2017 WNBA season
The 2017 WNBA season was the 21st season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Its regular season began on May 13 with three games, highlighted by the defending WNBA champion Los Angeles Sparks hosting the Seattle Storm. It concluded on September 3. The playoffs began on September 6, and concluded on October 4, with the Minnesota Lynx defeating the Sparks in five games to win their fourth WNBA title.[2]
| 2017 WNBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Number of games | 34 |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Total attendance | 1,574,078[1] |
| Average attendance | 7,716[1] |
| TV partner(s) | ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, NBA TV |
| Top draft pick |  Kelsey Plum |
| Picked by | San Antonio Stars |
| Season MVP | Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota) |
| Eastern champions | New York Liberty |
| Eastern runners-up | Connecticut Sun |
| Western champions | Minnesota Lynx |
| Western runners-up | Los Angeles Sparks |
| Finals champions | Minnesota Lynx |
| Runners-up | Los Angeles Sparks |
| Finals MVP | Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota) |
It was the final season for the San Antonio Stars in the city that they had called home since 2003. After the season, parent company Spurs Sports & Entertainment sold the team to MGM Resorts International, which moved the team to Las Vegas.[3] The former Stars now play as the Las Vegas Aces.[4]
2017 WNBA Draft
The San Antonio Stars selected Kelsey Plum first in the 2017 WNBA Draft.[5] The draft was televised nationally on the ESPN networks (Round 1 on ESPN2, Rounds 2 and 3 on ESPNU).
Arena changes
Two teams announced temporary arena changes for the 2017 season, both due to their regular arenas undergoing renovations during the WNBA season.
- The Atlanta Dream announced that they would move from Philips Arena to McCamish Pavilion on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology for the 2017 and 2018 seasons.[6]
- The Minnesota Lynx announced that they would move from Target Center to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul for the 2017 season.[7]
Team standings
Source:[8]
| # | Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York Liberty - (3) | 22 | 12 | .647 | - | 13–4 | 9–8 | 10–6 |
| 2 | Connecticut Sun - (4) | 21 | 13 | .636 | 1 | 12–5 | 9–6 | 10–6 |
| 3 | Washington Mystics - (6) | 18 | 16 | .529 | 4 | 11–6 | 7–10 | 12-4 |
| 4 | Chicago Sky - e | 12 | 22 | .353 | 10 | 4–13 | 8–9 | 6–10 |
| 5 | Atlanta Dream - e | 12 | 22 | .353 | 10 | 9–8 | 3–14 | 5–11 |
| 6 | Indiana Fever - e | 9 | 25 | .265 | 13 | 6–11 | 3–14 | 4–12 |
| # | Western Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota Lynx - (1) | 27 | 7 | .794 | – | 15–2 | 12–5 | 13–3 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Sparks - (2) | 26 | 8 | .765 | 1 | 16–1 | 10–7 | 12–4 |
| 3 | Phoenix Mercury - (5) | 18 | 16 | .529 | 9 | 9–8 | 9–8 | 7–9 |
| 4 | Dallas Wings - (7) | 16 | 18 | .471 | 11 | 10–7 | 6–11 | 7–9 |
| 5 | Seattle Storm - (8) | 15 | 19 | .441 | 12 | 10–7 | 5–12 | 8–8 |
| 6 | San Antonio Stars - e | 8 | 26 | .235 | 19 | 6–11 | 2–15 | 1–15 |
Notes
- (#) – Conference Standing
- Playoff Seeds shown next to team name
- e – Eliminated from playoffs
Playoffs
| First round: Single elimination (Sept. 6) | Second round: Single elimination (Sept. 10) | Semifinals: Best-of-five (Sept. 12 – Sept. 17) | WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Sept. 24 – Oct. 4) | |||||||||||
2 Los Angeles Sparks | 3 | |||||||||||||
5 Phoenix Mercury | 0 | |||||||||||||
4 Connecticut Sun | 83 | |||||||||||||
5 Phoenix Mercury | 88 | |||||||||||||
5 Phoenix Mercury | 79 | |||||||||||||
8 Seattle Storm | 69 | |||||||||||||
1 Minnesota Lynx | 3 | |||||||||||||
2 Los Angeles Sparks | 2 | |||||||||||||
6 Washington Mystics | 86 | |||||||||||||
7 Dallas Wings | 76 | |||||||||||||
3 New York Liberty | 68 | |||||||||||||
6 Washington Mystics | 82 | |||||||||||||
1 Minnesota Lynx | 3 | |||||||||||||
6 Washington Mystics | 0 | |||||||||||||
Note: Teams re-seeded after second round and semi-finals.
- Semifinals
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
1 Minnesota Lynx | 101 | 93 | 81 |
6 Washington Mystics | 81 | 83 | 70 |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
2 Los Angeles Sparks | 79 | 86 | 89 |
5 Phoenix Mercury | 66 | 72 | 87 |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Minnesota Lynx | 84 | 70 | 64 | 80 | 85 |
2 Los Angeles Sparks | 85 | 68 | 75 | 69 | 76 |
Individual statistic leaders
Regular season
| Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Brittney Griner | Phoenix Mercury | 21.9 PPG |
| Rebounds per game | Jonquel Jones | Connecticut Sun | 11.9 RPG |
| Assists per game | Courtney Vandersloot | Chicago Sky | 8.1 APG |
| Steals per game | Alana Beard | Los Angeles Sparks | 2.1 SPG |
| Blocks per game | Brittney Griner | Phoenix Mercury | 2.5 BPG |
| Field goal percentage | Sylvia Fowles | Minnesota Lynx | 65.5% |
| Three point percentage | Chelsea Gray | Los Angeles Sparks | 48.2% |
| Free throw percentage | Elena Delle Donne | Washington Mystics | 95.3% |
Playoffs
| Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Breanna Stewart | Seattle Storm | 23.0 PPG |
| Rebounds per game | Jonquel Jones | Connecticut Sun | 15.0 RPG |
| Assists per game | Chelsea Gray | Los Angeles Sparks | 6.7 APG |
| Steals per game | Jewell Loyd | Seattle Storm | 3.0 SPG |
| Blocks per game | Courtney Paris Candace Parker Breanna Stewart | Dallas Wings Los Angeles Sparks Seattle Storm | 2.0 BPG |
| Field goal percentage | 8 Tied | Various | 100% |
| Three point percentage | Rebecca Allen Rachel Banham | New York Liberty Connecticut Sun | 100% |
| Free throw percentage | 18 Tied | Various | 100% |
Season award winners
Player of the Week Award
Player of the Month Award
| For games played | Eastern Conference | Western Conference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Player | Team | |
| May 2017 | Tiffany Hayes | Atlanta Dream | Sylvia Fowles | Minnesota Lynx |
| June 2017 | Jonquel Jones | Connecticut Sun | Sylvia Fowles (2) | Minnesota Lynx |
| July 2017 | Tina Charles | New York Liberty | Sylvia Fowles (3) | Minnesota Lynx |
| August 2017 | Tina Charles (2) | New York Liberty | Candace Parker | Los Angeles Sparks |
Rookie of the Month Award
| For games played | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| May 2017 | Allisha Gray | Dallas Wings |
| June 2017 | Allisha Gray (2) | Dallas Wings |
| July 2017 | Brittney Sykes | Atlanta Dream |
| August 2017 | Brittney Sykes (2) | Atlanta Dream |
Coach of the Month Award
| For games played | Coach | Team |
|---|---|---|
| May 2017 | Cheryl Reeve | Minnesota Lynx |
| June 2017 | Brian Agler | Los Angeles Sparks |
| July 2017 | Curt Miller | Connecticut Sun |
| August 2017 | Bill Laimbeer | New York Liberty |
Postseason awards
Coaches
Eastern Conference
| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years with team | Record with team | Playoff Appearances | Finals Appearances | WNBA Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Dream | Michael Cooper | USC | 3 | 51–51 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Chicago Sky | Amber Stocks | Los Angeles Sparks (assistant) | 0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Connecticut Sun | Curt Miller | Los Angeles Sparks (assistant) | 1 | 14–20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Indiana Fever | Pokey Chatman | Chicago Sky | 0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| New York Liberty | Bill Laimbeer | Minnesota Timberwolves (assistant) | 4 | 70–66 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Washington Mystics | Mike Thibault | Connecticut Sun | 4 | 64–72 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Western Conference
| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years with team | Record with team | Playoff Appearances | Finals Appearances | WNBA Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Wings | Fred Williams | Atlanta Dream | 3 | 41–61 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Los Angeles Sparks | Brian Agler | Seattle Storm | 2 | 40–28 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Minnesota Lynx | Cheryl Reeve | Detroit Shock (assistant) | 7 | 168–70 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| Phoenix Mercury | Sandy Brondello | Los Angeles Sparks (assistant) | 3 | 65–37 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| San Antonio Stars | Vickie Johnson | San Antonio Stars (assistant) | 0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seattle Storm | Jenny Boucek | Seattle Storm (assistant) | 10 | 26–42 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
- Year with team does not include 2017 season.
- Records are from time at current team and are through the end the 2016 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 2017 season as head coach of each team.
References
- "WNBA Scores Highest Attendance In Six Years During Record-Breaking Season". wnba.com. WNBA. September 6, 2017. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
- "WNBA's 2017 Season Tips Off May 13". WNBA.com. November 29, 2016.
- "WNBA Announces Relocation of San Antonio Stars to Las Vegas" (Press release). WNBA. October 17, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
- "MGM Resorts Selects 'Las Vegas Aces' As New Name For WNBA Franchise" (Press release). WNBA. December 11, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- "San Antonio Stars Select Washington's Kelsey Plum With No. 1 Pick in WNBA Draft". WNBA.com. April 13, 2017.
- "Atlanta Dream Announces Georgia Tech as Home for 2017 & 2018 Seasons". WNBA. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
- "Lynx to play 2017 home games at Xcel Energy Center". Star Tribune. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
- http://www.wnba.com/standings/#?season=2017
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