WNBA 2008

	Women's National Basketball Association
	◄ previous	2008 season	next ►
Duration		May 17th - October 5th
Season games per team		34
Number of teams		14th
Spectators (total)		1,887,706
Regular season
Best record		San Antonio Silver Stars
Season MVP		Candace Parker
Top scorer		Diana Taurasi
Playoffs
Eastern - Champion		Detroit Shock
Runner-up team		New York Liberty
Western - Champion		San Antonio Silver Stars
Runner-up team		Los Angeles Sparks
Finals
WNBA champion		Detroit Shock
Runner-up		San Antonio Silver Stars
Finals MVP		Katie Smith

The 2008 season was the twelfth regular season for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The regular season began on May 17, 2008 and ended on September 15, 2008. The WNBA playoffs started three days later and ended on October 5, 2008 with the WNBA Finals and the victory of the Detroit Shock .

Season Notes

• On October 17, 2007, Donna Orender, the president of the WNBA, announced that the Atlanta Dream is to be set up in Atlanta, a new franchise that will play in the WNBA this season.
• The WNBA Draft took place on April 9th ​​in Tampa , Florida . The first pick was the Los Angeles Sparks , Candace Parker from the University of Tennessee .
• The regular season began on May 17, 2007 with the game between the reigning champions, the Phoenix Mercury and the Los Angeles Sparks .
• There was no WNBA All-Star Game this season because of the 2008 Summer Olympics .
• Candace Parker is the second player in WNBA history to perform a dunk .
• In the game between the Los Angeles Sparks and Detroit Shock , there was a fight between the players.
• The first professional outdoor basketball game in the WNBA took place at Arthur Ashe Stadium . Over 19,000 people attended the game between the New York Liberty and the Indiana Fever .
• Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman signed a contract with the Detroit Shock for one game despite her age of 50 . In this game she played for a total of nine minutes in which she scored two assists.
• The expansion franchise Atlanta Dream lost all of their first 17 games and thus set a new negative record in the WNBA.
• The future of the Houston Comets is uncertain as they have been put up for sale.
• This season, for the first time, the defending champion could not qualify for the playoffs with the Phoenix Mercury .
• On October 5, the Detroit Shock won their third championship title in six years after just three games in the Finals.

Draft

→ Main article : WNBA Draft 2008

Before the 2008 WNBA Draft , there was an expansion draft for the Atlanta Dream . The twelfth WNBA draft took place on April 9, 2008. The selection order was determined on October 23, 2007 in a lottery . This won the Los Angeles Sparks in front of the Chicago Sky .

As the first pick, the Sparks drew the American Candace Parker . After that, Chicago chose Sylvia Fowles in second place . In total, the 14 franchises secured the rights to 43 players. The United States made up the majority with 41 players .

Top 5 picks

Abbreviations: Pos = Position, G = Guard, F = Forward, C = Center

No.	Player	nationality	Item	WNBA team	College / professional team
1.	Candace Parker	United States	F / C	Los Angeles Sparks	University of Tennessee
2.	Sylvia Fowles	United States	C.	Chicago Sky	Louisiana State University
3.	Candice Wiggins	United States	G	Minnesota Lynx	Stanford University
4th	Alexis Hornbuckle	United States	G	Detroit Shock	University of Tennessee
5.	Matee Ajavon	United States	G	Houston Comets	Rutgers University

Contracts, transfers and changes

Players

Due to the expansion draft of the Atlanta Dream , the first player changes took place on February 6th. The first real transfer came on the same day when the Dream LaToya Thomas and a second-round pick (18th pick) for Ivory Latta transferred to the Detroit Shock . The Dream made two more transfers that day. On February 19, star players were involved in a change for the first time. The Minnesota Lynx took a free agent Anna DeForge under contract. In addition, the Seattle Storm received Swin Cash from the Detroit Shock for a first round pick (4th pick) . The Connecticut Sun transferred Katie Douglas to the Indiana Fever and received in return Tamika Whitmore and a first round pick (12th pick) and the right to Jessica Foley . On March 3rd, the next star in the Seattle Storm signed a contract with free agent Sheryl Swoopes . This made the Storm the big favorite in the battle for the championship for many. On April 8th, the Storm caused the next surprise when Yolanda Griffith signed a contract with them. The entire starting line-up of the Storm consisted of players who have already participated in an All-Star game several times. The last transfer before the start of the season in which a well-known player was involved took place on April 22nd. The Los Angeles Sparks transferred Taj McWilliams-Franklin and a first-round pick for DeLisha Milton-Jones to the Washington Mystics . On July 24th, the Detroit Shock signed 50-year-old Nancy Lieberman for a week. It was used in the game against the Houston Comets . Lieberman recorded two assists and two turnovers. The Shock won the game in the end 79–61. This makes Lieberman the oldest player to have ever played a WNBA game. On July 25, her contract with the Shock was canceled. Kristen O'Neill caused a stir when she was signed four times by the Storm for one week each. Due to her indomitable will to make the leap into the WNBA, she gained great popularity with fans of the Storm. On September 12, she was finally signed by the Storm for the rest of the season.

Trainer

On September 27, 2007 Ann Meyers-Drysdale , General Manager of Phoenix Mercury announced that the contract with head coach Paul Westhead had been extended. Wayne Rollins , who took over the post as interim coach with the Washington Mystics on June 1, 2007 , has been officially named the head coach of the Mystics for that season. The Atlanta Dream also named Marynell Meadors the first ever head coach and general manager in franchise history. On October 26, the Indiana Fever announced that they would not renew the contract with their previous head coach Brian Winters . Although Anne Donovan still had a contract with the Seattle Storm for that season , she resigned as head coach of the Storm. The Fever found a replacement for Winters early on, with Lin Dunn presented as the team's new head coach on December 12th .

Regular season

Closing tables

Explanations:     = Playoff qualification,     = Conference winner

Eastern Conference
Pl	team	Sp	S.	N	%	GB	home	Away
1	Detroit Shock	34	22nd	12	64.7	-	14: 3	8: 9
2	Connecticut Sun	34	21st	13	61.8	1	13: 4	8: 9
3	New York Liberty	34	19th	15th	55.9	3	11: 6	8: 9
4th	Indiana Fever	34	17th	17th	50	5	11: 6	6:11
5	Chicago Sky	34	12	22nd	35.3	10	8: 9	4:13
6th	Washington Mystics	34	10	24	29.4	12	6:11	4:13
7th	Atlanta Dream	34	4th	30th	11.8	18th	1:16	3:14

Western Conference
Pl	team	Sp	S.	N	%	GB	home	Away
1	San Antonio Silver Stars	34	24	10	70.6	8th	15: 2	9: 8
2	Seattle Storm	34	22nd	12	64.7	2	16: 1	6:11
3	Los Angeles Sparks	34	20th	14th	58.8	4th	12: 5	8: 9
4th	Sacramento Monarchs	34	18th	16	52.9	6th	13: 4	5:12
5	Houston Comets	34	17th	17th	50	7th	13: 4	4:13
6th	Minnesota Lynx	34	16	18th	47.1	8th	10: 7	6:11
7th	Phoenix Mercury	34	16	18th	47.1	8th	9: 8	7:10

WNBA All-Star Game

Due to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing , there was no All-Star Game this season.

Playoffs

Playoff tree

	Conference semifinals					Conference Finals					WNBA finals
	1	Detroit Shock	2
	4th	Indiana Fever	1
						1	Detroit Shock	2
	Eastern Conference
						3	New York Liberty	1
	2	Connecticut Sun	1
	3	New York Liberty	2
											E1	Detroit Shock	3
											W1	San Antonio Silver Stars	0
	1	San Antonio Silver Stars	2
	4th	Sacramento Monarchs	1
						1	San Antonio Silver Stars	2
	Western Conference
						3	Los Angeles Sparks	1
	2	Seattle Storm	1
	3	Los Angeles Sparks	2

Conference semifinals (round 1)

Eastern Conference

Detroit Shock (1) - Indiana Fever (4)
date	Away team		Home team		Note
September 19th	Detroit	81	72	Indiana
21st September	Indiana	89	82	Detroit	OT
September 23rd	Indiana	61	80	Detroit
Detroit wins the series 2-1.

Connecticut Sun (2) - New York Liberty (3)
date	Away team		Home team		Note
September 18	Connecticut	63	72	new York
September 20th	new York	70	73	Connecticut
September 22	new York	66	62	Connecticut
New York wins the series 2-1.

Western Conference

San Antonio Silver Stars (1) - Sacramento Monarchs (4)
date	Away team		Home team		Note
September 18	San Antonio	85	78	Sacramento
September 20th	Sacramento	84	67	San Antonio
September 22	Sacramento	81	86	San Antonio
San Antonio wins the series 2-1.

Seattle Storm (2) - Los Angeles Sparks (3)
date	Away team		Home team		Note
September 19th	Seattle	69	77	los Angeles
21st September	los Angeles	50	64	Seattle
September 23rd	los Angeles	71	64	Seattle
Los Angeles wins the series 2-1.

Conference Finals (Round 2)

Eastern Conference

Detroit Shock (1) - New York Liberty (3)
date	Away team		Home team		Note
September 26th	Detroit	56	60	new York
September 28th	new York	55	64	Detroit
September 29th	new York	73	75	Detroit
Detroit wins the series 2-1.

The Detroit Shock and New York Liberty fought a long and tough battle for a place in the finals. All three games were only decided in the last quarter. In the first game, the Liberty were six points behind at the end of the third quarter. With a good start in the last quarter, where they scored nine of the first eleven points, the Liberty were soon able to take the lead, which they did not give up to the Shock until the end. In the second game it was the Shock who won the game after three quarters of a seven point deficit. The Shock scored ten of the first thirteen points in the final quarter of that game - Deanna Nolan scored eight of them . In the last and decisive game, the Shock were able to save their five point lead after three quarters over the entire distance. The Liberty came within two points of the Shock in the meantime, but in the end it wasn't enough to really bring the Shock to the brink of defeat.

Western Conference

San Antonio Silver Stars (1) - Los Angeles Sparks (3)
date	Away team		Home team		Note
25th of September	San Antonio	70	85	los Angeles
September 27th	los Angeles	92	98	San Antonio
September 28th	los Angeles	72	76	San Antonio
San Antonio wins the series 2-1.

The San Antonio Silver Stars were after 2007 for the second year in a row in the Western Conference Finals, where they on the Los Angeles Sparks met. In the first game, the Silver Stars had to admit defeat to the Sparks and an outstanding Lisa Leslie in the end despite a nine point lead after the first quarter . The second game in this series, which was only decided in the final second, was completely different. After the Sparks looked like the winners with a four-point lead one and a half minutes before the end, the Silver Stars took a one-point lead with a 3-point throw from Becky Hammon and two converted free throws from Sophia Young eleven seconds before the end. DeLisha Milton-Jones brought the Sparks back into the lead with a layup shot a second before the end , but Young was able to convert their throw with the final siren, which meant victory for the Silver Stars. In the last game of this series, the Silver Stars were just about to end. With nine points in a row in the last two minutes, the Silver Stars were able to secure victory and thus their first entry into the finals.

Finals (round 3)

San Antonio Silver Stars (W1) - Detroit Shock (E1) date Away team Home team Note October 1 Detroit 77 69 San Antonio October 3 Detroit 69 61 San Antonio 5th October San Antonio 71 76 Detroit Detroit wins the series 3-0. Katie Smith has been named the Finals MVP. Finals MVP Katie Smith led the Shock to their second title in three seasons. Smith averaged 21.7 points per game in the finals, and was on the field the full distance in the first two games. The Silver Stars were usually only able to keep up with the Shock in a few quarters, and over an entire distance they had no chance in all three games.

Game 1

October 1	Summary	Detroit Shock 77, San Antonio Silver Stars 69			AT&T Center , San Antonio Visitors: 9,380 Referees: # 22 Courteau # 38 Simpson # 42 Gulbeyan
		Points per quarter: 15-18, 27-14, 17-17, 18-20
		Points: Smith 25, McWilliams-Franklin 24 Rebounds: Smith 9 Assists: Hornbuckle 5 Steals: Hornbuckle 3		Points: Young 21 rebounds: Young 9 assists: Hammon 5 blocks: Wauters 3

The Detroit Shock won the first game of this series against the best team from the regular season, the San Antonio Silver Stars . The game was already decided after the second quarter when the Shock played the Silver Stars 27:14 against the wall. The two shock players Deanna Nolan and Katie Smith played the entire distance of the game. The most outstanding player in the first encounter was Katie Smith, who scored 25 points and 9 rebounds.

Game 2

October 3	Summary	Detroit Shock 69 , San Antonio Silver Stars 61			AT&T Center , San Antonio Visitors: 16,012 Referees: # 9 Brooks-Clauser # 18 Walker # 55 Brewton
		Points per quarter: 25-12, 10-16, 13-17, 21-16
		Points: Smith 22 rebounds: Nolan 7 assists: Smith 6 steals: Nolan 4		Points: Hammon 24 rebounds: Johnson , Wauters 6 assists: Hammon 7 steals: Johnson 3

This encounter was probably the closest in this short series. After three quarters the Silver Stars were only 3 points behind. However, the second game in San Antonio went to the Shock. Who could decide both away games for themselves. Katie Smith was the key to victory for the Shock in this encounter too. She also played the full distance in that game where she scored 22 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds.

Game 3

5th October	Summary	San Antonio Silver Stars 60, Detroit Shock 76			EMU Convocation Center , Ypsilanti Visitors: 8,952 Referees: # 7 Stevens # 22 Courteau # 39 Price
		Points per quarter: 16-16, 18-14, 11-19, 15-27
		Points: Wauters 19 rebounds: Wauters 9 assists: Wauters , Hammon 3 turnovers: Hammon 4		Points: Smith 18 rebounds: Braxton , Hornbuckle 9 assists: Nolan , Hornbuckle 5 steals: Nolan 3

The Detroit Shock won the third game in a row. So they could win two titles in the last 3 seasons. The Silver Stars could keep up with the Shock for some time. After 29 seconds in the last quarter, the Silver Stars were only 2 points behind after a jump shot by Sophia Young . After that, however, the Shock scored 12 points in a row, of which Katie Smith scored 8. The Silver Stars then did not come close to the Shock, which meant the victory of this game and the entire series.

WNBA championship team

(Participation in at least one playoff game)

WNBA Champion Detroit Shock

Guards: Alexis Hornbuckle , Elaine Powell , Ashley Shields Guards forwards: Deanna Nolan , Sheri Sam Forwards: Katie Smith (Finals MVP) Forward Centers: Kara Braxton , Taj McWilliams-Franklin , Plenette Pierson Center: Olayinka Sanni , Kelly Schumacher Head Coach: Bill Laimbeer   General Manager: Bill Laimbeer

WNBA awards and trophies awarded

Award	Player	team
WNBA Finals MVP Award	Katie Smith	Detroit Shock
WNBA Most Valuable Player Award	Candace Parker	Los Angeles Sparks
WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award	Lisa Leslie	Los Angeles Sparks
WNBA Most Improved Player Award	Ebony Hoffman	Indiana Fever
WNBA Peak Performer (points)	Diana Taurasi	Phoenix Mercury
WNBA Peak Performer (Rebounds)	Candace Parker	Los Angeles Sparks
WNBA Peak Performer (Assists)	Lindsay Whalen	Connecticut Sun
WNBA Rookie of the Year Award	Candace Parker	Los Angeles Sparks
WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Award	Candice Wiggins	Minnesota Lynx
Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award	Vickie Johnson	San Antonio Silver Stars
WNBA Coach of the Year Award	Mike Thibault	Connecticut Sun

All-WNBA teams

All-WNBA First Team
Guards:	Lindsay Whalen - Diana Taurasi
Forwards:	Candace Parker - Sophia Young
Center:	Lisa Leslie

All-WNBA Second Team
Guards:	Sue Bird - Becky Hammon
Forwards:	Asjha Jones - Deanna Nolan
Center:	Lauren Jackson

All-rookie team

All-rookie team

Candace Parker - (MIN) Candice Wiggins - Sylvia Fowles (MIN) Nicky Anosike - Matee Ajavon - Amber Holt

All-Defensive Team

All-Defensive First Team
Guards:	(SAC) Ticha Penicheiro - Tully Bevilaqua
Forwards:	Tamika Catchings - Sophia Young
Center:	Lisa Leslie

All-Defensive Second Team
Guards:	Deanna Nolan - Katie Smith
Forwards:	Lauren Jackson - (SAC) Rebekkah Brunson
Center:	Sylvia Fowles

Web links

• Final Standings 2008 on WNBA.com ( Memento from December 17, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
• WNBA Award Winners 2008 WNBA.com (Engl.)
• WNBA Playoffs 2008 WNBA.com (Engl.)
• Statistics for the WNBA 2008 season on basketball-reference.com (Engl.)
• Key dates in the WNBA history (Engl.)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://www.wnba.com/mercury/news/westhead_070927.html Mercury Issue Statement Regarding Westhead
2. ↑ http://www.wnba.com/mystics/news/TREE_ROLLINS_NAMED_MYSTICS_HEA-238177-230.html Tree Rollins Named Mystics Head Coach
3. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from January 14, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Archived copy ( memento of the original from January 14, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   
4. ↑ Fever Declines Option On Winters Contract
5. ↑ http://www.wnba.com/storm/news/donovan071130.html?rss=true Anne Donovan Resigns as Storm Head Coach
6. ↑ http://www.wnba.com/fever/news/071212_dunn.html Dunn Named Fever's Fourth Head Coach