| 2000 WNBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | May 29 - August 26, 2000 |
| Games | 32 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Total attendance | 2,322,822 |
| Average attendance | 9,074 |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN,NBC,Lifetime |
| 2000 WNBA Draft | |
| Top draft pick |  Ann Wauters |
| Picked by | Cleveland Rockers |
| Regular season | |
| SeasonMVP |  Sheryl Swoopes (Houston) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | New York Liberty |
| Eastern runners-up | Cleveland Rockers |
| Western champions | Houston Comets |
| Western runners-up | Los Angeles Sparks |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Houston Comets |
| Runners-up | New York Liberty |
| FinalsMVP | Cynthia Cooper (Houston) |
| WNBA seasons | |
The2000 WNBA season was theWomen's National Basketball Association's fourth season. The 2000 season saw four expansion teams join the league, theIndiana Fever,Miami Sol,Portland Fire, andSeattle Storm. The2000 WNBA expansion draft took place on December 15, 1999.[1][2] The season ended with theHouston Comets winning their fourth WNBA championship.
Eastern Conference
| Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Libertyx | 20 | 12 | .625 | 14–7 | – |
| Cleveland Rockersx | 17 | 15 | .531 | 13–8 | 3.0 |
| Orlando Miraclex | 16 | 16 | .500 | 13–8 | 4.0 |
| Washington Mysticsx | 14 | 18 | .438 | 13–8 | 6.0 |
| Detroit Shocko | 14 | 18 | .438 | 10–11 | 6.0 |
| Miami Solo | 13 | 19 | .406 | 9–12 | 7.0 |
| Indiana Fevero | 9 | 23 | .281 | 7–14 | 11.0 |
| Charlotte Stingo | 8 | 24 | .250 | 5–16 | 12.0 |
Western Conference
| Western Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Sparksx | 28 | 4 | .875 | 17–4 | – |
| Houston Cometsx | 27 | 5 | .844 | 17–4 | 1.0 |
| Sacramento Monarchsx | 21 | 11 | .656 | 13–8 | 7.0 |
| Phoenix Mercuryx | 20 | 12 | .625 | 11–10 | 8.0 |
| Utah Starzzo | 18 | 14 | .563 | 13–8 | 10.0 |
| Minnesota Lynxo | 15 | 17 | .469 | 5–16 | 13.0 |
| Portland Fireo | 10 | 22 | .313 | 4–17 | 18.0 |
| Seattle Stormo | 6 | 26 | .188 | 4–17 | 22.0 |
Note: Teams with an "X" clinched playoff spots.
There were 16 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four.
| Conference semifinals Best-of-3 | Conference finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals Best-of-3 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Washington | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||
| E2 | Cleveland | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Cleveland | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Orlando | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Houston | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Phoenix | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||
| W2 | Houston | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Houston | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Sacramento | 0 | ||||||||||||
Reference:[3]
| Award | Winner | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player (MVP) | Sheryl Swoopes | Houston Comets | |
| Finals MVP | Cynthia Cooper | Houston Comets | |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Sheryl Swoopes | Houston Comets | |
| Most Improved Player | Tari Phillips | New York Liberty | |
| Shooting Champions | Field goal percentage | Murriel Page | Washington Mystics |
| Free throw percentage | Jennifer Azzi | Utah Starzz | |
| Rookie of the Year | Betty Lennox | Minnesota Lynx | |
| Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award | Suzie McConnell Serio | Cleveland Rockers | |
| Entrepreneurial Achievement Award | Monica Lamb | Houston Comets | |
| Coach of the Year | Michael Cooper | Los Angeles Sparks | |
| Award | Player | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-WNBA | First Team | Sheryl Swoopes | Houston Comets |
| Natalie Williams | Utah Starzz | ||
| Lisa Leslie | Los Angeles Sparks | ||
| Cynthia Cooper | Houston Comets | ||
| Ticha Penicheiro | Sacramento Monarchs | ||
| Second Team | Katie Smith | Minnesota Lynx | |
| Tina Thompson | Houston Comets | ||
| Yolanda Griffith | Sacramento Monarchs | ||
| Teresa Weatherspoon | New York Liberty | ||
| Betty Lennox (tied) | Minnesota Lynx | ||
| Shannon Johnson (tied) | Orlando Miracle | ||
| Week ending | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| June 5 | Brandy Reed | Phoenix Mercury |
| June 12 | Sheryl Swoopes | Houston Comets |
| June 19 | Katie Smith | Minnesota Lynx |
| June 26 | Lisa Leslie | Los Angeles Sparks |
| July 3 | Tari Phillips | New York Liberty |
| July 10 | Lisa Leslie (2) | Los Angeles Sparks |
| July 17 | Natalie Williams | Utah Starzz |
| July 24 | Lisa Leslie (3) | Los Angeles Sparks |
| July 31 | Adrienne Goodson | Utah Starzz |
| August 7 | Yolanda Griffith | Sacramento Monarchs |