The2002 WNBA Finals was the championshipseries of the2002 WNBA season and the conclusion ofthe season's playoffs. TheLos Angeles Sparks finished the regular season with a25–7 record and as theWestern Conference's number-one seed. They matched up against theNew York Liberty, who finished with an18–14 record and as the number-one seed of theEastern Conference. Holding the better record, the Sparks receivedhome-court advantage over the Liberty. The series was the first championship series to be branded as the "WNBA Finals", as the league's championship was previously called the "WNBA Championship" from 1997 to 2001.^[1]

The series marked the fourth WNBA Finals appearance for the Liberty and second for the Sparks. For the Sparks, it also marked their second straight Finals appearance, going into the seriesas defending champions. The Sparks defeated the Liberty two games to none in the best-of-three series, winning their second consecutive championship. This would be the last time a team won back-to-back championships until2023. The2002 NBA Finals coincidentally also saw theLos Angeles Lakers of the NBA win their respective championship series by sweeping aNew York metro area team, theNew Jersey Nets 4–0.

The teams had split the regular season series:

All times listed below areEastern Daylight Time.

Nikki Teasley hit a series-winning three pointer with 2.1 seconds left. Teresa Weatherspoon tried to repeat history by trying to make a halfcourt heave at the buzzer, but the shot was blocked, and the Sparks won their second consecutive title.

• 2002 WNBA champion:Los Angeles Sparks
• Finals MVP:Lisa Leslie

2002Los Angeles Sparks Finals roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Height Weight From C 41 Askamp, Marlies 6' 5" (1.96m) 198 lb (90kg) Germany F 00 Byears, Latasha 5' 11" (1.8m) 206 lb (93kg) DePaul F 14 DeSouza, Erika 6' 5" (1.96m) 190 lb (86kg) Brazil G 21 Dixon, Tamecka 5' 9" (1.75m) 148 lb (67kg) Kansas F 17 Grgin-Fonseca, Vedrana 6' 1" (1.85m) 160 lb (73kg) Croatia C 9 Leslie, Lisa 6' 5" (1.96m) 170 lb (77kg) USC F 4 Mabika, Mwadi 5' 11" (1.8m) 165 lb (75kg) Democratic Republic of the Congo G 10 McCrimmon, Nicky 5' 8" (1.73m) 125 lb (57kg) USC F 8 Milton, Delisha 6' 1" (1.85m) 172 lb (78kg) Florida G 42 Teasley, Nikki 6' 0" (1.83m) 165 lb (75kg) North Carolina G 13 Witherspoon, Sophia 5' 10" (1.78m) 145 lb (66kg) Florida	Head coach Michael Cooper (New Mexico) Assistant coaches Glenn McDonald Karleen Thompson Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

2002New York Liberty Finals roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Height Weight From C 42 Cooper, Camille 6' 4" (1.93m) 176 lb (80kg) Purdue F 31 Frohlich, Linda 6' 2" (1.88m) 183 lb (83kg) University of Nevada, Las Vegas G 25 Hammon, Becky 5' 6" (1.68m) 136 lb (62kg) Colorado State G 7 Hlede, Korie 5' 9" (1.75m) 150 lb (68kg) Duquesne G 55 Johnson, Vickie 5' 9" (1.75m) 150 lb (68kg) Louisiana Tech C 50 Ngoyisa, Bernadette 6' 4" (1.93m) 195 lb (88kg) Democratic Republic of the Congo F 24 Phillips, Tari 6' 1" (1.85m) 200 lb (91kg) University of Central Florida F 3 Robinson, Crystal 5' 10" (1.78m) 175 lb (79kg) Southeastern Oklahoma State University G 11 Weatherspoon, Teresa 5' 8" (1.73m) 161 lb (73kg) Louisiana Tech F 44 Whitmore, Tamika 6' 2" (1.88m) 190 lb (86kg) Memphis F 23 Wicks, Sue 6' 3" (1.91m) 174 lb (79kg) Rutgers	Head coach Richie Adubato (William Paterson) Assistant coaches Pat Coyle (Rutgers) Jeff House Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

• 2002 WNBA season
• Los Angeles Sparks
• New York Liberty
• 2002 in sports in Los Angeles
• 2002 in sports in New York City
• WNBA Finals
• August 2002 sports events in the United States
• Basketball competitions in Los Angeles
• Basketball competitions in New York City
• 2000s in Manhattan

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