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BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) Breanna Stewart had 18 points and 10 rebounds and the Seattle Storm beat the Minnesota Lynx 90-66 on Tuesday night to spoil a record-breaking night by Sylvia Fowles.
Fowles, who went into the game needing seven rebounds to become the WNBA&#8217;s all-time leader, grabbed a missed 3-point shot by Stewart in the closing seconds of the first half to move past former teammate and current Lynx assistant coach Rebekkah Brunson into first on the career rebounds list with 3,357.
Damiris Dantas led Minnesota (1-1) with 18 points. Fowles finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Sue Bird hit a 3-pointer to give Seattle (2-0) the lead for good &#8211; at 27-24 &#8211; midway through the second quarter. Rachel Banham made a 3 to trim Minnesota&#8217;s deficit to 48-45 about four minutes into the third but was called for a technical foul several seconds later. Jewell Loyd hit the ensuing free throw, sparking a 15-2 run that gave Seattle a 16-point lead with two minutes left in the period and the Lynx trailed by double figures the rest of the way.
Bird hit 4 of 6 from 3-point range and scored 16 points.

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Fowles Breaks Rebounding Record But Storm Beat Lynx 90-66

In honor of Rebekkah Brunson&#8217;s retirement, take a look back at the top moments from her historic WNBA career.

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Rebekkah Brunson Career Highlights

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MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL – Minnesota Lynx Head Coach and General Manager Cheryl Reeve today announced the hiring of five-time WNBA Champion and Lynx great Rebekkah Brunson as an Assistant Coach. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.
Additionally, Brunson today announced her retirement from the WNBA. In a subsequent move, the Lynx announced she will become the second player in franchise history to have her number hoisted to the rafters of Target Center. The jersey retirement of #32 will take place at a to-be-determined game this summer.
“I put a lot of thought into these upcoming decisions because I love this city and this organization and always want to make sure I do what’s best for them, my family and the game,” said Brunson. “In that, I have decided to retire as a player and join the Minnesota Lynx coaching staff. I am excited for the opportunity to continue building the Lynx legacy. I am also thrilled with the idea of having my jersey hang in the rafters next to one of my favorite people, one of my best friends, and one of my favorite players. All of the work that we did together throughout our time as players here, to hang next to the banners we worked so very hard to earn, will be something that brings me an amazing amount of joy and fulfillment. I want to thank the fans who have supported me through my career as a player and hope you will continue to show your support as I do work for this team, for basketball and for the community. I also want to thank the organization for believing in me through these changes. And most importantly I want to thank my beautiful family for joining me on this wild ride, for always being there and being an unwavering support system.”
“It has been a privilege and honor to watch Rebekkah lead our team to four championships and I’m thrilled to have her return to our staff and lead the next generation of Lynx players,” said Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx owner Glen Taylor. “Over her 15-year WNBA career, she won the most championships in league history, became the WNBA’s premier rebounder and represented our organization with class every step of the way. We congratulate Rebekkah and her family on this momentous occasion and I look forward to celebrating seeing her number brought up to the Target Center rafters with her and our fans this summer.”
“We are extremely happy that Rebekkah Brunson, one of the cornerstones of our franchise and the only player in league history with five WNBA Championships, will continue to play a role in the Lynx organization, this time as she begins the next phase of her basketball career” said Reeve. “Rebekkah has been a vital part of our franchise both on and off the court and we are thrilled about her addition to our staff.”
On Reeve’s staff, Brunson will assist in the team’s scouting efforts and player development with the team’s post players. She will become the third former Lynx player and WNBA great on Reeve’s coaching staff, joining Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Katie Smith and three-time WNBA champion Plenette Pierson.
A record five-time WNBA champion, Brunson’s illustrious career spanned 15 seasons as she appeared in 453 regular season games with Sacramento and Minnesota, averaging 9.2 ppg (on 46.6% shooting), 7.4 rpg and 1.1 apg. Brunson appeared in 81 career postseason contests, including a league-record 34 WNBA Finals games, registering playoff averages of 8.4 ppg (on 44.7% shooting), 7.0 rpg and 1.4 apg. She stands as the league’s all-time leader in postseason wins, racking up 57 career victories.
Acquired by the Lynx in the dispersal draft of former Sacramento players on Dec. 14, 2009, she retires as the WNBA’s all-time leader in total rebounds (3,356) and offensive rebounds (1,166) while ranking sixth in both defensive rebounds (2,190) and double-doubles (82). She shares Minnesota&#8217;s single-game franchise records for total rebounds (20) and offensive rebounds (10) while her career-best point total of 32 came in a Sacramento uniform. Her résumé includes five All-Star Game appearances, 11 playoff appearances and eight trips to the WNBA Finals. Brunson was named to the WNBA All-Defensive First Team in 2011 and was a six-time All-Defensive Second Team selection (2007, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2018).
Brunson has been a mainstay in the Twin Cities community during her time with Lynx. She plays an active role as an analyst for Fox Sports North’s coverage of the Minnesota Timberwolves, she’s opened her own business, Sweet Gypsy Waffles, with her wife Bobbi, and continues to give back to the organization during Timberwolves and Lynx Basketball Academy clinics, bookmobile stops and more.

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Minnesota Lynx Hire Five-Time WNBA Champion Rebekkah Brunson as Assistant Coach

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League Champion: Seattle Storm (Third title in franchise history)
Top Draft Pick: A’ja Wilson (LVA, University of South Carolina)
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<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.

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WNBA Decade In Review: 2018

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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.
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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.
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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 (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>
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<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: 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.
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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.
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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.
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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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From the hardwood to the broadcast booth, check out some current and former WNBA players that have taken their talents to television.
<h2>Candace Parker</h2>
<h3>NBA TV Analyst</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/Candace_Parker?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Candace_Parker</a> &amp; Turner Sports reach multi-year extension
Parker to add podcast co-hosting duties to her role as dynamic basketball analyst across Turner Sports’ NBA and NCAA Tournament coverage
Full release: <a href="https://t.co/3dBdoYJzGN">https://t.co/3dBdoYJzGN</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZccHN9mucB">pic.twitter.com/ZccHN9mucB</a>
&mdash; TNT Sports U.S. PR (@TNTSportsUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/TNTSportsUS/status/1171090893111255041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2019</a></blockquote>
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A mother, professional athlete and broadcaster, Candace Parker can do it all.
The 2x MVP, 5x All-Star and WNBA champion joined the NBA TV broadcast booth in 2018. In September, Parker agreed to a multi-year extension with Turner to continue her full-time role as an analyst for NBA on TNT, NBA TV and NCAA Tournament coverage. Parker and colleague Kristen Ledlow will also launch a new basketball podcast this upcoming season, continuing their coverage of the NBA across multiple platforms. Although it&#8217;s considered the &#8220;offseason&#8221; for Parker, her coverage of the NBA is just getting started.
<h2>Rebecca Lobo</h2>
<h3>Women&#8217;s Basketball Analyst and Reporter</h3>
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This job keeps us away from our families more than we’d like. But these three make that time together absolutely delightful. Thank you to them and our <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WNBAFinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WNBAFinals</a> crew for continuing to make this the best job in the world. <a href="https://t.co/cQe9s3edr9">pic.twitter.com/cQe9s3edr9</a>
&mdash; Rebecca Lobo (@RebeccaLobo) <a href="https://twitter.com/RebeccaLobo/status/1182626207906570240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
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A WNBA legend and member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Rebecca Lobo has been a full-time WNBA and Women&#8217;s College Basketball analyst for ESPN since 2004. Most recently, Lobo was a color commentator during the 2019 WNBA Playoffs and Finals.
<h2>Rebekkah Brunson</h2>
<h3>Fox Sports North Timberwolves Analyst</h3>
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The Only 5x <a href="https://twitter.com/WNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WNBA</a> champ ☑️ 5x All-Star ☑️ All-Time Rebound Queen ☑️ Food Truck Owner ☑️ Mom ☑️ NBA Broadcaster ☑️
Is there anything she can’t do? <a href="https://t.co/KWsGt2pAPa">pic.twitter.com/KWsGt2pAPa</a>
&mdash; Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) <a href="https://twitter.com/minnesotalynx/status/1080621850848313346?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2019</a></blockquote>
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A 5x WNBA champion, Rebekkah Brunson has the most titles for an individual player in WNBA history. She made her broadcasting debut covering the Minnesota Timberwolves for Fox Sports North in January. With the Timberwolves&#8217; season underway, Brunson will continue her coverage as an analyst for Fox Sports North this season.
<h2>Chiney Ogwumike</h2>
<h3>ESPN Analyst</h3>
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I’ve got some news: thrilled to announce that I’ve accepted a full-time position as an NBA analyst for <a href="https://twitter.com/espn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@espn</a> while still playing in the <a href="https://twitter.com/WNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WNBA</a>! So blessed to work for a company that supports the rising generation of sports fans, women and diverse voices. <a href="https://t.co/GiOPcKWZfU">pic.twitter.com/GiOPcKWZfU</a>
&mdash; Chiney Ogwumike (@chiney) <a href="https://twitter.com/chiney/status/991367526662668288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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A former first overall selection and current member of the Los Angeles Sparks, Chiney Ogwumike signed a multi-year contract with ESPN in 2018 to become a full-time basketball analyst. She joins teammate Candace Parker as yet another active player in the league to currently hold a broadcasting role. So far in just over a year with ESPN, Ogwumike has appeared on shows such as First Take, Get Up!, The Jump and His &amp; Hers. This season, Ogwumike looks to be a focal part of ESPN&#8217;s NBA coverage.
<h2>Jantel Lavender</h2>
<h3>Big Ten Network Basketball Analyst</h3>
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Ohio State legend Jantel Lavender is joining the <a href="https://twitter.com/BigTenNetwork?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BigTenNetwork</a>&#39;s Women&#39;s Basketball coverage this season. <a href="https://t.co/LrR1ECTNiz">https://t.co/LrR1ECTNiz</a>
&mdash; Land-Grant Holy Land (@Landgrant33) <a href="https://twitter.com/Landgrant33/status/1189356746449543168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The Chicago Sky&#8217;s Jantel Lavender joins the Big Ten Network this season as a Basketball Analyst. Lavender is no stranger to the Big Ten Conference, as she graduated from Ohio State as a three-time All-American. In addition, Lavender became the only basketball player in the conference&#8217;s history to earn four Big Ten Player of the Year awards.
<h2>Renee Montgomery</h2>
<h3>College Park SkyHawks Color Analyst</h3>
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Let’s get it team! <a href="https://t.co/sWX8UsBgza">https://t.co/sWX8UsBgza</a>
&mdash; Renee Montgomery (@ReneeMontgomery) <a href="https://twitter.com/ReneeMontgomery/status/1197585320864301056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The Atlanta Dream&#8217;s Renee Montgomery will join the College Park SkyHawks broadcast group as a color analyst this season. Montgomery spent the 2009-2019 offseason as an ESPN color commentator for NCAA Women&#8217;s Basketball games. In addition, she has appeared on NBA TV as an analyst.
<h2>Kelsey Plum</h2>
<h3>PAC 12 Networks Basketball Analyst</h3>
The 2017 No. 1 draft pick and former Washington standout added PAC 12 Network Basketball Analyst to her already impressive resume. Plum made her debut on Jan. 17 at her alma mater, as the Huskies took on the Sun Devils.
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/Kelseyplum10?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Kelseyplum10</a> is back on Montlake. 💜
Watch the former <a href="https://twitter.com/UW_WBB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UW_WBB</a> star make her Pac-12 Networks debut with <a href="https://twitter.com/GuyHaberman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GuyHaberman</a> when the Huskies host Arizona State coming up next. <a href="https://t.co/UUpA2GvYMZ">https://t.co/UUpA2GvYMZ</a> <a href="https://t.co/IbAmdVaXMw">pic.twitter.com/IbAmdVaXMw</a>
&mdash; Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pac12Network/status/1218367018115596288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<h2>Monique Billings</h2>
<h3>PAC 12 Networks Basketball Analyst</h3>
A familiar face for the PAC 12, Monique Billings, a two-time All-PAC-12 honoree, joins PAC-12 Networks as a Basketball Analyst this season. Like Plum, Billings is also making her broadcasting debut.
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💡🎥🎬. So excited <a href="https://twitter.com/Pac12Network?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Pac12Network</a> <a href="https://t.co/7c9v67kvnM">https://t.co/7c9v67kvnM</a>
&mdash; Monique Billings (@moniquebillings) <a href="https://twitter.com/moniquebillings/status/1217230757170532355?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
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