game-recap-sun-vs-lynx-6-01-23

Game Recap: Sun vs. Lynx (6/1/23)

Lindsay Whalen talks about her influence on the next generation of WNBA players and having Charles Barkley, Dawn Staley induct her in the Hall.

lindsay-whalen-talks-her-experience-in-the-wnba-making-the-basketball-hall-of-fame

Lindsay Whalen talks her experience in the WNBA, making the Basketball Hall of Fame

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Ticket Packages for Enshrinement Festivities Available Now on Hoophall.com
New Orleans, LA (April 2, 2022) – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame today announced the 13 honorees in the Class of 2022 to be celebrated September 9-10 during this year’s Enshrinement festivities in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Class Announcement was made in New Orleans, Louisiana, the site of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Final Four and was televised live on ESPN2.
This year’s class includes two-time NBA All-Star and four-time NBA champion Manu Ginobili, five-time NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway, two-time NCAA National Coach of the Year Bob Huggins, the NBA’s sixth-winningest coach of all-time George Karl and longtime NBA referee Hugh Evans. On the women’s side, the Hall of Fame is proud to welcome five-time WNBA All-Star, three-time WNBA Champion, and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Lindsay Whalen, four-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Swin Cash and NCAA national champion and WNBA Coach of the Year Marianne Stanley.
Distinguished committees focused on preserving all areas from the game also selected five directly elected enshrines. They include Lou Hudson from the Veterans Committee, Larry Costello and Del Harris from the Contributor Committee, Theresa Shank-Grentz from the Women’s Veterans Committee and Radivoj Korac from the International Committee.
“Year after year, we are constantly reminded of the extraordinary and transcendent efforts of the remarkable men and women who have impacted the game of basketball from a global perspective,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “The Class of 2022 is ripe with individuals who have had a significant historical impact on the game we love. We congratulate and thank them for everything they’ve done to better the sport and look forward to honoring them during Enshrinement this fall.”
To be elected, North American and Women’s Committee finalists must receive 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee for election into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Direct elect committees are incorporated into the election process to maintain a strong focus on keeping history on the forefront of the voting procedures and to preserve a balance between two eras of basketball.
The Class of 2022 will be enshrined during festivities in Springfield, Mass., the Birthplace of Basketball, on September 9-10, 2022. Ticket packages to the 2022 Enshrinement Ceremony and all the Enshrinement events are on sale now and available at Hoophall.com/events/enshrinement-2022/.
For the latest news and updates, follow @hoophall on Twitter and Instagram.
THE NAISMITH MEMORIAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2022
North American Committee 
HUGH EVANS [Referee] – Evans served as an NBA Official for 28 consecutive years (1973-2001), tallying over 1,900 regular season games, 170 playoff games, 35 NBA Finals games and four NBA All-Star Games. Following his on-court officiating career, Evans worked as the NBA Assistant Supervisor of Officials (2001-03). He is a recipient of the Each One Teach One Community Service Award and is enshrined in the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame as well as the North Carolina A&amp;T Hall of Fame.
MANU GINOBILI [Player] – Ginobili is a two-time NBA All-Star (2005, 2011) and four-time NBA Champion with the San Antonio Spurs (2003, 2005, 2007, 2014). Over his 16-year NBA career, all with the Spurs, the Argentine guard amassed 14,043 points, 4,001 assists, 3,697 rebounds and 1,392 steals and was honored with the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2008, as well as twice being named to the All-NBA Third Team (2008, 2011). On the international stage, Ginobili helped deliver the first and only Gold Medal in the country’s basketball history at the 2004 Olympics, as well as the bronze at the 2008 games. He joins Bill Bradley as the only two players to have won a EuroLeague title (2001), an NBA championship and an Olympic Gold Medal.
TIM HARDAWAY [Player] – A 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist, Hardaway played 13 NBA seasons scoring a total of 15,373 points while averaging more than 20 points per game for four consecutive seasons. He is the 1990 recipient of the Jack McMahon Award for most inspirational player and a 1997 All-NBA First Team selection. He currently ranks 18th in NBA history with 7,095 career assists. The Chicago native was a member of the men’s basketball team at the University of Texas at El Paso (1985-1989) and is known for making his signature move – the “UTEP Two-step” – famous in 1989, the same year he was named WAC Player of the Year.
BOB HUGGINS [Coach] – Huggins has been coaching in the collegiate ranks for 45 years, including the last 15 as the head coach at West Virginia University. Over the course of his career, Huggins has led his teams to 25 NCAA Tournament berths, including nine appearances in the Sweet Sixteen (1992, 1993, 1996, 200, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2018), four trips to the Elite Eight (1992, 1993, 1996, 2010), and two appearances in the NCAA Final Four (1992, 2010). In 16 years as the head coach at the University of Cincinnati (1989-2005), Huggins led the Bearcats to eight Conference USA regular season championships (1996-2002, 2004), four Conference USA Tournament championships (1996, 1998, 2002, 2004), was a three-time Conference USA Coach of the Year (1998-2000) and was honored as the Conference USA Coach of the Decade in 2005. On the national level, he a was tabbed as the Sporting News National Coach of the Year in 2000 and the ESPN.com National Coach of the Year in 2002.
GEORGE KARL [Coach] – Karl spent 27 seasons as a head coach in the NBA, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers (1984-1986), Golden State Warriors (1986-88), Seattle Supersonics (1992-1998), Milwaukee Bucks (1998-2003), Denver Nuggets (2005-2013) and Sacramento Kings (2015-2016). During his career, he guided five different franchises to a total of 22 playoff appearances, led the Supersonics to the NBA Finals (1996), was named the NBA Coach of the Year (2013), and was called upon to be an All-Star Game head coach four times (1994, 1996, 1998, 2010). Karl owns a lifetime coaching record of 1,175-824 (.588), ranking sixth all-time in NBA career wins and posted 12 seasons of 50+ victories and three seasons of 60-plus.
Women’s Committee
SWIN CASH [Player] – Cash is a four-time WNBA All-Star (2003, 2005, 2009, 2011) and two-time Olympic gold medalist (2004, 2012). A true champion, she was a member of three WNBA championship teams during her 15-year career with the Detroit Shock (2003, 2006) and Seattle Storm (2010) as well as two NCAA National Championships at the University of Connecticut (2000, 2002) and a Gold Medal at the 2010 FIBA World Championships. Cash was recognized as one of the 20 best WNBA players of all time in 2016 as she twice named WNBA All-Star Game MVP (2009, 2011) and twice received All-WNBA Second Team (2003-2004) honors. During her collegiate career, she was named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player and received Kodak First Team All-America honors in 2002 after UConn won their third national title in program history after finishing the season a perfect 39-0. In 2021, Cash was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
MARIANNE STANLEY [Coach] – Coaching in the collegiate and professional ranks for a combined 45 years, Stanley currently serves as the head coach of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever. In 22 years as a college coach with Old Dominion (1977-1987), Penn (1987-1989), USC (1989-1993), Stanford (1995-1996) and Cal (1995-1996), Stanley compiled a 416-222 (.652) record, including a NCAA National Championship in 1985, three Final Four appearances (1983, 1985, 1996) and back-to-back AIAW National Titles (1979-1980). She has accumulated numerous Coach of the Year honors, including AIAW National Coach of the Year (1979), Virginia Coach of the Year (1979, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985), Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year (1984, 1985), Pac-10 Conference Coach of the Year (1993) and WNBA Coach of the Year (2002). On the national team level, she helped lead the United States to a Goodwill Games Gold Medal (1983) and FIBA World Championship Gold Medal (1986). Stanley has been enshrined in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (2002) and the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame (2010).
LINDSAY WHALEN [Player] – Whalen is a five-time WNBA All-Star (2006, 2011, 2013-2015), four-time WNBA Champion (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017) and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist (2012, 2016). After averaging 11.5 points and 4.9 assists over 15 seasons in the WNBA, she was named to the WNBA First Team three times (2008, 2011, 2013) and was recognized as one of the 20 best WNBA players of all time in 2016. Whalen ranks third all-time in assists (2,345) and led the league in total assists five times (2007, 2011-2015) and assists per game on three occasions (2008, 2011, 2012). During her collegiate career at University of Minnesota, Whalen led the Golden Gophers to the NCAA Final Four in 2004 and was twice named a finalist for the Naismith Award (2003, 2004) and Wade Trophy (2003, 2004). She also received numerous accolades for her on-court performance, including being named to the Kodak/WBCA All-America Team (2003-2004), USBWA All-America Team (2002-2004), AP Second Team All-America Team (2003-2004) and the All-Big Ten First Team (2002-2004).Whalen currently serves as the head coach of the women’s basketball program at her alma mater.
THE NAISMITH MEMORIAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME DIRECT ELECT MEMBERS
Veterans Direct Elect Committee
LOU HUDSON [Player] – Recognized posthumously, Hudson was a six-time NBA All-Star (1969-1974) and averaged 20.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 13 NBA seasons. The athletic shooting guard played 11 seasons with the St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks (1966-1977) and has his jersey No. 23 retired by the franchise. A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, Hudson attended the University of Minnesota where he was part of the first African American recruiting class in school history and went on to receive All-American honors and had his jersey No. 14 retired. He is also a member of the Minnesota Hall of Fame as well as the North Carolina Hall of Fame.
Direct Elect Contributor Committee
LARRY COSTELLO [Contributor] – Recognized posthumously, Costello was a six-time NBA All-Star (1958-1962, 1965), a member of the 1967 World Champion Philadelphia 76ers and coached the Milwaukee Bucks to the 1971 NBA title, as well as a Finals appearance in 1974. As a player, he averaged 12.2 points and 4.9 assists per game over 12 NBA seasons, earning All-NBA Second Team in 1961. Known as the last two-handed set shooter, the point guard led the NBA in free throw percentage twice (.881 in 1963; .877 in 1965). As a coach, he was one of the first people to employ a working, accountable assistant coach and employ videotape to analyze the game. He also traveled extensively for the U.S. State Department, lecturing in Germany, Africa, Asia and Europe. Costello is also a member of the Niagara University Hall of Fame, Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame, Greater Buffalo Hall of Fame and the New York State Hall of Fame.
DEL HARRIS [Contributor] –Harris has dedicated his life to basketball, serving as a coach, mentor and tireless advocate for the game. In his more than 50-year coaching career, he coached every level of the sport, ranging from junior high hoops to the NBA. Harris is deeply respected by players, coaches and executives alike, having earned the Jerry Colangelo Award for Leadership and Character in 2010, the Coach John Wooden “Keys to Excellence” Award in 2014 and the Basketball Hall of Fame’s John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. For over 35 years, he served as both a treasured assistant coach and head coach of several franchises including the Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Chicago Bulls, and New Jersey Nets. Harris led the Houston Rockers to the NBA Finals in 1981 and was recognized as the NBA Coach of the Year in 1995 while at the helm of the Los Angeles Lakers. Harris currently serves as Vice President of the Mavericks G League affiliate, the Texas Legends, while providing game analysis for the Mavericks on Fox Sports Southwest. He is also a member of the NAIA Basketball Hall of Fame and Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
Women’s Veterans Direct Elect Committee
THERESA SHANK-GRENTZ [Player] – Shank-Grentz was a member of three consecutive AIAW National Championship teams and was a three-time All-American at Immaculata University from 1972-74. The 1974 title game was the first ever live coverage of a women’s basketball game in the United States. She scored over 1,000 career points at Immaculata, including a record 104 points and 76 rebounds in the 1973 AIAW Tournament. Shank-Grentz was named the AMF Collegiate Player of the Year in 1974 and has her jersey No. 12 retired by the university. She also scored over 1,200 points as a prep player at Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield, PA, and was a three-time All-Conference Philadelphia Catholic League.
International Direct Elect Committee
RADIVOJ KORAC [Player] – Recognized posthumously, Korac is known as Yugoslavia’s first basketball superstar, helping lead the country to the silver medal at the 1968 Olympics after leading all players in averaging 23.6 points per game during the Games. He also led Yugoslavia to silver medals in FIBA World Cup play in 1963 and 1967. He still holds the EuroLeague’s all-time single-game scoring record with 99 points in a game vs. Alviks during the 1964-65 season. Korac tragically passed away in a car accident in 1969 at the age of 30 and has been remembered as the namesake of FIBA’s Korac Cup in 1971 and Serbia’s Korac Cup in 2002. He was named one of FIBA’s Greatest Players in 1991, was enshrined in the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007 and was named one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors in 2008.

naismith-memorial-basketball-hall-of-fame-announces-13-members-for-the-class-of-2022

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Announces 13 Members for the Class of 2022

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				Lindsey Whalen is honored with a custom W25 jacket.
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				Lindsey Whalen&#8217;s custom jacket includes customized patches.
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				Tina Thompson is honored with a custom W25 jacket.
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				Tina Thompson&#8217;s jacket features customized patches.
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				Lisa Leslie is honored with a custom W25 jacket.
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				Lisa Leslie&#8217;s jacket is made with customized patches.
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				Angel McCoughtry is honored with a custom W25 jacket.
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				Angel McCoughtry&#8217;s jacket is made up of customized patches.
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				Brittney Griner is honored with a custom W25 jacket.
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				Brittney Griner&#8217;s jacket features customized patches.
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				Sue Bird is honored with a custom W25 jacket.
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				Sue Bird&#8217;s jacket is made with customized patches.
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W25 Custom Varsity Jacket Gallery

Catch the Top 10 plays of the 2010 WNBA season.

top-10-plays-of-the-2010-wnba-season

Top 10 Plays of the 2010 WNBA Season

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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.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Nneka Ogwumike MVP Season Highlights" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gXIahqo8KjU?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>
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).
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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.
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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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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
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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 (Second title in franchise history)
Top Draft Pick: Brittney Griner (PHX, Baylor University)
&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.wnba.com/awards2013/">Awards</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/sparks-candace-parker-named-2013-wnba-most-valuable-player/">Most Valuable Player: Candace Parker (LAS) 2nd MVP</a></li>
<li>Rookie of the Year: Elena Delle Donne (CHI)</li>
<li>Defensive Player of the Year: Sylvia Fowles (CHI) 2nd DPOY</li>
<li>Sixth Woman of the Year: Riquna Williams (TUL)</li>
<li>Most Improved Player: Shavonte Zellous (IND)</li>
<li>Coach of the Year: Mike Thibault (WAS) 3rd COY</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Top Players
<ul>
<li>All-WNBA First Team: Sylvia Fowles (CHI), Maya Moore (MIN), Candace Parker (LAS), Diana Taurasi (PHX), Lindsay Whalen (MIN)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-WNBA Second Team: Seimone Augustus (MIN), Tamika Catchings (IND), Tina Charles (CON), Elena Delle Donne (CHI), Angel McCoughtry (ATL)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-Rookie Team: Alex Bentley (ATL), Kelsey Bone (NYL), Elena Delle Donne (CHI), Skylar Diggins-Smith (TUL), Brittney Griner (PHX)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-Defense First Team: Tamika Catchings (IND), Sylvia Fowles (CHI), Armintie Price Herrington (ATL), Angel McCoughtry (ATL), Tanisha Wright (SEA)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-Defense Second Team: Rebekkah Brunson (MIN), Erika de Souza (ATL), Briann January (IND), Glory Johnson (TUL), Jia Perkins (SAS), Danielle Robinson (SAS)</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Stats Leaders
<ul>
<li>Points Per Game: Angel McCoughtry (ATL): 21.5</li>
<li>Rebounds Per Game: Sylvia Fowles (CHI): 11.5</li>
<li>Assists Per Game: Danielle Robinson (SAS): 6.7</li>
<li>Steals Per Game: Tamika Catchings (IND): 2.8</li>
<li>Blocks Per Game: Brittney Griner (PHX): 3.0</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Regular Season
Just weeks before the highly anticipated 2013 WNBA Draft, the WNBA and ESPN announced an extension of their partnership for another six years, for WNBA games to be televised on ABC, ESPN and ESPN 2 through the 2022 season. On the same day, the WNBA unveiled a new identity, which included a more modern “Logowoman” — the player silhouette within the logo — that better embodies the athleticism and diversity of current WNBA players while leveraging the distinctive orange-and-oatmeal color scheme of the league’s iconic game ball.
The new identity was on full display during the 2013 WNBA Draft, which marked the first time in the WNBA’s 17 seasons that the league’s Draft was televised live in primetime. The <a href="https://www.wnba.com/video/2013-wnba-draft-all-access/">excitement surrounding the “3 to See”</a> – Brittney Griner of Baylor, Elena Delle Donne of Delaware and Skylar Diggins of Notre Dame – set the tone for one of the top draft classes in league history. Griner went No. 1 overall to Phoenix, followed by Delle Donne being selected by Chicago and Tulsa taking Diggins at No. 3.
The “3 to See” made their WNBA debuts during a Memorial Day doubleheader on ESPN2. Griner made quite the first impression as she threw down a pair of dunks in her first WNBA game, becoming the first player ever dunk multiple times in the same game.
The addition of Griner and the return of Diana Taurasi from injury helped the Mercury make a 12-win improvement from a franchise-worst 7-27 record in 2012 to a 19-15 mark in 2013 and the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. With Delle Donne playing alongside Sylvia Fowles, the  Sky made a 10-game improvement with the addition of Delle Donne as Chicago finished atop the Eastern Conference at 24-10.
For the third straight season, the Minnesota Lynx (26-8) finished atop the Western Conference but had the Los Angeles Sparks (24-10) right on their heels. The Lynx, Sparks and Sky finished with the top three records in the league and the stars of those three teams finished in the top three in MVP voting in one of the closest votes in league history.
L.A.’s Candace Parker (234 points) edged out Minnesota&#8217;s Maya Moore (218) and Chicago&#8217;s Delle Donne (189) to earn her second league MVP honor. It was the closest the top two players have been in the voting since Sheryl Swoopes edged Lauren Jackson by just two points in 2005. Parker ranked fourth in blocks (1.84 per game), sixth in scoring (17.9), seventh in rebounding (8.7) and double-doubles (eight), and 12th in assists (career-high 3.8).
In July, Washington head coach Mike Thibault passed Van Chancellor to become the head coach with the most regular season wins in league history. Thibault passed the legendary Comets coach with the Mystics’ 62-59 win over Seattle on July 6 to give Thibault his 212th regular season win in the WNBA.
The coaching record was the only to fall in 2013 as second-year guard Riquna Williams of the Tulsa Shock set the WNBA single-game scoring record with 51 points in a road win over the San Antonio Stars on Sept. 8. Williams shot 17-28 from the field, 8-14 from beyond the arc and a perfect 9-9 from the line as she racked up 51 points to surpass the previous record of 47 that was held by Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi (2006) and Seattle’s Lauren Jackson (2007).
The 2013 season marked the end of two legendary careers as Katie Smith and Tina Thompson played in their final WNBA games. Smith, a 15-year WNBA veteran and seven-time All-Star, finished her career ranked first in 3-pointers made (906); second in total points (6,452) and minutes played (15,725); fourth in free throws made (1,535) and fifth in field goals made (2,053).
The only player that Smith trailed in scoring was Thompson, who was the only player to play in each of the WNBA’s first 17 season. The nine-time All-Star finished her career as the league’s all-time leader in points (7,488), field goals made (2,630) and minutes played (16,080); second in free throws made (1,480) and total rebounds (3,070).
Five years later, <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/katie-smith-tina-thompson-announced-members-basketball-hall-fame-class-2018/">Thompson and Smith would be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in the same enshrinement class in 2018.</a>
&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bpSFuHgI9I">All-Star</a>
Before she won her second league MVP honor, Candace Parker was crowned MVP of the 2013 All-Star Game as she set a new All-Star Game scoring record with 23 points on 10-13 shooting to go with 11 rebounds in the West’s 102-98 victory. This was Parker’s All-Star debut in her sixth WNBA season. There was no All-Star Game in 2008 (Olympics), 2010 (World Championships) or 2012 (Olympics); she missed the first month of the 2009 season (childbirth) and was injured in 2011 after being selected as a starter.
Heading into the All-Star Game, Chicago’s Elena Delle Donne became the first rookie ever to lead all vote-getters for the event. However, she was unable to play due to a concussion; Tina Charles replaced Delle Donne on the East starting frontline.
&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.wnba.com/playoffs2013/">Playoffs</a>
<ul>
<li>West Semifinals: Minnesota Lynx def. Seattle Storm, 2-0</li>
<li>West Semifinals: Phoenix Mercury def. Los Angeles Sparks, 2-1</li>
<li>East Semifinals: Atlanta Dream def. Washington Mystics, 2-1</li>
<li>East Semifinals: Indiana Fever def. Chicago Sky, 2-0</li>
<li>West Finals: Minnesota Lynx def. Phoenix Mercury, 2-0</li>
<li>East Finals: Atlanta Dream def. Indiana Fever, 2-0</li>
<li>Finals: Minnesota Lynx def. Atlanta Dream, 3-0</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
After tasting defeat in the 2012 WNBA Finals, the Minnesota Lynx entered the 2013 WNBA Playoffs on a mission to reclaim the championship and their status as the standard bearers of the league.
From the opening tip of round one to the final buzzer of the Finals, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFeNHu466wk">the Lynx left no doubt</a>. The Lynx won four of their seven games by double figures, including three by at least 23 points, as they posted an average margin of victory of 15.4 points.
They became the fifth team in WNBA history to sweep the playoffs and just the second to do so while needing seven wins to claim the championship, which began when the Finals expanded to a best-of-five in 2005.
&nbsp;
The only teams to sweep the WNBA Playoffs:
1997: Houston, 2-0 (two single-elimination games)
2000: Houston, 6-0 (three rounds, all best-of-three)
2002: Los Angeles, 6-0 (three rounds, all best-of-three)
2010: Seattle, 7-0 (three rounds, best-of-five Finals)
2013: Minnesota, 7-0 (three rounds, best-of-five Finals)
&nbsp;
Minnesota’s second title in three years was capped off with an 86-77 win over Atlanta in Game 3 of the Finals inside Gwinnett Center in suburban Atlanta. That is the same arena where Maya Moore won three straight state high school championships. Moore had 23 points in the title-clinching game and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qLrqE9MrBQ">was named Finals MVP</a> after averaging 21 points, five rebounds and three assists during the series.

wnba-decade-in-review-2013

WNBA Decade In Review: 2013

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League Champion: <a href="https://www.wnba.com/video/into-the-action-2012-wnba-finals-game-4/">Indiana Fever (First title in franchise history)</a>
<a href="https://www.wnba.com/draft2012/">Top Draft Pick</a>: <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/ogwumike-stricklen-peters-top-three-picks-2012-wnba-draft/">Nneka Ogwumike (LAS, Stanford University)</a>
&nbsp;
Awards
<ul>
<li>Most Valuable Player: <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/tina-charles-named-2012-wnba-most-valuable-player-of-the-year-presented-by-boost-mobile/">Tina Charles (CON)</a></li>
<li>Rookie of the Year: Nneka Ogwumike (LAS)</li>
<li>Defensive Player of the Year: Tamika Catchings (IND) 5th DPOY</li>
<li>Sixth Woman of the Year: Renee Montgomery (CON)</li>
<li>Most Improved Player: Kristi Toliver (LAS)</li>
<li>Coach of the Year: Carol Ross (LAS)</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Top Players
<ul>
<li>All-WNBA First Team: Seimone Augustus (MIN), Tamika Catchings (IND), Tina Charles (CON), Candace Parker (LAS), Cappie Pondexter (NYL)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-WNBA Second Team: Sylvia Fowles (CHI), Maya Moore (MIN), Kristi Toliver (LAS), Lindsay Whalen (MIN), Sophia Young-Malcolm (SAS)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-Rookie Team: Tiffany Hayes (ATL), Glory Johnson (TUL), Nneka Ogwumike (LAS), Samantha Prahalis (PHX), Riquna Williams (TUL)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-Defense First Team: Alana Beard (LAS), Tamika Catchings (IND), Sylvia Fowles (CHI), Briann January (IND), Sancho Lyttle (ATL)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>All-Defense Second Team: Tina Charles (CON), Armintie Price Herrington (ATL), Candace Parker (LAS), Danielle Robinson (SAS), Sophia Young-Malcolm (SAS)</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Stats Leaders
<ul>
<li>Points Per Game: Angel McCoughtry (ATL): 21.4</li>
<li>Rebounds Per Game: Tina Charles (CON): 10.5</li>
<li>Assists Per Game: Lindsay Whalen (MIN): 5.4</li>
<li>Steals Per Game: Angel McCoughtry (ATL): 2.5</li>
<li>Blocks Per Game: Candace Parker (LAS): 2.3</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Regular Season
Before the end of 2011, the Draft Lottery was held to determine which team would receive the top pick in the 2012 WNBA Draft. Despite having the lowest odds (104 chances of 1000), the Los Angeles Sparks won the lottery and the first overall selection.
On April 16, 2012, the Sparks used that pick to select forward Nneka Ogwumike from Stanford to pair with 2008 No. 1 pick Candace Parker on the L.A. frontline. The remaining top five picks were: Tennessee’s Shekinna Stricklen (Storm), Notre Dame’s Devereaux Peters (Lynx), Tennessee’s Glory Johnson (Shock), and Miami’s Shenise Johnson (Silver Stars).
After winning their final six playoff games to earn the 2011 WNBA title, the Minnesota Lynx picked up where they left off when the 2012 season tipped off. The Lynx set a WNBA record for the best start to a season by winning their first 10 games before taking their first loss of the season to Seattle.
The Lynx once again finished at the top of the standings as they matched their 2011 record at 27-7. They were one of five teams to finish with at least 21 wins, something that’s only happened one other time in league history (2006).
The Connecticut Sun finished atop the Eastern Conference at 25-9 thanks in large part to the play of Tina Charles, who would win MVP honors after winning her third straight rebounding title (10.5 per game), finishing fifth in scoring (18.0 per game) and second in blocks (1.4 per game). Charles also became the first player in WNBA history to log three 20-20 games in a career after finishing with 23 points and 22 boards in a win over Atlanta on June 17.
Atlanta’s Angel McCoughty won her first scoring title after coming up just short in 2011. In the tightest scoring race in league history, Taurasi edged Atlanta Dream forward Angel McCoughtry by less than one-tenth of a point &#8212; 21.63 compared to 21.56 points per game. In 2012, McCoughtry averaged 21.4 points per game to lead the Dream back to the postseason.
Tina Thompson – the first pick in the inaugural WNBA Draft in 1997 – hit two major milestones in 2012. Already the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, she became the first player to surpass 7,000 career points. She also became the first player in league history to log 15,000 career minutes (a mark only two other players have hit in 2019 – Sue Bird and Katie Smith).
Tulsa’s Temeka Johnson finished the regular season with the league’s top single-season mark in history for 3-point shooting percentage. Her 53.1% (34-64) record still stands at the end of the decade. On the same day, Chicago’s Ticha Penicheiro played in her final WNBA games as she added two assists to extend her WNBA record to 2,599 (a mark that would eventually be topped by Bird).
&nbsp;
All-Star
There was no All-Star Game due to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The WNBA took a one-month hiatus from July 14 to Aug. 16 so players could compete for their respective countries in the Olympics.
The U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team – comprised of 12 WNBA players – defeated France in the gold medal game. The win gave the United States women their fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal and, dating back to the bronze medal game in 1992, stretched the team’s winning streak to 41 games.
&nbsp;
Playoffs
<ul>
<li>West Semifinals: Los Angeles Sparks def. San Antonio Silver Stars, 2-0</li>
<li>West Semifinals: Minnesota Lynx def. Seattle Storm, 2-0</li>
<li>East Semifinals: Connecticut Sun def. New York Liberty, 2-0</li>
<li>East Semifinals: Indiana Fever def. Atlanta Dream, 2-1</li>
<li>West Finals: Minnesota Lynx def. Los Angeles Sparks, 2-0</li>
<li>East Finals: Indiana Fever def. Connecticut Sun, 2-1</li>
<li>Finals: Indiana Fever def. Minnesota Lynx, 3-1</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
In her 12th WNBA season, there was not much that Tamika Catchings had failed to accomplish on a basketball court. She won a title in college, she had three Olympic gold medals, she won league MVP and set the record with five Defensive Player of the Year honors. The only hole in her incredible resume was the WNBA championship. She had her first shot in 2009 when her Indiana Fever lost in five games to the Phoenix Mercury. In 2012, she got her next shot, but would have to dethrone the mighty Minnesota Lynx as they looked to defend their 2011 title.
It wasn’t an easy road to the Finals for Indiana as they were pushed to winner-take-all Game 3 in both the East Semis and East Finals. Their season was on the line in Game 2 of the East Finals against Connecticut.
With the game tied with 12 seconds to play, Connecticut’s Allison Hightower missed a free throw that could have given the Sun the lead. Tamika Catchings corralled the rebound and found a streaking Briann January for what appeared to be an easy transition layup to give the Fever the lead. January missed the layup, but made a great hustle play to save the rebound from going out of bounds and got it to Shavonte Zellous, who drilled a game-winning buzzer-beater to tie the series. The Fever would win Game 3 decisively to advance to the Finals.
In the Finals, the Fever won Game 1 in Minnesota to steal home-court advantage away from the Lynx. Minnesota responded to win Game 2 behind a 27-point night from Seimone Augustus to tie the series as it shifted to Indiana for the next two games. Determined not to go back to Minnesota for a winner-take-all Game 5, the Fever protected their home court with a 76-59 win in Game 3 behind 30 points from Shavonte Zellous.
With a shot to win the title at home in Game 4, it was Catchings who delivered with a game-high 25 points to go with eight assists, four rebounds, three blocks and a steal in the Fever’s 87-78 win to capture that elusive WNBA title. Catchings added WNBA champion and Finals MVP to her incredible resume.

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