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2010 WNBA season
League	Women's National Basketball Association
Sport	Basketball
Duration	May 15 – September 16, 2010
Games	34
Teams	12
Total attendance	1,598,174
Average attendance	7,834
TV partner(s)	ABC,ESPN,NBA TV
Top draft pick	Tina Charles
Picked by	Connecticut Sun
Season MVP	Lauren Jackson (Seattle)
Eastern champions	Atlanta Dream
Eastern runners-up	New York Liberty
Western champions	Seattle Storm
Western runners-up	Phoenix Mercury
Finals champions	Seattle Storm
Runners-up	Atlanta Dream
Finals MVP	Lauren Jackson (Seattle)
WNBA seasons
← 2009 2011 →

The2010 WNBA season was the 14th season of theWomen's National Basketball Association. The regular season began with a televised (ESPN2) meeting between the defending championPhoenix Mercury and theLos Angeles Sparks inPhoenix, Arizona on May 15. TheConnecticut Sun hosted the10th Annual All-Star Game which was broadcast live onESPN on July 10. This year, it was a contest betweenGeno Auriemma's USA Basketball team and a single team ofWNBA All-Stars. TheFinals was a series between theSeattle Storm and theAtlanta Dream which Seattle won 3–0.

• The new television deal withESPN continued during the 2010 season (runs 2009–2016). For the first time ever, teams will be paid rights fees as part of this deal.
• As of the 2009 season, the maximum roster size per team was reduced from 13 to 11. Any team that falls below nine players able to play due to injury, pregnancy or any other factor outside of the control of the team will, upon request, be granted a roster hardship exception allowing the team to sign an additional player or players so that the team will have nine players able to play in an upcoming game or games. As soon as the injured (or otherwise sidelined) player(s) is able to play, the roster hardship player(s) – not any other player on the roster—must be waived.
• On September 29, 2009,Nolan Richardson was named head coach and general manager of a potentialTulsa,Oklahoma franchise.^[1]
• On October 20, 2009, theDetroit Shock announced that the franchise would relocate toTulsa as well as move to the Western Conference.^[2]
• On November 20, 2009, theSacramento Monarchs folded.^[3]
• On December 3, 2009, theNew York Liberty announced that previouslyinterim head coachAnne Donovan would be named head coach.^[4]
• On December 8, 2009,Cheryl Reeve was named head coach of theMinnesota Lynx.
• A dispersal draft was held on December 14, 2009, for all non-free agentSacramento Monarchs players.^[5]
• On January 7, 2010, theLos Angeles Sparks named former playerJennifer Gillom head coach.
• On February 25, 2010,Sandy Brondello was named head coach of theSan Antonio Silver Stars whenDan Hughes stepped aside from the position.

On December 14, 2009, theSacramento Monarchsdispersal draft was held. Thisdispersal draft reassigned players from theSacramento Monarchs who folded in November 2009, prior to the start of the 2010 WNBA season.^[6][7] The remaining twelve active teams in the WNBA each selected one player from the2009 Monarchs roster in the one-round draft.^[8] Teams drafted in inverse order of their 2009 regular season finish.^[9] Three former Monarchs players,Kara Lawson,Hamchetou Maiga-Ba, andTicha Penicheiro were unrestricted free agents and therefore not eligible for the draft.^[10] Teams selected based inversely on their 2009 regular season records. Four of the twelve teams making selections waived their picks.

The top four picks were:

Pick	Player	Nationality	New Team	Ref.
1	Nicole Powell	United States	New York Liberty	[8]
2	Rebekkah Brunson		Minnesota Lynx
3	DeMya Walker		Connecticut Sun
4	Courtney Paris		Chicago Sky

The WNBA Draft lottery was held on November 5, 2009. The lottery teams were theSacramento Monarchs,Minnesota Lynx (fromN.Y.),Minnesota Lynx,Connecticut Sun andChicago Sky. The top pick was awarded to Minnesota. Since Sacramento folded after the lottery, all the teams following Sacramento in the draft simply moved up a pick. Minnesota subsequently traded the first overall pick to Connecticut.

The 2010 WNBA Draft was held on April 8, 2010, inSecaucus, New Jersey. Coverage of the first round was shown onESPN2 (HD). Second and third round coverage was shown onESPNU andNBA TV.

The top picks were:

1. Tina Charles,Connecticut Sun
2. Monica Wright,Minnesota Lynx
3. Kelsey Griffin,Minnesota Lynx
4. Epiphanny Prince,Chicago Sky
5. Jayne Appel,San Antonio Silver Stars

The 2010 WNBA All-Star Game was hosted by theConnecticut Sun on July 10 atMohegan Sun Arena. Coverage of the game began at 3:30pm onESPN. This marks the third time the Sun have hosted the annual event. Unlike in previous years, this game was a contest betweenGeno Auriemma's USA basketball team and a team of WNBA all-stars.

The following shows the leaders for each statistic during the 2010 regular season.

Reference:^[11]

• Atlanta Dream:Marynell Meadors
• Chicago Sky:Steven Key
• Connecticut Sun:Mike Thibault
• Indiana Fever:Lin Dunn
• New York Liberty:Anne Donovan
• Washington Mystics:Julie Plank

• Los Angeles Sparks:Jennifer Gillom
• Minnesota Lynx:Cheryl Reeve
• Phoenix Mercury:Corey Gaines
• San Antonio Silver Stars:Sandy Brondello
• Seattle Storm:Brian Agler
• Tulsa Shock:Nolan Richardson

• WNBA
• WNBA draft
• WNBA All-Star Game
• WNBA Playoffs
• WNBA Finals

• 2010 WNBA season
• 2010 in American women's basketball
• 2010–11 in American basketball by league
• 2009–10 in American basketball by league
• WNBA seasons

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