| 2017 WNBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | May 3 – September 17, 2017 |
| Games | 34 |
| Teams | 12 |
| Total attendance | 1,574,078[1] |
| Average attendance | 7,716[1] |
| TV partner(s) | ABC,ESPN,ESPN2,NBA TV |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick |  Kelsey Plum |
| Picked by | San Antonio Stars |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota) |
| Top scorer | Brittney Griner (Phoenix) |
| Playoffs | |
| Finals champions | Minnesota Lynx |
| Runners-up | Los Angeles Sparks |
| Finals MVP | Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota) |
| WNBA seasons | |
The2017 WNBA season was the 21st season of theWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Its regular season began on May 13 with three games, highlighted by the defending WNBA championLos Angeles Sparks hosting theSeattle Storm. It concluded on September 3. The playoffs began on September 6, and concluded on October 4, with theMinnesota Lynx defeating the Sparks in five games to win their fourth WNBA title.[2]
It was the final season for theSan Antonio Stars in the city that they had called home since 2003. After the season, parent companySpurs Sports & Entertainment sold the team toMGM Resorts International, which moved the team toLas Vegas.[3] The former Stars now play as theLas Vegas Aces.[4]
TheSan Antonio Stars selectedKelsey 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).
Two teams announced temporary arena changes for the 2017 season, both due to their regular arenas undergoing renovations during the WNBA season.
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
| First round Single elimination (Sept. 6) | Second round Single elimination (Sept. 10) | Semifinals Best-of-5 (Sept. 12 – Sept. 17) | WNBA Finals Best-of-5 (Sept. 24 – Oct. 4) | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | Los Angeles Sparks | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Connecticut Sun | 83 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 79 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 88 | 1 | Minnesota Lynx | 3 | ||||||||||
| 8 | Seattle Storm | 69 | 2 | Los Angeles Sparks | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 1 | Minnesota Lynx | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | New York Liberty | 68 | 6 | Washington Mystics | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 6 | Washington Mystics | 86 | 6 | Washington Mystics | 82 | |||||||||||||
| 7 | Dallas Wings | 76 | ||||||||||||||||
Note: Teams re-seeded after second round and semi-finals.
| 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% |
| 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% |
Reference:[9]
| Award | Winner | Team | Position | Votes/Statistic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player (MVP) | Sylvia Fowles | Minnesota Lynx | Center | 35 of 40[10] | |
| Finals MVP | Sylvia Fowles | Minnesota Lynx | Center | ||
| Rookie of the Year | Allisha Gray | Dallas Wings | Guard | 30 of 40 | |
| Most Improved Player | Jonquel Jones | Connecticut Sun | Forward/Center | 32 of 40 | |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Alana Beard | Los Angeles Sparks | Guard | 28 of 40 | |
| Sixth Woman of the Year | Sugar Rodgers | New York Liberty | Guard | 15 of 40 | |
| Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award | Sue Bird | Seattle Storm | Guard | 20 of 40 | |
| Peak Performers | Scoring | Brittney Griner | Phoenix Mercury | Center | 21.9 PPG |
| Rebounding | Jonquel Jones | Connecticut Sun | Center | 11.9 RPG | |
| Assists | Courtney Vandersloot | Chicago Sky | Guard | 8.1 APG | |
| Coach of the Year | Curt Miller | Connecticut Sun | Coach | 36 of 40 | |
| Basketball Executive of the Year | Curt Miller | Connecticut Sun | General manager | 6 of 12 | |
| Week ending | Eastern Conference | Western Conference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Player | Team | |
| May 22 | Layshia Clarendon | Atlanta Dream | Sylvia Fowles(2) | Minnesota Lynx |
| May 29 | Epiphanny Prince | New York Liberty | ||
| June 4 | Tina Charles(2) | New York Liberty | Diana Taurasi | Phoenix Mercury |
| June 11 | Sylvia Fowles(3) | Minnesota Lynx | ||
| June 18 | Jonquel Jones | Connecticut Sun | Candace Parker | Los Angeles Sparks |
| June 25 | Alyssa Thomas | Connecticut Sun | Skylar Diggins-Smith | Dallas Wings |
| July 2 | Jasmine Thomas | Connecticut Sun | Candace Parker(2) | Los Angeles Sparks |
| July 9 | Alyssa Thomas (2) | Connecticut Sun | Brittney Griner | Phoenix Mercury |
| July 16 | Stefanie Dolson | Chicago Sky | Breanna Stewart | Seattle Storm |
| July 23 | Tina Charles(4) | New York Liberty | Sylvia Fowles(4) | Minnesota Lynx |
| July 30 | Candace Parker (3) | Los Angeles Sparks | ||
| August 7 | Courtney Vandersloot | Chicago Sky | Glory Johnson | Dallas Wings |
| August 14 | Jonquel Jones(2) | Connecticut Sun | Sylvia Fowles(5) | Minnesota Lynx |
| August 21 | Tina Charles (7) | New York Liberty | Breanna Stewart(2) | Seattle Storm |
| August 28 | Candace Parker(4) | Los Angeles Sparks | ||
| September 5 | Brittney Griner(2) | Phoenix Mercury | ||
| Month | Eastern Conference | Western Conference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Player | Team | |
| May | Tiffany Hayes | Atlanta Dream | Sylvia Fowles(3) | Minnesota Lynx |
| June | Jonquel Jones | Connecticut Sun | ||
| July | Tina Charles(2) | New York Liberty | ||
| August | Candace Parker | Los Angeles Sparks | ||
| Month | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| May | Allisha Gray(2) | Dallas Wings |
| June | ||
| July | Brittney Sykes(2) | Atlanta Dream |
| August |
| Month | Coach | Team |
|---|---|---|
| May | Cheryl Reeve | Minnesota Lynx |
| June | Brian Agler | Los Angeles Sparks |
| July | Curt Miller | Connecticut Sun |
| August | Bill Laimbeer | New York Liberty |
| 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 |
| 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: