1999 WNBA season
| 1999 WNBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | June 10 - September 5, 1999 |
| Number of games | 32 |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Total attendance | 1,959,733 |
| Average attendance | 10,207 |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN, NBC, Lifetime |
| 1999 WNBA Draft | |
| Top draft pick |  Chamique Holdsclaw |
| Picked by | Washington Mystics |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | Yolanda Griffith (Sacramento) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | New York Liberty |
| Eastern runners-up | Charlotte Sting |
| Western champions | Houston Comets |
| Western runners-up | Los Angeles Sparks |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Houston Comets |
| Runners-up | New York Liberty |
| Finals MVP | Cynthia Cooper (Houston) |
The 1999 WNBA season was the Women's National Basketball Association's third season. The 1999 season saw two expansion teams join the league, the Minnesota Lynx and Orlando Miracle. The 1999 WNBA expansion draft took place on April 6, 1999.[1][2] The schedule was increased from 30 to 32 games per team. The season ended with the Houston Comets winning their third WNBA championship.
Regular season
[edit]Standings
[edit]Eastern Conference
| Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Liberty x | 18 | 14 | .563 | 12–8 | – |
| Detroit Shock x | 15 | 17 | .469 | 12–8 | 3.0 |
| Charlotte Sting x | 15 | 17 | .469 | 12–8 | 3.0 |
| Orlando Miracle o | 15 | 17 | .469 | 9–11 | 3.0 |
| Washington Mystics o | 12 | 20 | .375 | 10–10 | 6.0 |
| Cleveland Rockers o | 7 | 25 | .219 | 5–15 | 11.0 |
Western Conference
| Western Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Comets x | 26 | 6 | .813 | 16–4 | – |
| Los Angeles Sparks x | 20 | 12 | .625 | 12–8 | 6.0 |
| Sacramento Monarchs x | 19 | 13 | .594 | 9–11 | 7.0 |
| Phoenix Mercury o | 15 | 17 | .469 | 7–13 | 11.0 |
| Minnesota Lynx o | 15 | 17 | .469 | 8–12 | 11.0 |
| Utah Starzz o | 15 | 17 | .469 | 8–12 | 11.0 |
Note: Teams with an "X" clinched playoff spots.
Playoffs
[edit]There were 12 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the three teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to three. The top seeded team in each conference got a bye for the first round.
| Conference semifinals single game | Conference finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Championship Best-of-3 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||
| E3 | Charlotte | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Detroit | 54 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Charlotte | 60 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Houston | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Houston | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||
| W2 | Los Angeles | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Los Angeles | 71 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Sacramento | 58 | ||||||||||||
- Bold – Game or series winner
- Italics – Team with home-court advantage
Awards
[edit]Reference:[3]
Individual
[edit]| Award | Winner | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player (MVP) | Yolanda Griffith | Sacramento Monarchs | |
| Finals MVP | Cynthia Cooper | Houston Comets | |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Yolanda Griffith | Sacramento Monarchs | |
| Newcomer of the Year | Yolanda Griffith | Sacramento Monarchs | |
| Shooting Champions | Field goal percentage | Murriel Page | Washington Mystics |
| Free throw percentage | Eva Nemcova | Cleveland Rockers | |
| Rookie of the Year | Chamique Holdsclaw | Washington Mystics | |
| Sportsmanship Award | Dawn Staley | Charlotte Sting | |
| Entrepreneurial Achievement Award | Dawn Staley | Charlotte Sting | |
| Coach of the Year | Van Chancellor | Houston Comets | |
Team
[edit]| Award | Player | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-WNBA | First Team | Sheryl Swoopes | Houston Comets |
| Natalie Williams | Utah Starzz | ||
| Yolanda Griffith | Sacramento Monarchs | ||
| Cynthia Cooper | Houston Comets | ||
| Ticha Penicheiro | Sacramento Monarchs | ||
| Second Team | Chamique Holdsclaw | Washington Mystics | |
| Tina Thompson | Houston Comets | ||
| Lisa Leslie | Los Angeles Sparks | ||
| Teresa Weatherspoon | New York Liberty | ||
| Shannon Johnson | Orlando Miracle | ||
Player of the Week
[edit]| Week ending | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| June 20 | Cynthia Cooper | Houston Comets |
| June 27 | Yolanda Griffith | Sacramento Monarchs |
| July 4 | Chamique Holdsclaw | Washington Mystics |
| July 11 | Natalie Williams | Utah Starzz |
| July 18 | Sheryl Swoopes | Houston Comets |
| July 25 | Yolanda Griffith (2) | Sacramento Monarchs |
| August 1 | Sheryl Swoopes (2) | Houston Comets |
| August 8 | Chamique Holdsclaw (2) | Washington Mystics |
| August 15 | Ruthie Bolton | Sacramento Monarchs |
| August 21 | Cynthia Cooper (2) | Houston Comets |
Coaches
[edit]Eastern Conference
[edit]- Charlotte Sting: Dan Hughes
- Cleveland Rockers: Linda Hill-MacDonald
- Detroit Shock: Nancy Lieberman
- New York Liberty: Richie Adubato
- Orlando Miracle: Carolyn Peck
- Washington Mystics: Nancy Darsch
Western Conference
[edit]- Houston Comets: Van Chancellor
- Los Angeles Sparks: Orlando Woolridge
- Minnesota Lynx: Brian Agler
- Phoenix Mercury: Cheryl Miller
- Sacramento Monarchs: Sonny Allen
- Utah Starzz: Fred Williams
References
[edit]- ^ "Building The Miracle". WNBA. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ "Aces History: Feeling A Draft (1999)". WNBA. February 15, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ "1999 WNBA Season Awards - WNBA". www.wnba.com. Retrieved May 28, 2025.