Jump to content

2003 WNBA season

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2003 WNBA season
LeagueWomen's National Basketball Association
SportBasketball
DurationMay 22 - September 16, 2003
Number of games34
Number of teams14
Total attendance2,100,630
Average attendance8,826
TV partner(s)ABC, ESPN, Oxygen
2003 WNBA Draft
Top draft pickUnited States LaToya Thomas
Picked byCleveland Rockers
Regular season
Season MVPAustralia Lauren Jackson (Seattle)
Playoffs
Eastern championsDetroit Shock
  Eastern runners-upConnecticut Sun
Western championsLos Angeles Sparks
  Western runners-upSacramento Monarchs
Finals
ChampionsDetroit Shock
  Runners-upLos Angeles Sparks
Finals MVPUnited States Ruth Riley (Detroit)
WNBA seasons

The 2003 WNBA season was the Women's National Basketball Association's seventh season. It was the first season in which teams either folded or relocated, as well as the first to have teams that were not co-owned with NBA teams. The Orlando Miracle relocated to Connecticut and became the Connecticut Sun, the Utah Starzz relocated to San Antonio, Texas and became the San Antonio Silver Stars.

Meanwhile, both the Miami Sol and the Portland Fire folded, while the Charlotte Sting became the second WNBA team without a brother NBA team. A one-round dispersal draft was held on April 24, 2003 to reassign former Sol and Fire players.[1]

The schedule increased from 32 games per team to 34. The season ended with the Detroit Shock winning their first WNBA Championship.

Miami Sol and Portland Fire dispersal draft

[edit]
Main article: 2003 WNBA dispersal draft

On April 24, 2003, the dispersal draft for the Miami Sol and Portland Fire was held.[1] This draft consisted of one round to re-assign the 26 players from the Sol and Fire rosters, who both folded after the end of 2002 WNBA season.[1] The remaining fourteen teams in the WNBA were able to select one player from either roster in the draft.[2] The order of selection was determined by teams' 2002 regular season records, going from worst to first.[3] Former Sol and Fire players not selected in the dispersal draft became unrestricted free agents.[3]

The top four picks were:

Pick Player Nationality New team Former team Ref.
1 Ruth Riley  United States Detroit Shock Miami Sol [4]
2 Sheri Sam Minnesota Lynx
3 Betty Lennox Cleveland Rockers
4 Tamicha Jackson Phoenix Mercury Portland Fire

Regular season

[edit]

Standings

[edit]

Eastern Conference

Eastern Conference W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
Detroit Shock x 25 9 .735 – 13–4 12–5 18–6
Charlotte Sting x 18 16 .529 7.0 13–4 5–12 12–12
Connecticut Sun x 18 16 .529 7.0 10–7 8–9 11–13
Cleveland Rockers x 17 17 .500 8.0 11–6 6–11 13–11
Indiana Fever o 16 18 .471 9.0 11–6 5–12 12–12
New York Liberty o 16 18 .471 9.0 11–6 5–12 11–13
Washington Mystics o 9 25 .265 16.0 3–14 6–11 7–17

Western Conference

Western Conference W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
Los Angeles Sparks x 24 10 .706 – 11–6 13–4 17–7
Houston Comets x 20 14 .588 4.0 14–3 6–11 14–10
Sacramento Monarchs x 19 15 .559 5.0 12–5 7–10 13–11
Minnesota Lynx x 18 16 .529 6.0 11–6 7–10 14–10
Seattle Storm o 18 16 .529 6.0 13–4 5–12 11–13
San Antonio Silver Stars o 12 22 .353 12.0 9–8 3–14 10–14
Phoenix Mercury o 8 26 .235 16.0 6–11 2–15 5–19

Playoffs

[edit]
Main article: 2003 WNBA playoffs
See also: 2003 WNBA Finals
Conference semifinals
Best-of-3 		Conference finals
Best-of-3 		WNBA Finals
Best-of-3
         
E1 Detroit 2
E4 Cleveland 1
E1 Detroit 2
Eastern Conference
E3 Connecticut 0
E2 Charlotte 0
E3 Connecticut 2
E1 Detroit 2
W1 Los Angeles 1
W1 Los Angeles 2
W4 Minnesota 1
W1 Los Angeles 2
Western Conference
W3 Sacramento 1
W2 Houston 1
W3 Sacramento 2
  • Bold – Series winner
  • Italic – Team with home-court advantage

Awards

[edit]

Reference:[5]

Individual

[edit]
Award Winner Team
Most Valuable Player (MVP) Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
Finals MVP Ruth Riley Detroit Shock
Defensive Player of the Year Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets
Most Improved Player Michelle Snow Houston Comets
Peak Performers Scoring Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
Rebounding Chamique Holdsclaw Washington Mystics
Rookie of the Year Cheryl Ford Detroit Shock
Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award Edna Campbell Sacramento Monarchs
Coach of the Year Bill Laimbeer Detroit Shock

Team

[edit]
Award Player Team
All-WNBA First Team Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks
Katie Smith Minnesota Lynx
Sue Bird Seattle Storm
Second Team Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets
Swin Cash Detroit Shock
Cheryl Ford Detroit Shock
Nikki Teasley Los Angeles Sparks
Deanna Nolan Detroit Shock

Players of the Week

[edit]
Week ending Player Team
June 1 Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks
June 8 Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
June 15 Lisa Leslie (2) Los Angeles Sparks
June 22 Swin Cash Detroit Shock
June 29 Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
July 6 Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets
July 20 Chamique Holdsclaw Washington Mystics
July 27 Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
August 3 Swin Cash (2) Detroit Shock
August 10 Lauren Jackson (2) Seattle Storm
August 17 DeLisha Milton Los Angeles Sparks
August 25 Anna DeForge Phoenix Mercury

Coaches

[edit]

Eastern Conference

[edit]

Western Conference

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "PLUS: W.N.B.A.; Dispersal Draft Scatters 2 Rosters". The New York Times. April 25, 2003. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
  2. ^ "Three Former Lady Techsters Selected in WNBA Dispersal Draft". LA Tech Sports. April 25, 2003. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Detroit adds Riley with top pick". ESPN. April 25, 2003. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  4. ^ "Three Former Lady Techsters Selected in WNBA Dispersal Draft". LA Tech Sports. April 25, 2003. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
  5. ^ "2003 WNBA Season Awards - WNBA". www.wnba.com. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2003_WNBA_season&oldid=1294632536"