| 2006 WNBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | May 20 – September 9, 2006 |
| Games | 34 |
| Teams | 14 |
| Total attendance | 1,779,366 |
| Average attendance | 7,476 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC,ESPN,NBA TV |
| 2006 WNBA Draft | |
| Top draft pick |  Seimone Augustus |
| Picked by | Minnesota Lynx |
| Regular season | |
| SeasonMVP | Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Detroit Shock |
| Eastern runners-up | Connecticut Sun |
| Western champions | Sacramento Monarchs |
| Western runners-up | Los Angeles Sparks |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Detroit Shock |
| Runners-up | Sacramento Monarchs |
| FinalsMVP | Deanna Nolan (Detroit) |
| WNBA seasons | |
The2006 WNBA season was theWomen's National Basketball Association's tenth season.
The league added one team: theChicago Sky. The Sky were the first expansion team since 2000 when theIndiana Fever,Miami Sol,Portland Fire, and theSeattle Storm came to theWNBA. A separateexpansion draft for the took place on November 16, 2005.[1]
On April 5, theWNBA held their draft.Seimone Augustus ofLouisiana State University was the number one overall pick. She was selected by theMinnesota Lynx.Cappie Pondexter ofRutgers University went number two. She was selected by thePhoenix Mercury.
The season started on May 20 with a game between theSacramento Monarchs and thePhoenix Mercury. The game was televised byABC. The Monarchs won the game 105–78. On July 12, The All Star Game was held atMadison Square Garden inNew York City, New York. The East All Stars defeated the West All Stars 98–82.Katie Douglas of theConnecticut Sun was named MVP in the game with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists. The 2006 WNBA season concluded on August 13.Lisa Leslie of theLos Angeles Sparks won the league MVP.Mike Thibault of theConnecticut Sun was named Coach of The Year.Seimone Augustus of theMinnesota Lynx was named Rookie of the Year. The season ended with theDetroit Shock winning their second WNBA Championship.
Eastern Conference
| Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| z -Connecticut Sun | 26 | 8 | .765 | – | 14–3 | 12–5 | 15–5 |
| x -Detroit Shock | 23 | 11 | .676 | 3.0 | 14–3 | 9–8 | 14–6 |
| x -Indiana Fever | 21 | 13 | .618 | 5.0 | 12–5 | 9–8 | 12–8 |
| x -Washington Mystics | 18 | 16 | .529 | 8.0 | 13–4 | 5–12 | 12–8 |
| e -New York Liberty | 11 | 23 | .324 | 15.0 | 7–10 | 4–13 | 7–13 |
| e -Charlotte Sting | 11 | 23 | .324 | 15.0 | 7–10 | 4–3 | 6–14 |
| e -Chicago Sky | 5 | 29 | .147 | 21.0 | 3–14 | 2–15 | 4–16 |
Western Conference
| Western Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Sparksx | 25 | 9 | .735 | – | 15–2 | 10–7 | 15–5 |
| Sacramento Monarchsx | 21 | 13 | .618 | 4.0 | 14–3 | 7–10 | 10–10 |
| Houston Cometsx | 18 | 16 | .529 | 7.0 | 12–5 | 6–11 | 11–9 |
| Seattle Stormx | 18 | 16 | .529 | 7.0 | 9–8 | 9–8 | 10–10 |
| Phoenix Mercuryo | 18 | 16 | .529 | 7.0 | 10–7 | 8–9 | 8–12 |
| San Antonio Silver Starso | 13 | 21 | .382 | 12.0 | 6–11 | 7–10 | 10–10 |
| Minnesota Lynxo | 10 | 24 | .294 | 15.0 | 8–9 | 2–15 | 6–14 |
This was the outlook for the 2006 WNBA Playoffs. Teams initalics hadhome court advantage. Teams inbold advanced to the next round. Numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's original playoffs seeding in their respective conferences. Numbers to the right of each team indicate the number of games the team won in that round.
| Conference semifinals Best-of-3 | Conference finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Connecticut | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Washington | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Connecticut | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Detroit | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Detroit | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Indiana | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Detroit | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Sacramento | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Seattle | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Sacramento | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Sacramento | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Houston | 0 | ||||||||||||
Reference:[2]
| Award | Player | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-WNBA | First Team | Lisa Leslie | Los Angeles Sparks |
| Diana Taurasi | Phoenix Mercury | ||
| Tamika Catchings | Indiana Fever | ||
| Lauren Jackson | Seattle Storm | ||
| Katie Douglas | Connecticut Sun | ||
| Second Team | Cheryl Ford | Detroit Shock | |
| Alana Beard | Washington Mystics | ||
| Taj McWilliams-Franklin | Connecticut Sun | ||
| Seimone Augustus | Minnesota Lynx | ||
| Sheryl Swoopes | Houston Comets | ||
| All-Defensive | First Team | Tamika Catchings | Indiana Fever |
| Lisa Leslie | Los Angeles Sparks | ||
| Sheryl Swoopes | Houston Comets | ||
| Tully Bevilaqua | Indiana Fever | ||
| Katie Douglas | Connecticut Sun | ||
| Second Team | Alana Beard | Washington Mystics | |
| Margo Dydek | Connecticut Sun | ||
| Deanna Nolan | Detroit Shock | ||
| Cheryl Ford | Detroit Shock | ||
| Yolanda Griffith | Sacramento Monarchs | ||
| All-Rookie Team | Seimone Augustus | Minnesota Lynx | |
| Cappie Pondexter | Phoenix Mercury | ||
| Candice Dupree | Chicago Sky | ||
| Sophia Young | San Antonio Silver Stars | ||
| Monique Currie | Charlotte Sting | ||
| Week ending | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| May 30 | Lisa Leslie | Los Angeles Sparks |
| June 5 | Seimone Augustus | Minnesota Lynx |
| June 12 | Cappie Pondexter | Phoenix Mercury |
| June 19 | Lisa Leslie (2) | Los Angeles Sparks |
| June 26 | Lisa Leslie (3) | Los Angeles Sparks |
| July 3 | Lauren Jackson | Seattle Storm |
| July 10 | Diana Taurasi | Phoenix Mercury |
| July 17 | Lisa Leslie (4) | Los Angeles Sparks |
| July 24 | Taj McWilliams-Franklin | Connecticut Sun |
| July 31 | Tamika Catchings | Indiana Fever |
| August 7 | Taj McWilliams-Franklin (2) | Connecticut Sun |
| August 14 | Diana Taurasi (2) | Phoenix Mercury |