ul>
<li>Atlanta’s Angel McCoughtry became the second-fastest player in league history to reach 4,000 career points. McCoughtry hit the milestone in her 206th game; only Taurasi did it faster in 197 games.</li>
<li>Seattle’s Sue Bird became the first player in WNBA history to reach 5,000 career points and 2,000 career assists; she was just the 13th player to reach the 5,000-point benchmark at the time (by the end of the decade that number climbed to 21).</li>
<li>While Seattle’s No. 1 pick Jewell Loyd would win Rookie of the Year in 2015, the Storm still struggled to amass wins as they finished the year at 10-24. Seattle’s biggest win of the year came in September – months after the 2015 season concluded – when they won the Draft Lottery for the second straight season to speed up their rebuilding process.</li>
<li>After receiving relocation approval from the WNBA Board of Governors in July, franchise majority owner Bill Cameron announced on Nov. 2 that the Tulsa Shock, which were newly relocated to Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, would begin play in 2016 as the Dallas Wings.</li>
<li>Two days later, the WNBA announced that Laurel J. Richie, the third President in league history, would be leaving to pursue other interests, including serving as a board member of several for-profit and not-for-profit institutions. Richie ended a tenure that began on April 21, 2011.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
All-Star
The 2015 WNBA All-Star Game featured 10 first-time All-Stars as the top players from the East and West competed at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/delle-donne-tops-wnba-all-star-balloting-2015-presented-by-boost-mobile-catchings-earns-record-10th-selection/">Elena Delle Donne led all players in fan voting, followed by Skylar Diggins and Maya Moore.</a>
Moore scored an All-Star Game record 30 points to lead the West to a 117-112 win over the East. Moore scored eight straight points in the final two minutes that turned a one-point deficit into a seven-point lead for the West. After the East cut the lead to five, she hit another jump shot to seal the win for the West.
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Moore was named Most Valuable Player, becoming only the second player (along with Lisa Leslie) to win all the MVP honors that the league awards: league MVP (2014), Finals MVP (2013) and All-Star MVP (2015).
&nbsp;
Playoffs
<ul>
<li>West Semifinals: Minnesota Lynx def. Los Angeles Sparks, 2-1</li>
<li>West Semifinals: Phoenix Mercury def. Tulsa Shock, 2-0</li>
<li>East Semifinals: Indiana Fever def. Chicago Sky, 2-1</li>
<li>East Semifinals: New York Liberty def. Washington Mystics, 2-1</li>
<li>West Finals: Minnesota Lynx def. Phoenix Mercury, 2-0</li>
<li>East Finals: Indiana Fever def. New York Liberty, 2-1</li>
<li>Finals: Minnesota Lynx def. Indiana Fever, 3-2</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
In the Western Conference, the playoffs played out according to the seeding: in the opening round, the No. 1 seed Lynx defeated the No. 4 seed Sparks, while the No. 2 seed Mercury defeated the No. 3 seed Shock. In the Conference Finals, the top-seeded Lynx swept the Mercury to advance to the WNBA Finals for the fourth time in five years.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference had some upsets: in the opening round, the No. 1 seed Liberty prevailed over the No. 4 Mystics after dropping the first game, while the No. 3 seed Fever eliminated the No. 2 Sky in three games. In the Conference Finals, the Fever pulled off another upset as they defeated the top-seeded Liberty in three games to get back to the Finals for the first time since 2012.
That set up a rematch of the 2012 WNBA Finals, which the Fever won in four games. For the first time in six years, the WNBA Finals needed the full five games to determine a champion. The first four games of the series were each decided by single digits – none closer than Game 3, which provided one of the biggest shots in WNBA playoff history.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Maya Moore Beats the Buzzer to Take Game 3" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/djqtEvg3hM4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
With the scored tied at 77 in the closing seconds of Game 3, Indiana’s Shenise Johnson missed an open 3-pointer and in a scramble for the rebound, the ball went out of bounds off Indiana to give Minnesota possession with 1.7 seconds to play. After a timeout, Lindsay Whalen inbounded the ball and found Maya Moore just outside the 3-point line. Moore gathered the pass, gave a ball fake and sidestepped around Fever defender Marissa Coleman to free herself for the game-winning shot. Moore drained the shot at the buzzer, the officials took a few moments to review the shot with replay and confirmed it was good to give the Lynx an 80-77 win and a 2-1 series lead.
The Fever would respond in Game 4 on their home court as they earned a 75-69 win to force a decisive Game 5 back in Minnesota and improved to 5-0 in elimination games during the 2015 postseason. However, that record would end at 5-1 as the Lynx took the winner-take-all Game 5, 69-52, behind a 20-point, 11-rebound performance from Finals MVP Sylvia Fowles. The Lynx won their third title in five years and for the first time clinched the championship on their home floor in front of their fans.

wnba-decade-in-review-2015

WNBA Decade In Review: 2015

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				 WNBA Draft prospects Skylar Diggins-Smith, Elena Delle Donne and Brittney Griner pose for a photo prior to the 2013 WNBA Draft Presented By State Farm on April 15, 2013 at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut.
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				WNBA Draft prospects Elena Delle Donne and Skylar Diggins-Smith pose for a photo during the 2013 WNBA Draft Presented By State Farm on April 15, 2013 at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut.
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				 WNBA prospect Brittney Griner poses for a portrait prior to the 2013 WNBA Draft Presented By State Farm on April 15, 2013 at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut.
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				WNBA prospects Elena Delle Donne, Brittney Griner, and Skylar Diggins-Smith pose for a portrait prior to the 2013 WNBA Draft Presented By State Farm on April 15, 2013 at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut.
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				WNBA President Laurel Richie shakes hands with Brittney Griner after she was selected number one overall by the Phoenix Mercury during the 2013 WNBA Draft Presented By State Farm on April 15, 2013 at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut.
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				WNBA President Laurel Richie poses with Brittney Griner after being drafted number one overall by the Phoenix Mercury during the 2013 WNBA Draft Presented By State Farm on April 15, 2013 at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut.
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				The number one overall pick Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury poses for a portrait during the 2013 WNBA Draft Presented By State Farm on April 15, 2013 at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut.
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				 Elena Delle Donne talks with the media after she was selected number two overall by the Chicago Sky during the 2013 WNBA Draft Presented By State Farm on April 15, 2013 at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut.
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				WNBA President Laurel Richie poses with Elena Delle Donne after being drafted number two overall by Chicago Sky during the 2013 WNBA Draft Presented By State Farm on April 15, 2013 at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut.
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<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-165-122548'>
				WNBA prospect Skylar Diggins-Smith poses for a portrait prior to the 2013 WNBA Draft Presented By State Farm on April 15, 2013 at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut.
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				<a href='http://www-qa.nba.com/2013-wnba-draft-and-portraits-4/'><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2019/12/GettyImages-166674903-1024x683.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large" alt="" loading="lazy" aria-describedby="gallery-165-122540" /></a>
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				 WNBA President Laurel Richie poses with Skylar Diggins-Smith after being drafted number three overall by the Tulsa Shock during the 2013 WNBA Draft Presented By State Farm on April 15, 2013 at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
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				The number three overall pick Skylar Diggins-Smith of the Tulsa Shock poses for a portrait during the 2013 WNBA Draft Presented By State Farm on April 15, 2013 at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut.
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				WNBA prospects Elena Delle Donne, Brittney Griner, and Skylar Diggins-Smith pose for a portrait prior to the 2013 WNBA Draft Presented By State Farm on April 15, 2013 at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut.
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				 Brittney Griner #42 of the Phoenix Mercury dunks against the Chicago Sky on May 27, 2013 at U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
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			</dt>
<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-165-122535'>
				Brittney Griner #42 of the Phoenix Mercury attempts a shot against Alana Beard #0 of the Los Angeles Sparks at STAPLES Center on September 19, 2013 in Los Angeles, California.
				</dd>
</dl>
 
<dl class='gallery-item'>
<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>
				<a href='http://www-qa.nba.com/chicago-sky-v-atlanta-dream-24/'><img decoding="async" width="879" height="1024" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2019/12/GettyImages-177622221-879x1024.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large" alt="" loading="lazy" aria-describedby="gallery-165-122538" /></a>
			</dt>
<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-165-122538'>
				Elena Delle Donne #11 of the Chicago Sky drives against the Atlanta Dream at Philips Arena on August 24 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia.
				</dd>
</dl>
<dl class='gallery-item'>
<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>
				<a href='http://www-qa.nba.com/indiana-fever-v-chicago-sky-game-1-eastern-conference-semi-finals/'><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2019/12/GettyImages-181403391-1024x683.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large" alt="" loading="lazy" aria-describedby="gallery-165-122534" /></a>
			</dt>
<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-165-122534'>
				: Elena Delle Donne #11 of the Chicago Sky poses for a photo with WNBA President Laurel J. Richie after receiving the 2013 WNBA Rookie of the Year award prior to the start of Game One of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Indiana Fever on September 20, 2013 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.
				</dd>
</dl>
<dl class='gallery-item'>
<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>
				<a href='http://www-qa.nba.com/san-antonio-silver-stars-v-tulsa-shock-2/'><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2019/12/GettyImages-179480443-1024x683.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large" alt="" loading="lazy" aria-describedby="gallery-165-122537" /></a>
			</dt>
<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-165-122537'>
				Skylar Diggins-Smith #4 of the Tulsa Shock looks to pass the ball during the WNBA game against the San Antonio Silver Stars on August 30, 2013 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
				</dd>
</dl>
 
<dl class='gallery-item'>
<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>
				<a href='http://www-qa.nba.com/san-antonio-silver-stars-v-tulsa-shock/'><img decoding="async" width="683" height="1024" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2019/12/GettyImages-179480437-683x1024.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large" alt="" loading="lazy" aria-describedby="gallery-165-122536" /></a>
			</dt>
<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-165-122536'>
				Skylar Diggins-Smith #4 of the Tulsa Shock drives to the basket during the WNBA game against the San Antonio Silver Stars on August 30, 2013 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
				</dd>
</dl>
			 
		</div>

decade-in-review-3-to-see

Decade In Review: "3 to See"

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League Champion: Phoenix Mercury (Third title in franchise history)
Top Draft Pick: Chiney Ogwumike (CON, Stanford University)
&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.wnba.com/awards2014/">Awards</a>
<ul>
<li>Most Valuable Player: Maya Moore (MIN)</li>
<li>Rookie of the Year: Chiney Ogwumike (CON)</li>
<li>Defensive Player of the Year: Brittney Griner (PHX) 1st DPOY</li>
<li>Sixth Woman of the Year: Allie Quigley (CHI) 1st Sixth</li>
<li>Most Improved Player: Skylar Diggins-Smith (TUL)</li>
<li>Coach of the Year: Sandy Brondello (PHX)</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Top Players
<ul>
<li>All-WNBA First Team: Skylar Diggins-Smith (TUL), Brittney Griner (PHO), Maya Moore (MIN), Candace Parker (LAS), Diana Taurasi (PHX)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-WNBA Second Team: Seimone Augustus (MIN), Tina Charles (NYL), Danielle Robinson (SAS), Nneka Ogwumike (LAS), Danielle Robinson Angel McCoughtry (tie) (ATL), Lindsay Whalen (tie) (MIN)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-Rookie Team: Bria Hartley (WAS), Kayla McBride (SAS), Chiney Ogwumike (CON), Odyssey Sims (TUL), Alyssa Thomas (CON)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-Defense First Team: Brittney Griner (PHX), Briann January (IND), Sancho Lyttle (ATL), Angel McCoughtry (ATL), Tanisha Wright (SEA)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-Defense Second Team: Alana Beard (LAS), Tamika Catchings (IND), Sylvia Fowles (CHI), Maya Moore (MIN), Danielle Robinson (SAS)</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Stats Leaders
<ul>
<li>Points Per Game: Maya Moore (MIN): 23.9</li>
<li>Rebounds Per Game: Courtney Paris (TUL): 10.2</li>
<li>Assists Per Game: Diana Taurasi (PHX): 5.6</li>
<li>Steals Per Game: Angel McCoughtry (ATL): 2.4</li>
<li>Blocks Per Game: Brittney Griner (PHX): 3.8</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Regular Season
The year began with two key business transactions. The first took place in February when the WNBA and NBA Board of Governors approved the sale of the Los Angeles Sparks by an investment group led by Los Angeles Lakers legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
A month later, the WNBA and the Players Association announced an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement with an eight-year term beginning in 2014, with both sides having the ability to opt-out after the sixth year. Among the key elements in the new CBA is the expansion of rosters from 11 to 12 players per team. In addition, the new agreement, like the expired CBA, includes a revenue-sharing component should league revenues hit agreed-upon benchmarks.
After posting a franchise-worst 10-24 record in 2013, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnjoCzFMaYY">the Connecticut Sun won the Draft Lottery</a> and with the top pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft on April 14,<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YWwTyX01ro"> they selected Chiney Ogwumike of Stanford University.</a> Ogwumike and her older sister, Nneka – the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks – joined NFL stars Peyton and Eli Manning as the only siblings selected with the top pick in a North American professional sports league draft.
<a href="https://www.wnba.com/draft2014/">The Tulsa Shock drafted Odyssey Sims of Baylor with the No. 2 pick</a> and the San Antonio Stars (after dropping the ‘Silver’ from their team name) selected Kayla McBride of Notre Dame with the No. 3 pick.
After opening the season 6-3, the Phoenix Mercury put together the second-longest win streak in WNBA history as they won 16 straight games from June 15 to July 29. Only the 2001 Los Angeles Sparks had a longer win streak at 18 games. After losing three times in their first nine games, the Mercury only lost two games in their final 25 games of the season as they finished the year at 29-5.
Not only did that lead the league in 2014 (Minnesota finished second at 25-9, the only other 20-win team), but also marked the fourth-highest single-season win percentage in the history of the WNBA.
0.900: Houston Comets, 1998 (27-3)
0.875: Los Angeles Sparks, 2000 (28-4)
0.875: Los Angeles Sparks, 2001 (28-4)
0.853: Phoenix Mercury, 2014 (29-5)
In the final month of her 16-year WNBA career, San Antonio guard Becky Hammon was hired by the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach under head coach Gregg Popovich. Hammon became the first full-time, paid female assistant coach in NBA history.
&nbsp;
All-Star
<iframe loading="lazy" title="All-Access: 2014 WNBA All-Star Weekend" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MOnxWTO3X5k?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The 2014 WNBA All-Star Game took place at the US Airways Center in Phoenix and offered a bit of history. In the first WNBA All-Star Game to go to overtime, the East edged out the West, 125-124. Shoni Schimmel &#8211; a reserve guard for the Atlanta Dream that was voted into the game as a starter by the fans – became the first rookie to win All-Star MVP after a record-breaking performance.
“Showtime” Shoni set a WNBA All-Star record with 29 points and dished out a game-high eight assists in 28 minutes on the court. Her 29 points were topped by Maya Moore a year later, but Schimmel still holds (or is tied) for the All-Star record in field goals made (11), field goals attempted (24), 3-pointers made (7) and 3-pointers attempted (16).
&nbsp;
Playoffs
<ul>
<li>West Semifinals: Minnesota Lynx def. San Antonio Stars, 2-0</li>
<li>West Semifinals: Phoenix Mercury def. Los Angeles Sparks, 2-0</li>
<li>East Semifinals: Chicago Sky def. Atlanta Dream, 2-1</li>
<li>East Semifinals: Indiana Fever def. Washington Mystics, 2-0</li>
<li>West Finals: Phoenix Mercury def. Minnesota Lynx, 2-1</li>
<li>East Finals: Chicago Sky def. Indiana Fever, 2-1</li>
<li>Finals: Phoenix Mercury def. Chicago Sky, 3-0</li>
</ul>
The dominance displayed by the Phoenix Mercury throughout the regular season carried over to the playoffs. After sweeping the Sparks in two games in the Western Conference Semifinals, the Mercury faced their toughest test as they had to knock off the defending champion Lynx in order to advance to their third-ever WNBA Finals.
The Mercury took Game 1, 85-71, in Phoenix behind double-doubles from Brittney Griner and Penny Taylor. The Lynx responded in Game 2 behind a combined 55 points from Maya Moore and Seimone Augustus to force a decisive Game 3 back in Phoenix. However, the Mercury were too much at home – where they lost just once all season – as Diana Taurasi (31 points) and Griner (22) led Phoenix to a 96-78 win and a trip to the Finals.
In the East, the No. 4 seed Chicago Sky entered the playoffs at just 15-19, but got hot at the right time as they knocked off the Atlanta Dream in the East Semifinals and the Indiana Fever in the East Finals to advance to their first-ever WNBA Finals.
But Chicago’s good fortune did not continue against Phoenix as the Mercury were dominant through the first two games of the series, winning by 21 and 29 points, respectively. Game 3 was a much closer contest, but with the game on the line, the Mercury gave the ball to Diana Taurasi and she delivered with 14 of her 24 points coming in the fourth quarter, highlighted by an old-fashioned three-point play with 14 seconds remaining that broke an 82-82 tie and sealed the third championship in franchise history for the Mercury. <a href="https://www.wnba.com/playoffs/2014/diana_taurasi_finals_shot_2014_09_13.html">Taurasi was named Finals MVP for the second time in her illustrious career.</a>

wnba-decade-in-review-2014

WNBA Decade In Review: 2014

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League Champion: Minnesota Lynx (first title in franchise history)
<a href="https://www.wnba.com/draft2011/">Top Draft Pick: Maya Moore (MIN; University of Connecticut)</a>
<a href="https://www.wnba.com/awards2011/">Awards</a>
<ul>
<li>Most Valuable Player: <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/tamika-catchings-named-2011-wnba-most-valuable-player/">Tamika Catchings (IND), 1st MVP</a></li>
<li>Rookie of the Year: Maya Moore (MIN)</li>
<li>Defensive Player of the Year: Sylvia Fowles (CHI), 1st DPOY</li>
<li>Sixth Woman of the Year: DeWanna Bonner (PHX), 3rd Sixth</li>
<li>Most Improved Player: Kia Vaughn (NYL)</li>
<li>Coach of the Year: Cheryl Reeve (MIN), 1st COY</li>
</ul>
Top Players
<ul>
<li>All-WNBA First Team: Tamika Catchings (IND), Tina Charles (CON), Angel McCoughtry (ATL), Diana Taurasi (PHX), Lindsay Whalen (MIN)</li>
<li>All-WNBA Second Team: Seimone Augustus (MIN), Sue Bird (SEA), Sylvia Fowles (CHI), Cappie Pondexter (NYL), Penny Taylor (PHX)</li>
<li>All-Rookie Team: Danielle Adams (SAS), Liz Cambage (TUL), Maya Moore (MIN), Danielle Robinson (SAS), Courtney Vandersloot (CHI)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-Defense First Team: Rebekkah Brunson (MIN), Tamika Catchings (IND), Sylvia Fowles (CHI), Angel McCoughtry (ATL), Tanisha Wright (SEA)</li>
<li>All-Defense Second Team: Swin Cash (SEA), Tina Charles (CON), Katie Douglas (IND), Armintie Price Herrington (ATL), Sancho Lyttle (ATL)</li>
</ul>
Stats Leaders
<ul>
<li>Points Per Game: Diana Taurasi (PHX): 21.6</li>
<li>Rebounds Per Game: Tina Charles (CON): 11.0</li>
<li>Assists Per Game: Lindsay Whalen (MIN): 5.9</li>
<li>Steals Per Game: Sancho Lyttle (ATL): 2.4</li>
<li>Blocks Per Game: Sylvia Fowles (CHI): 2.0</li>
</ul>
Regular Season
The 2011 season marked the 15th anniversary of the WNBA, and the history of the league was celebrated throughout the season. But in addition to looking back, 2011 also offered a glimpse of the future as it marked the beginning of a new dynasty in the WNBA – the Minnesota Lynx.
Heading into the 2010 season, the Lynx hired Cheryl Reeve as head coach and <a href="https://lynx.wnba.com/news/lynx-bring-lindsay-whalen-back-home/">traded for hometown hero Lindsay Whalen</a> as the team’s point guard. However, injuries robbed the Lynx of reaching their potential in 2010 as they finished 13-21 and missed the playoffs for the sixth straight season.
But there was a silver lining – the draft lottery – which the Lynx won to give them the top pick in the 2011 Draft. And sitting atop every draft board was an absolute game-changer in <a href="https://www.wnba.com/draft2011/">Maya Moore from the University of Connecticut</a>.
Adding a player of Moore’s caliber to a team that already had Lindsay Whalen, Rebekkah Brunson and now a healthy Seimone Augustus was like adding gasoline to a small fire. The Lynx burned the rest of the league down in 2011 as they finished with a franchise-best 27-7 record. It was the first 20-win season in team history and started a streak of seven straight in Minnesota.
Moore would win Rookie of the Year honors, but it was a veteran in the Eastern Conference that took home Most Valuable Player. In her 10th season, Tamika Catchings captured her first MVP after finishing among the top three five times and among the top five in eight different seasons. She was the runner-up in 2003, 2009 and 2010.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Tamika Catchings: 2011 MVP" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bO4xMxsGMso?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Catchings led the Indiana Fever to the top seed in the Eastern Conference with a 21-13 record by excelling on both ends of the floor. She already had four Defensive Player of the Year awards to her credit (she would win a fifth in 2012 to extend her own record) and now added the top individual honor the league awards.
The 2011 season also saw the return of three-time MVP and three-time DPOY Sheryl Swoopes. After a two-year absence, Swoopes returned to the league at the age of 40 as a member of the Tulsa Shock. The 2016 Naismith Hall of Famer finished her final WNBA season averaging 8.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.7 steals in 33 games.
As part of the celebration of the WNBA’s 15th season, on June 21, the Los Angeles Sparks hosted the New York Liberty at Staples Center in the WNBA’s 15th Anniversary Game, played 15 years to the day of the league inaugural matchup between the same two teams in Los Angeles.
This was the first season under new WNBA President Laurel Richie, who joined the league on April 21, 2011 and served as President for four-and-a-half years before departing on Nov. 4, 2015.
All-Star
The San Antonio Silver Stars hosted their first WNBA All-Star Game in 2011. It marked only the second time the contest was played in a Western Conference venue and the first since the 2000 game was held in Phoenix.
In a tightly contested game, that saw 28 ties, 25 lead changes and neither team leading by more than five points, the East All-Stars prevailed 118-113 for their third All-Star win in 10 games. Seattle’s Swin Cash was named All-Star MVP after finishing with game-highs of 21 points and 12 rebounds in a losing effort. Cash became the first player to win All-Star MVP from the losing team and joined Lisa Leslie as the only multi-time winners as Cash also won in 2009.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Into the Action: 2011 WNBA All Star Game" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KdwvV1n5gHE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
During the All-Star Game halftime ceremony, the WNBA unveiled <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/wnba-honors-top-15-players-league-history-halftime-ceremony-2011-wnba-star-game-presented-adidas/">the Top 15 Players of All-Time.</a> With consideration given to on-court performance and ability, leadership, sportsmanship, and community service, as well as to contributions to team success and women’s basketball, voting was conducted by fans, select national and WNBA-market media, and by current players and coaches.
The players named were: Sue Bird, Tamika Catchings, Cynthia Cooper, Yolanda Griffith, Becky Hammon, Lauren Jackson, Lisa Leslie, Ticha Penicheiro, Cappie Pondexter, Katie Smith, Dawn Staley, Sheryl Swoopes, Diana Taurasi, Tina Thompson, and Teresa Weatherspoon.
Playoffs
<ul>
<li>West Semifinals: Minnesota Lynx def. San Antonio Silver Stars, 2-1</li>
<li>West Semifinals: Phoenix Mercury def. Seattle Storm, 2-1</li>
<li>East Semifinals: Atlanta Dream def. Connecticut Sun, 2-0</li>
<li>East Semifinals: Indiana Fever def. New York Liberty, 2-1</li>
<li>West Finals: Minnesota Lynx def. Phoenix Mercury, 2-0</li>
<li>East Finals: Atlanta Dream def. Indiana Fever, 2-1</li>
<li>Finals: Minnesota Lynx def. Atlanta Dream, 3-0</li>
</ul>
After finishing with six more wins than any other team during the regular season, the Minnesota Lynx carried their dominance over to the postseason. After dropping Game 2 of their West Semifinal series with San Antonio, the Lynx would not lose again. They won the decisive Gamtichae 3 over the Silver Stars by 18 points, then swept the Phoenix Mercury in the West Finals in two games and swept the Eastern Conference champion Atlanta Dream in the WNBA Finals to claim their first championship in franchise history.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="2011 WNBA Finals Look-back" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ud7VpAVXL40?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
A year after her famous playoff duel with Cappie Pondexter, Atlanta’s Angel McCoughtry faced off in a Finals scoring duel with Minnesota’s Seimone Augustus in Game 2 of the 2011 Finals. McCoughtry topped her own Finals scoring record (35 points back in 2010) with a 38-point performance, but it came in a losing effort as Augustus scored 36 points to lead the Lynx to a 101-95 win and a commanding 2-0 series lead.
Augustus would win Finals MVP honors after the Lynx completed the sweep on Oct. 7. That same day, the WNBA unveiled the Top 15 Moments in league history as voted by fans. The top moment was Teresa Weatherspoon’s half-court shot at the buzzer to win Game 2 of the 1999 WNBA Finals for the New York Liberty and send that series to a decisive third game. Ranking second was the WNBA’s first-ever game (NY Liberty at LA Sparks, June 21, 1997). Third was Sparks’ center Lisa Leslie throwing down the first dunk in WNBA history in the first half of a game vs. the Miami Sol.

wnba-decade-in-review-2011

WNBA Decade In Review: 2011

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League Champion: <a href="https://www.wnba.com/video/flashback-to-the-seattle-storms-two-wnba-titles-2004-2010/">Seattle Storm (second title in franchise history)</a>
<a href="https://www.wnba.com/draft2010/">Top Draft Pick: Tina Charles (CON, Connecticut)</a>
<a href="https://www.wnba.com/awards2010/">Awards</a>
<ul>
<li>Most Valuable Player: <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/seattle-storms-lauren-jackson-named-2010-wnba-most-valuable-player-presented-by-kia-motors/">Lauren Jackson (SEA), 3rd MVP</a></li>
<li>Rookie of the Year: Tina Charles (CON)</li>
<li>Defensive Player of the Year: Tamika Catchings (IND), 4th DPOY</li>
<li>Sixth Woman of the Year: DeWanna Bonner (PHX), 2nd Sixth</li>
<li>Most Improved Player: Leilani Mitchell (NYL), 1st MIP</li>
<li>Coach of the Year: Brian Agler, Seattle Storm</li>
</ul>
Top Players
<ul>
<li>All-WNBA First Team: Tamika Catchings (IND), Sylvia Fowles (CHI), Lauren Jackson (SEA), Cappie Pondexter (NYL), Diana Taurasi (PHX)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-WNBA Second Team: Sue Bird (SEA), Tina Charles (CON), Katie Douglas (IND), Crystal Langhorne (WAS), Angel McCoughtry (ATL)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-Rookie Team: Tina Charles (CON), Kalana Greene (NYL), Kelsey Griffin (CON), Epiphanny Prince (CHI), Monica Wright (MIN)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-Defense First Team: Tamika Catchings (IND), Sylvia Fowles (CHI), Angel McCoughtry (ATL), Cappie Pondexter (NYL), Tanisha Wright (SEA)</li>
<li>All-Defense Second Team: Tully Bevilaqua (IND), Rebekkah Brunson (MIN), Katie Douglas (IND), Lindsey Harding (WAS), Lauren Jackson (SEA), Sancho Lyttle (ATL)</li>
</ul>
Stats Leaders
<ul>
<li>Points Per Game: <a href="https://stats.wnba.com/leaders/?Season=2010&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season">Diana Taurasi (PHX) 22.6</a></li>
<li>Rebounds Per Game: <a href="https://stats.wnba.com/leaders/?Season=2010&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;StatCategory=REB">Tina Charles (CON) 11.7</a></li>
<li>Assists Per Game: <a href="https://stats.wnba.com/leaders/?Season=2010&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;StatCategory=AST">Ticha Penicheiro (LAS) 6.9</a></li>
<li>Steals Per Game: <a href="https://stats.wnba.com/leaders/?Season=2010&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;StatCategory=STL">Tamika Catchings (IND) 2.3</a></li>
<li>Blocks Per Game: <a href="https://stats.wnba.com/leaders/?Season=2010&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;StatCategory=BLK">Sylvia Fowles (CHI) 2.6</a></li>
</ul>
Regular Season
The first season of the decade saw the WNBA at 12 teams with the dissolution of the Sacramento Monarchs – one of the league’s initial eight teams and the 2005 champions. A dispersal draft was held on Dec. 14, 2009, to send the Monarchs players to their new teams.
One of those teams was now located in Oklahoma as the Shock relocated from Detroit to Tulsa for the 2010 season. The team spent six seasons in Tulsa before moving to Dallas and rebranding as the Wings.
2010 started with a blockbuster trade as the Minnesota Lynx – winners of the 2010 WNBA Draft Lottery – traded the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft to the Connecticut Sun to bring hometown hero Lindsay Whalen to the Lynx. The Sun would use the No. 1 pick in the 2010 WNBA Draft to <a href="https://www.wnba.com/video/tina/">select Tina Charles from UConn</a>. Charles had an outstanding rookie season as she set the WNBA record for double-doubles and total rebounds in a single season en route to winning Rookie of the Year honors.
As one young big was making a historic debut, a veteran big was putting the finishing touches on a brilliant career. Seattle’s Lauren Jackson won her third Most Valuable Player award in 2010 as she led the Storm to a franchise-best 28-6 record and their second WNBA championship, where she also was named Finals MVP.
This was the last full WNBA season for Jackson as her career was cut short due to injuries; she appeared in a combined 22 games in 2011 and 2012 before announcing her retirement.
On Aug. 8, Tina Thompson of the Los Angeles Sparks passed another Sparks legend, Lisa Leslie, as the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer with 6,263 career points. Thompson would finish her career with 7,488 points and held the top spot on the all-time scoring list until Diana Taurasi eventually passed her on June 18, 2017.
All-Star
There was no official All-Star Game in 2010. In its place was an exhibition game between the USA Basketball Women’s National Team and a collection of WNBA All-Stars in preparation for the upcoming World Championships, which the USA would go on to win.
Team USA defeated the WNBA All-Stars, 99-72, on Saturday, July 10 before taking on Australia in a second exhibition the following day. During halftime of the Stars at the Sun, Katie Douglas won the Three-Point Contest and Renee Montgomery won the Skills Challenge.
Playoffs
<ul>
<li>West Semifinals: Phoenix Mercury def. San Antonio Silver Stars, 2-0</li>
<li>West Semifinals: Seattle Storm def. Los Angeles Sparks, 2-0</li>
<li>East Semifinals: Atlanta Dream def. Washington Mystics, 2-0</li>
<li>East Semifinals: New York Liberty def. Indiana Fever, 2-1</li>
<li>West Finals: Seattle Storm def. Phoenix Mercury, 2-0</li>
<li>East Finals: Atlanta Dream def. New York Liberty, 2-0</li>
<li>WNBA Finals: Seattle Storm def. Atlanta Dream, 3-0</li>
</ul>
The 2010 WNBA Playoffs may not have been drama-filled – only one of the seven series did not end in a sweep – but there were still plenty of outstanding performances to behold.
In Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, <a href="https://www.wnba.com/video/relive-angel-cappies-epic-playoff-duel-2010/">Atlanta’s Angel McCoughtry and New York’s Cappie Pondexter put on a spectacular scoring duel</a>. McCoughtry scored a WNBA playoff record 42 points to lead the Dream to a 105-93 win over the Liberty to advance to the WNBA Finals. Pondexter did everything she could to keep New York alive and force a Game 3, as she finished with 36 points. The combined 78 points between McCoughtry and Pondexter set a WNBA record for most total points by two players in the same post-season game. Both records still stand at the end of the decade!
While the Dream advanced to the WNBA Finals for the first time in just the franchise’s third year of existence, the Storm made it back to the Finals for the first time in six seasons after capturing their first title in 2004. Seattle had been the best team in the WNBA all season long and their dominance continued in the Finals as they swept Atlanta in three games to go a perfect 7-0 in the postseason en route to capturing their second WNBA championship.
Lauren Jackson paired her regular season MVP award with the Finals MVP award after averaging 22.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks in the series.
Before the first calendar year of the 2010s came to an end, another change was on the horizon as Donna Orender stepped down as WNBA President after six seasons at the helm of the league. She was succeeded by Laurel Richie, who was hired in April 2011.

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