The 2006 WNBA Season was the Women's National Basketball Association's tenth season. The league added one team: the Chicago Sky. The Sky were the first expansion team since 2000 when the Indiana Fever, Miami Sol, Portland Fire, and the Seattle Storm came to the WNBA. On April 5, the WNBA held their draft. Seimone Augustus, guard out of Louisiana State University was the number one overall pick. She was selected by the Minnesota Lynx. Cappie Pondexter, guard out of Rutgers University went number two. She was selected by the Phoenix Mercury. The season started on May 20 with a game between the Sacramento Monarchs and the Phoenix Mercury. The game was televised by ABC. The Monarchs won the game 105–78. On July 12, The All Star Game was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The East All Stars defeated the West All Stars 98–82. Katie Douglas of the Connecticut Sun was named MVP in the game with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists. The 2006 WNBA season concluded on August 13. Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks won the league MVP. Mike Thibault of the Connecticut Sun was named Coach of The Year. Seimone Augustus of the Minnesota Lynx was named Rookie of the Year. The season ended with the Detroit Shock winning their second WNBA Championship.

2006 WNBA season
LeagueWomen's National Basketball Association
SportBasketball
DurationMay 20 – August 13, 2006
Number of games34
Number of teams14
Total attendance1,779,366
Average attendance7,476
TV partner(s)ABC, ESPN, NBA TV
2006 WNBA Draft
Top draft pickUnited States Seimone Augustus
Picked byMinnesota Lynx
Regular season
Season MVPUnited States Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles)
Playoffs
Eastern championsDetroit Shock
  Eastern runners-upConnecticut Sun
Western championsSacramento Monarchs
  Western runners-upLos Angeles Sparks
Finals
ChampionsDetroit Shock
  Runners-upSacramento Monarchs
Finals MVPUnited States Deanna Nolan (Detroit)
WNBA seasons

Regular season standings

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Eastern Conference

Eastern Conference W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
z - Connecticut Sun 26 8 .765 14–3 12–5 15–5
x - Detroit Shock 23 11 .676 3.0 14–3 9–8 14–6
x - Indiana Fever 21 13 .618 5.0 12–5 9–8 12–8
x - Washington Mystics 18 16 .529 8.0 13–4 5–12 12–8
e - New York Liberty 11 23 .324 15.0 7–10 4–13 7–13
e - Charlotte Sting 11 23 .324 15.0 7–10 4–3 6–14
e - Chicago Sky 5 29 .147 21.0 3–14 2–15 4–16

Western Conference

Western Conference W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
Los Angeles Sparks x 25 9 .735 15–2 10–7 15–5
Sacramento Monarchs x 21 13 .618 4.0 14–3 7–10 10–10
Houston Comets x 18 16 .529 7.0 12–5 6–11 11–9
Seattle Storm x 18 16 .529 7.0 9–8 9–8 10–10
Phoenix Mercury o 18 16 .529 7.0 10–7 8–9 8–12
San Antonio Silver Stars o 13 21 .382 12.0 6–11 7–10 10–10
Minnesota Lynx o 10 24 .294 15.0 8–9 2–15 6–14

Season award winners

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Award Winner Team
WNBA Finals MVP Award Deanna Nolan Detroit Shock
WNBA Most Valuable Player Award Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks
WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
WNBA Most Improved Player Award Erin Buescher Sacramento Monarchs
WNBA Peak Performer Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury
WNBA Peak Performer Cheryl Ford Detroit Shock
WNBA Rookie of the Year Award Seimone Augustus Minnesota Lynx
Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award Dawn Staley Houston Comets
WNBA Coach of the Year Award Mike Thibault Connecticut Sun

Playoffs

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First Round
Best of 3
Conference Finals
Best of 3
WNBA Finals
Best of 5
         
E1 Connecticut 2
E4 Washington 0
E1 Connecticut 1
Eastern Conference
E2 Detroit 2
E2 Detroit 2
E3 Indiana 0
E2 Detroit 3
W2 Sacramento 2
W1 Los Angeles 2
W4 Seattle 1
W1 Los Angeles 0
Western Conference
W2 Sacramento 2
W2 Sacramento 2
W3 Houston 0

Coaches

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Eastern Conference

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Western Conference

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