2000 WNBA season
| 2000 WNBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | May 29 - August 26, 2000 |
| Number of games | 32 |
| Number of 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 | |
| Season MVP |  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 |
| Finals MVP | Cynthia Cooper (Houston) |
The 2000 WNBA season was the Women's National Basketball Association's fourth season. The 2000 season saw four expansion teams join the league, the Indiana Fever, Miami Sol, Portland Fire, and Seattle Storm. The 2000 WNBA expansion draft took place on December 15, 1999.[1][2] The season ended with the Houston Comets winning their fourth WNBA championship.
Regular season
[edit]Standings
[edit]Eastern Conference
| Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Liberty x | 20 | 12 | .625 | 14–7 | – |
| Cleveland Rockers x | 17 | 15 | .531 | 13–8 | 3.0 |
| Orlando Miracle x | 16 | 16 | .500 | 13–8 | 4.0 |
| Washington Mystics x | 14 | 18 | .438 | 13–8 | 6.0 |
| Detroit Shock o | 14 | 18 | .438 | 10–11 | 6.0 |
| Miami Sol o | 13 | 19 | .406 | 9–12 | 7.0 |
| Indiana Fever o | 9 | 23 | .281 | 7–14 | 11.0 |
| Charlotte Sting o | 8 | 24 | .250 | 5–16 | 12.0 |
Western Conference
| Western Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Sparks x | 28 | 4 | .875 | 17–4 | – |
| Houston Comets x | 27 | 5 | .844 | 17–4 | 1.0 |
| Sacramento Monarchs x | 21 | 11 | .656 | 13–8 | 7.0 |
| Phoenix Mercury x | 20 | 12 | .625 | 11–10 | 8.0 |
| Utah Starzz o | 18 | 14 | .563 | 13–8 | 10.0 |
| Minnesota Lynx o | 15 | 17 | .469 | 5–16 | 13.0 |
| Portland Fire o | 10 | 22 | .313 | 4–17 | 18.0 |
| Seattle Storm o | 6 | 26 | .188 | 4–17 | 22.0 |
Note: Teams with an "X" clinched playoff spots.
Playoffs
[edit]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 | ||||||||||||
- Bold – Series winner
- Italics – Team with home-court advantage
Awards
[edit]Reference:[3]
Individual
[edit]| 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 | |
Team
[edit]| 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 | ||
Players of the Week
[edit]| 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 |
Coaches
[edit]Eastern Conference
[edit]- Charlotte Sting: T.R. Dunn
- Cleveland Rockers: Dan Hughes
- Detroit Shock: Nancy Lieberman
- Indiana Fever: Anne Donovan
- Miami Sol: Ron Rothstein
- New York Liberty: Richie Adubato
- Orlando Miracle: Carolyn Peck
- Washington Mystics: Nancy Darsch and Darrell Walker
Western Conference
[edit]- Houston Comets: Van Chancellor
- Los Angeles Sparks: Michael Cooper
- Minnesota Lynx: Brian Agler
- Phoenix Mercury: Cheryl Miller
- Portland Fire: Linda Hargrove
- Sacramento Monarchs: Sonny Allen
- Seattle Storm: Lin Dunn
- Utah Starzz: Fred Williams
References
[edit]- ^ "W.N.B.A.: EXPANSION DRAFT; Indiana Chooses Guard From L.A." The New York Times. December 16, 1999. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
- ^ Gustkey, Earl (December 16, 1999). "Sparks Lose Starting Guard in Expansion Draft". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
- ^ "2000 WNBA Season Awards - WNBA". www.wnba.com. Retrieved May 28, 2025.