| 2017 WNBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | May 3 – September 17, 2017 |
| 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) |
| 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-five (Sept. 12 – Sept. 17) | WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Sept. 24 – Oct. 4) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Los Angeles Sparks | 79 | 86 | 89 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Connecticut Sun | 83 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 66 | 72 | 87 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 79 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 88 | 1 | Minnesota Lynx | 84 | 70 | 64 | 80 | 85 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Seattle Storm | 69 | 2 | Los Angeles Sparks | 85 | 68 | 75 | 69 | 76 | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | Minnesota Lynx | 101 | 93 | 81 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | New York Liberty | 68 | 6 | Washington Mystics | 81 | 83 | 70 | |||||||||||||||||
| 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% |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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: