The 2018 WNBA season was the 22nd season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Minnesota Lynx are the defending champions. The regular season began on May 18, with the Phoenix Mercury hosting the Dallas Wings. The season ended with the Seattle Storm defeating the Washington Mystics 3-0 in the WNBA Finals. This was the third championship for the Storm. Seattle's Breanna Stewart was named regular season and finals MVP.
| 2018 WNBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | May 18 – September 12, 2018 |
| Number of games | 34 |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Average attendance | 6,721[1] |
| TV partner(s) | ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, NBA TV |
| Top draft pick | A'ja Wilson |
| Picked by | Las Vegas Aces |
| Season MVP |  Breanna Stewart (Seattle) |
| Eastern champions | Atlanta Dream |
| Eastern runners-up | Washington Mystics |
| Western champions | Seattle Storm |
| Western runners-up | Phoenix Mercury |
| Finals champions | Seattle Storm |
| Runners-up | Washington Mystics |
| Finals MVP | Breanna Stewart (Seattle) |
2018 WNBA draft
editThe Las Vegas Aces selected A'ja Wilson first in the 2018 WNBA Draft.[2] The draft was televised nationally on the ESPN networks (Round 1 on ESPN2, Rounds 2 and 3 on ESPNU).
Transactions
editRetirement
edit- On August 21, 2017, Plenette Pierson announced her retirement at the conclusion of the 2017 season. Pierson played 15 seasons and won three championships with the Detroit Shock and Minnesota Lynx.[3]
- On February 3, 2018, Jia Perkins announced her retirement from the WNBA. Perkins played 14 seasons and won one championship with the Minnesota Lynx.[4]
Free agency
editFree agency negotiations began on February 1.
Coaching changes
edit| Off-season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | 2017 season | 2018 season |
| Seattle Storm | Gary Kloppenburg | Dan Hughes |
| New York Liberty | Bill Laimbeer | Katie Smith |
| Las Vegas Aces | Vickie Johnson | Bill Laimbeer |
| Atlanta Dream | Michael Cooper | Nicki Collen |
| Mid-season | ||
| Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
| Dallas Wings | Fred Williams | Taj McWilliams-Franklin |
Arena changes
editIn addition to the relocated Las Vegas Aces, two other teams announced permanent moves to new arenas for the 2018 season.
- The Chicago Sky moved from Allstate Arena in suburban Rosemont, Illinois to the newly opened Wintrust Arena at the McCormick Place exhibition center on Chicago's Near South Side. The move was initially announced by the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, owner and operator of McCormick Place, on July 25, 2017.[5] The Sky did not make their formal announcement until February 2, 2018.[6]
- The New York Liberty announced on February 8, 2018 that they would move their primary home from Madison Square Garden, where they had played since the league's first season in 1997, to the Westchester County Center in suburban White Plains, New York. The team planned to play 15 of its 17 home games in White Plains, with the remaining two at the Garden.[7]
Regular season
editAll-Star Game
editThe 2018 WNBA All-Star Game was hosted by the Minnesota Lynx on July 28 at the Target Center. Coverage of the game began at 3:30pm. This is the first time the Lynx have hosted the annual event. This season a new selection format was used. Fans, coaches, media and players would all vote for players to be selected to the All-Star Game. The top 22 players receiving votes based on this weighting were selected to the All-Star Game. There was not a restriction on number of players from one conference. The top 2 vote getters were captains of the two All-Star teams and selected their teams from the pool of the remaining 20 players. The 22 All-Stars were revealed on July 17, 2018. The rosters were revealed on July 19, 2018.[8]
July 28
3:30pm |
| Team Delle Donne 112, Team Parker 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–31, 23–23, 34–24, 35–34 | ||
| Pts: Moore, Quigley 18 Rebs: Four players 8 Asts: Diggins-Smith 8 |
Pts: Toliver 23 Rebs: Three players 6 Asts: Bird 8 | |
Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Attendance: 15,922 Referees: Maj Forsberg Janetta Graham Jeff Wooten |
Standings
editSource:[9]
| # | Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlanta Dream (2) | 23 | 11 | .676 | – | 13–4 | 10–7 | 12–4 |
| 2 | Washington Mystics (3) | 22 | 12 | .647 | 1 | 12–5 | 10–7 | 12–4 |
| 3 | Connecticut Sun (4) | 21 | 13 | .618 | 2 | 13–4 | 8–9 | 9–7 |
| 4 | e – Chicago Sky | 13 | 21 | .382 | 10 | 7–10 | 6–11 | 6–10 |
| 5 | e – New York Liberty | 7 | 27 | .206 | 16 | 4–13 | 3–14 | 6–10 |
| 6 | e – Indiana Fever | 6 | 28 | .176 | 17 | 2–15 | 4–13 | 3–13 |
| # | Western Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle Storm (1) | 26 | 8 | .765 | – | 13–4 | 13–4 | 11–5 |
| 2 | Phoenix Mercury (5) | 20 | 14 | .588 | 6 | 9–8 | 11–6 | 8–8 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Sparks (6) | 19 | 15 | .559 | 7 | 11–6 | 8–9 | 9–7 |
| 4 | Minnesota Lynx (7) | 18 | 16 | .529 | 8 | 9–8 | 9–8 | 9–7 |
| 5 | Dallas Wings (8) | 15 | 19 | .441 | 11 | 10–7 | 5–12 | 7–9 |
| 6 | e –Las Vegas Aces | 14 | 20 | .412 | 12 | 8–9 | 6–11 | 4–12 |
Notes
- (#) – Conference Standing, Playoff Seeds shown to the right of team name
- x – Qualified for playoffs
- e – Eliminated from playoffs
Statistic leaders
editThe following shows the leaders for each statistic during the 2018 regular season.[10]
| Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Liz Cambage | Dallas Wings | 23.0 PPG |
| Rebounds per game | Sylvia Fowles | Minnesota Lynx | 11.9 RPG |
| Assists per game | Courtney Vandersloot | Chicago Sky | 8.6 APG |
| Steals per game | Maya Moore | Minnesota Lynx | 1.7 SPG |
| Blocks per game | Brittney Griner | Phoenix Mercury | 2.6 BPG |
| Field goal percentage | Sylvia Fowles | Minnesota Lynx | 61.9% (237–383) |
| Three point FG percentage | Briann January | Phoenix Mercury | 47.0% (77–182) |
| Free throw percentage | Diana Taurasi | Phoenix Mercury | 92.5% (172–186) |
| Points per game | Team Stat | Connecticut Sun | 87.6 PPG |
| Field goal percentage | Team Stat | Seattle Storm | 46.8% |
Schedule
editPlayoffs
edit| First round: Single elimination (Aug. 21) | Second round: Single elimination (Aug. 23) | Semifinals: Best-of-five (Aug. 26 – Sept. 4) | WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Sept. 7 – Sept. 12) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Seattle Storm | 91 | 91 | 66 | 84 | 94 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Connecticut Sun | 86 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 87 | 87 | 86 | 86 | 84 | |||||||||||||||
| 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 101 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 96 | 1 | Seattle Storm | 89 | 75 | 98 | ||||||||||||||
| 8 | Dallas Wings | 83 | 3 | Washington Mystics | 76 | 73 | 82 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Atlanta Dream | 84 | 78 | 81 | 76 | 81 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Washington Mystics | 96 | 3 | Washington Mystics | 87 | 75 | 76 | 97 | 86 | |||||||||||||||
| 6 | Los Angeles Sparks | 75 | 6 | Los Angeles Sparks | 64 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Minnesota Lynx | 68 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: Teams re-seeded after second round and semi-finals.
Season award winners
editPlayer of the Week Award
edit| Date Awarded | Eastern Conference | Western Conference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Player | Team | |
| May 28[11] | Alyssa Thomas | Connecticut | Chelsea Gray | Los Angeles |
| June 4[12] | Tina Charles | New York | Liz Cambage | Dallas |
| June 11[13] | Tiffany Hayes | Atlanta | Brittney Griner | Phoenix |
| June 18[14] | Elena Delle Donne | Washington | Breanna Stewart | Seattle |
| June 25[15] | Angel McCoughtry | Atlanta | Maya Moore | Minnesota |
| July 2[16] | Elena Delle Donne (2) | Washington | Maya Moore (2) | Minnesota |
| July 9[17] | Elena Delle Donne (3) | Washington | A'ja Wilson | Las Vegas |
| July 16[18] | Jessica Breland | Atlanta | Candice Parker | Los Angeles |
| July 23[19] | Tiffany Hayes (2) | Atlanta | Liz Cambage (2) | Dallas |
| August 6[20] | Tiffany Hayes (3) | Atlanta | Candice Parker (2) | Los Angeles |
| August 13[21] | Elena Delle Donne (4) | Washington | Maya Moore (3) | Minnesota |
| August 20[22] | Jonquel Jones | Connecticut | DeWanna Bonner | Phoenix |
Player of the Month Award
edit| For games played | Eastern Conference | Western Conference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Player | Team | |
| June 2018[23] | Elena Delle Donne | Washington | Diana Taurasi | Phoenix |
| July 2018[24] | Tiffany Hayes | Atlanta | Breanna Stewart | Seattle |
| August 2018[25] | Elena Delle Donne (2) | Washington | Diana Taurasi (2) | Phoenix |
Rookie of the Month Award
edit| For games played | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| June 2018[26] | A'ja Wilson | Las Vegas |
| July 2018[27] | A'ja Wilson (2) | Las Vegas |
| August 2018[28] | A'ja Wilson (3) | Las Vegas |
Coach of the Month Award
edit| For games played | Coach | Team |
|---|---|---|
| June 2018[29] | Sandy Brondello | Phoenix |
| July 2018[30] | Nicki Collen | Atlanta |
| August 2018[31] | Nicki Collen (2) | Atlanta |
Postseason awards
edit| Award | Winner | Position | Team | Votes/Statistic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player Award | Breanna Stewart[32] | Forward | Seattle Storm | 33 of 39 | |
| Finals MVP Award | Breanna Stewart[33] | Forward | Seattle Storm | – of – | |
| Rookie of the Year Award | A'ja Wilson[34] | Power Forward | Las Vegas Aces | 39 of 39 | |
| Most Improved Player Award | Natasha Howard[35] | Forward | Seattle Storm | 29 of 39 | |
| Defensive Player of the Year Award | Alana Beard[36] | Guard | Los Angeles Sparks | 16 of 39 | |
| Sixth Woman of the Year Award | Jonquel Jones[37] | Forward/center | Connecticut Sun | 20 of 38 | |
| Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award | Sue Bird[38] | Guard | Seattle Storm | 16 of 38 | |
| Peak Performer: Points | Liz Cambage | Center | Dallas Wings | 23.0 PPG | |
| Peak Performer: Rebounds | Sylvia Fowles | Center | Minnesota Lynx | 11.8 RPG | |
| Peak Performer: Assists | Courtney Vandersloot | Guard | Chicago Sky | 8.6 APG | |
| Coach of the Year Award | Nicki Collen[39] | Coach | Atlanta Dream | 37 of 39 | |
| Basketball Executive of the Year Award | Chris Sienko[40] | General manager | Atlanta Dream | 6 of 11 | |
| Team | Guard | Guard | Forward | Forward | Center |
| All-WNBA First Team | Diana Taurasi | Tiffany Hayes | Elena Delle Donne | Breanna Stewart | Liz Cambage |
| All-WNBA Second Team | Skylar Diggins-Smith | Courtney Vandersloot | Candace Parker | Maya Moore | Brittney Griner |
| All-Defensive First Team | Jasmine Thomas | Alana Beard | Jessica Breland | Natasha Howard | Brittney Griner |
| All-Defensive Second Team | Tiffany Hayes | Ariel Atkins | Nneka Ogwumike | Rebekkah Brunson | Sylvia Fowles |
| All-Rookie Team | Kelsey Mitchell | Ariel Atkins | Diamond DeShields | Azurá Stevens | A'ja Wilson |
Coaches
editEastern Conference
edit| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years with team | Record with team | Playoff appearances | Finals Appearances | WNBA Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Dream | Nicki Collen | Connecticut Sun (assistant) | 1 | 23-11 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Chicago Sky | Amber Stocks | Los Angeles Sparks (assistant) | 2 | 35–43 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Connecticut Sun | Curt Miller | Los Angeles Sparks (assistant) | 3 | 56–46 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Indiana Fever | Pokey Chatman | Chicago Sky | 2 | 15–53 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| New York Liberty | Katie Smith | New York Liberty (assistant) | 1 | 7–27 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Washington Mystics | Mike Thibault | Connecticut Sun | 6 | 104–100 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
Western Conference
edit| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years with team | Record with team | Playoff appearances | Finals Appearances | WNBA Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Wings | Fred Williams | Atlanta Dream | 4 | 72–97 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Las Vegas Aces | Bill Laimbeer | New York Liberty | 1 | 14–20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Los Angeles Sparks | Brian Agler | Seattle Storm | 4 | 75–54 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Minnesota Lynx | Cheryl Reeve | Detroit Shock (assistant) | 8 | 213–93 | 7 | 6 | 4 |
| Phoenix Mercury | Sandy Brondello | Los Angeles Sparks (assistant) | 5 | 103–67 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Seattle Storm | Dan Hughes | San Antonio Stars | 1 | 26–8 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Notes:
- Year with team includes 2018 season.
- Records are from time at current team and are through the end the 2018 season.
- Playoff appearances are from time at current team only.
- WNBA Finals and Championships do not include time with other teams.
- Coaches shown are the coaches who began the 2018 season as head coach of each team.
References
edit- ^ Hatfield, Jenn (August 28, 2018). "WNBA attendance declines in 2018: What does that mean for the league?". medium.com. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ "A'ja's Got Next: Wilson Heads to Vegas as No. 1 Pick". WNBA.com. April 12, 2018.
- ^ "Minnesota's Plenette Pierson to Retire After 2017 Season". wnba.com. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
- ^ "WNBA Retirement: Jia Perkins quietly retires". swishappeal.com. February 3, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
- ^ Ryan, Shannon (July 25, 2017). "Sky will play next season at new Wintrust Arena in South Loop". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
- ^ "Mayor Emanuel Joins Chicago Sky to Announce Team's Move to Wintrust Arena" (Press release). WNBA. February 2, 2018. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
- ^ "New York Liberty To Play At Westchester County Center For 2018 Season" (Press release). WNBA. February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
- ^ "WNBA Announces New All-Star Game Format". wnba.com. WNBA. June 5, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
- ^ "2018 Regular season Standings". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ "League Leaders". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ "Alyssa Thomas, Chelsea Gray Named WNBA Players Of The Week". wnba.com. WNBA. May 29, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
- ^ "Tina Charles, Liz Cambage Named Players of the Week". wnba.com. WNBA. June 4, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- ^ "Phoenix's Griner, Atlanta's Hayes Named WNBA Players Of The Week". wnba.com. WNBA. June 11, 2018. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
- ^ "Elena Delle Donne, Breanna Stewart Named Players of the Week". wnba.com. WNBA. June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
- ^ "Atlanta's McCoughtry, Minnesota's Moore Named WNBA Players Of The Week". wnba.com. WNBA. June 25, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
- ^ "Elena Delle Donne, Maya Moore Named Players of the Week". wnba.com. WNBA. July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
- ^ "Elena Delle Donne, A'ja Wilson Named Players of the Week". wnba.com. WNBA. July 9, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
- ^ "Atlanta's Breland, Los Angeles' Parker Named WNBA Players Of The Week". wnba.com. WNBA. July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
- ^ "Atlanta's Hayes, Dallas' Cambage Named WNBA Players Of The Week". wnba.com. WNBA. July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
- ^ "Atlanta's Hayes, Los Angeles' Parker Named WNBA Players of the Week". wnba.com. WNBA. August 6, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^ "Elena Delle Donne, Maya Moore Named WNBA Players Of The Week (Aug 6-12)". wnba.com. WNBA. August 13, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
- ^ "Jones, Bonner Named Players Of The Week". wnba.com. WNBA. August 20, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ "Washington's Delle Donne, Phoenix's Taurasi Named WNBA Players of the Month". wnba.com. WNBA. July 3, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
- ^ "Atlanta's Hayes, Seattle's Stewart Named WNBA Players Of The Month". wnba.com. WNBA. August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ^ "Elena Delle Donne And Diana Taurasi Named Players Of Month For August". wnba.com. WNBA. August 20, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ "Las Vegas' A'ja Wilson Named Rookie of the Month". wnba.com. WNBA. July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
- ^ "Las Vegas' Wilson Named WNBA Rookie Of The Month". wnba.com. WNBA. August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ^ "Las Vegas' A'ja Wilson Named August WNBA Rookie Of The Month". wnba.com. WNBA. August 20, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ "Phoenix's Sandy Brondello Named WNBA Coach of the Month". wnba.com. WNBA. July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
- ^ "Atlanta's Collen Named WNBA Coach Of The Month". wnba.com. WNBA. August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
- ^ "Dream's Nicki Collen Named August Coach Of The Month". wnba.com. WNBA. August 20, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ "Seattle's Breanna Stewart Named 2018 Most Valuable Player". wnba.com. WNBA. August 26, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ Standig, Benjamin (September 12, 2018). "Stewart, Storm surge past Mystics 98-82 for WNBA title". wnba.com. The Associated Press. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ "Aces' A'ja Wilson Unanimously Selected 2018 WNBA Rookie Of The Year". wnba.com. WNBA. September 9, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
- ^ "Seattle's Natasha Howard Named 2018 WNBA Most Improved Player". wnba.com. WNBA. August 26, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "Sparks' Alana Beard Named 2018 Defensive Player Of The Year - WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
- ^ "Connecticut Sun's Jonquel Jones Named 2018 WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year". wnba.com. WNBA. August 23, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
- ^ "Seattle's Sue Bird Wins 2018 Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award". wnba.com. WNBA. August 26, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "Atlanta's Nicki Collen Named 2018 WNBA Coach Of The Year". wnba.com. WNBA. August 28, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
- ^ "Atlanta's Chris Sienko Named 2018 WNBA Basketball Executive Of The Year" (Press release). WNBA. August 28, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.