WNBA 2016

Women's National Basketball Association
◄ previous	2016 season		next ►
Duration		May 14th - September 18th 2016
Season games per team		34
Number of teams		12
Regular season
Best record		Minnesota Lynx
Season MVP		Nneka Ogwumike
Top scorer		Tina Charles
Playoffs
Finals
WNBA champion		Los Angeles Sparks
Runner-up		Minnesota Lynx
Finals MVP		Candace Parker

The 2016 season was the 20th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The regular season started on May 14th, 2016. From June 23rd to August 24th, 2016 there was a break for the Olympic Games in Rio. After the end of the regular season, which ran until September 18, 2016, the playoffs for the WNBA championship began. The playoff format has been significantly revised for this season to allow more exciting games. The Los Angeles Sparks won the title .

Draft

On September 24, 2015, a lottery was held to determine the order in which the first four picks were selected. In the lottery, Seattle Storm secured the first draft pick ahead of the San Antonio Stars and Connecticut Sun. The Atlanta Dream was only given the fourth draft pick. The probability of winning was determined for the first time on the basis of the balance sheets for the last two seasons.

The 2016 WNBA Draft took place on April 14, 2016 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Montville , Connecticut . In the person of Breanna Stewart , Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck , only female players from the University of Connecticut were selected with the first three picks . The team from Connecticut was often involved in the first draft round, the three of the first six picks Daft went to the Sun . In total, the 12 franchises secured the rights to 36 players. The United States made up the majority with 29 players .

Top 5 picks

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

#	Player	nationality	Item	WNBA team	College / professional team
1.	Breanna Stewart	United States	C.	Seattle Storm	University of Connecticut
2.	Moriah Jefferson	United States	G	San Antonio Silver Stars	University of Connecticut
3.	Morgan Tuck	United States	F.	Connecticut Sun	University of Connecticut
4th	Rachel Banham	United States	G	Connecticut Sun (by Atlanta Dream )	University of Minnesota
5.	Aerial Powers	United States	F.	Dallas Wings (from Los Angeles Sparks )	Michigan State University

Regular season

mode

The 12 WNBA teams are divided into two conferences, with the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference each comprising six teams. In total, each team plays 34 season games during the regular season, of which each team plays half of the games at home or away. Due to the introduction of the conference-wide play-off system, the distribution of opponents in the regular season was also adjusted. Within their own conference, the teams play against one team a total of four times and against the remaining four teams three times against each other. In addition, each team plays three more games against each team from the other conference.

Closing tables

Explanations:     = Playoff qualification,     = Conference winner

Eastern Conference
Pl	team	Sp	S.	N	%	GB	home	Away
1	New York Liberty	34	21st	13	61.8	-	10: 7	11: 6
2	Chicago Sky	34	18th	16	52.9	3.0	11: 6	7:10
3	Indiana Fever	34	17th	17th	50	4.0	8: 9	9: 8
4th	Atlanta Dream	34	17th	17th	50	4.0	11: 6	6:11
5	Connecticut Sun	34	14th	20th	41.2	7.0	8: 9	6:11
6th	Washington Mystics	34	13	21st	38.2	8.0	5:12	8: 9

Western Conference
Pl	team	Sp	S.	N	%	GB	home	Away
1	Minnesota Lynx	34	28	6th	82.4	-	15: 2	13: 4
2	Los Angeles Sparks	34	26th	8th	76.5	2.0	14: 3	12: 5
3	Seattle Storm	34	16	18th	47.1	12.0	10: 7	6:11
4th	Phoenix Mercury	34	16	18th	47.1	12.0	11: 6	5:12
5	Dallas Wings	34	11	23	32.4	17.0	6:11	5:12
6th	San Antonio Stars	34	7th	27	20.6	21.0	4:13	3:14

All-Star Game 2016

Due to the Olympic Games in Rio, there was no all-star game in 2016.

Playoffs

mode

On January 28, 2016, the league announced a significantly revised playoff system. After the four teams from each conference have qualified so far, the eight teams in the league with the most successes in the regular season will start the playoff. These are set from one to eight according to the balance sheet. In the first round, which was also introduced, the number 5 receives the number 8 and the number 6 receives the number 7 each in a decisive game. The top four have a bye this round. In the second round, number 3 receives the lower seeded winner from the first round and number 4 receives the higher seeded winner from the first round. This round will also be decided in a one game and the two top teams also have a bye. In the third round (semifinals) number 1 meets the lower seeded winner from the second round and number 2 the higher seeded winner from the second round. The winner of this playoff series will reach the WNBA finals. The semi-finals and the final are played in the best-of-five mode, which means that a team needs three wins to be successful. The team with the better record always has the home advantage in all duels. For games that are tied after the regular playing time of 40 minutes, overtime follows. The quarters continue to last ten minutes and play continues until one team has scored more points than the opposing team at the end of an overtime.

First round

21 Sep 2016	report	Indiana Fever 78, Phoenix Mercury 89			Bankers Life Fieldhouse , Indianapolis Visitors: 6,282 Referees: Tom Nunez, Byron Jarrett, Maj Forsberg
		Points per quarter: 18:18, 20:17, 19:24, 21:30
		Points: Coleman , Catchings (13 each) Rebounds: Catchings (10) Assists: January (9)		Points: Taurasi (20) Rebounds: Griner (9) Assists: Taylor (4)

21 Sep 2016	report	Atlanta Dream 94 , Seattle Storm 85			Hank McCamish Pavilion , Atlanta Visitors: 2,553 Referees: Eric Brewton, Amy Bonner, Jeff Wooten
		Points per quarter: 19:18, 18:27, 29:21, 28:19
		Points: McCoughtry (37) Rebounds: Williams (16) Assists: McCoughtry , Clarendon (7 each)		Points: Loyd (24) Rebounds: Stewart , Langhorne (7 each) Assists: Bird (7)

Second round

Sep 24 2016	report	New York Liberty 94, Phoenix Mercury 101			Madison Square Garden , New York City Visitors: 10,227 Referees: Michael Price, Jeff Smith, Tom Mauer, Cheryl Flores
		Points per quarter: 25:25, 16:27, 26:16, 27:33
		Points: Wright (21) Rebounds: Charles (9) Assists: Wright , Charles (5 each)		Points: Taurasi (30) Rebounds: Griner (10) Assists: Griner (5)

25 Sep 2016	report	Chicago Sky 108 , Atlanta Dream 98			Allstate Arena , Rosemont Visitors: 3,922 Referees: Roy Gulbeyan, Sue Blauch, Kurt Walker
		Points per quarter: 37:25, 19:25, 31:20, 21:28
		Points: Vandersloot (21) Rebounds: Breland (16) Assists: Vandersloot (13)		Points: McCoughtry (27) Rebounds: McCoughtry (9) Assists: Williams (9)

Semifinals

(1) Minnesota Lynx - (8) Phoenix Mercury

28 Sep 2016	report	Minnesota Lynx 113 , Phoenix Mercury 95			Xcel Energy Center , Saint Paul Visitors: 9,013 Referees: Roy Gulbeyan, Eric Brewton, Tiffany Bird
		Points per quarter: 24:23, 31:15, 36:34, 22:23
		Points: Moore (31) Rebounds: Fowles (10) Assists: Augustus , Whalen (7 each)		Points: Taurasi (25) Rebounds: Taylor (5) Assists: Dupree (5)
		1-0

Sep 30 2016	report	Minnesota Lynx 96 , Phoenix Mercury 86			Xcel Energy Center , Saint Paul Visitors: 11,923 Referees: Byron Jarrett, Jeff Smith, Maj Forsberg
		Points per quarter: 35:24, 20:23, 22:18, 19:21
		Points: Moore (26) Rebounds: Brunson (11) Assists: Moore (5)		Points: Taurasi (31) Rebounds: Harrison (9) Assists: Taylor (5)
		2-0

0Oct 2, 2016	report	Phoenix Mercury 67, Minnesota Lynx 82			US Airways Center , Phoenix Visitors: 9,631 Referees: Sue Blauch, Kurt Walker, Michael Price
		Points per quarter: 23:18, 15:21, 15:26, 14:17
		Points: Taurasi , Bonner (12 each) Rebounds: Griner , Harrison (7 each) Assists: Xargay (5)		Points: Moore (20) Rebounds: Brunson (9) Assists: Whalen (5)
		0: 3

(2) Los Angeles Sparks - (4) Chicago Sky

28 Sep 2016	report	Los Angeles Sparks 95 , Chicago Sky 75			Walter Pyramid , Long Beach Visitors: 3,894 Referees: Michael Price, Cheryl Flores, Tom Mauer
		Points per quarter: 22:20, 30:15, 23:26, 20:14
		Points: Parker (30) Rebounds: Ogwumike (10) Assists: Ogwumike (6)		Points: Faulkner (13) Rebounds: Breland (7) Assists: Vandersloot (5)
		1-0

Sep 30 2016	report	Los Angeles Sparks 99 , Chicago Sky 84			Staples Center , Los Angeles Visitors: 7,855 Referees: Eric Brewton, Amy Bonner, Billy Smith
		Points per quarter: 28:27, 29:15, 21:17, 21:25
		Points: Parker , Lavender (20 each) Rebounds: Parker (12) Assists: Parker (8)		Points: Dos Santos (15) Rebounds: Breland (9) Assists: Quigley (5)
		2-0

0Oct 2, 2016	report	Chicago Sky 77 , Los Angeles Sparks 60			Allstate Arena , Rosemont Visitors: 5,018 Referees: Maj Forsberg, Tom Nunez, Jeff Wooten
		Points per quarter: 14:23, 16:16, 19: 8, 21:19
		Points: Vandersloot (17) Rebounds: Boyette (11) Assists: Vandersloot , Faulkner (5 each)		Points: Ogwumike (22) Rebounds: Parker (15) Assists: Parker (6)
		1: 2

04th Oct 2016	report	Chicago Sky 75, Los Angeles Sparks 95			Allstate Arena , Rosemont Visitors: 3,841 Referees: Sue Blauch, Tiffany Bird, Roy Gulbeyan
		Points per quarter: 11:23, 20:32, 28:14, 16:26
		Points: Pondexter (19) Rebounds: Boyette (10) Assists: Young (6)		Points: Parker (29) Rebounds: Ogwumike (9) Assists: Gray (7)
		1: 3

WNBA finals

0Oct 9, 2016	report	Minnesota Lynx 76, Los Angeles Sparks 78			Target Center , Minneapolis Visitors: 12,113 Umpires: Maj Forsberg, Jeff Wooten, Tom Nunez
		Points per quarter: 18:21, 18:13, 24:22, 16:22
		Points: three players (18 each) Rebounds: Fowles (13) Assists: Whalen (6)		Points: Ogwumike , Toliver (19 each) Rebounds: Ogwumike , Parker (9 each) Assists: Gray (4)
		1-0

Oct 11, 2016	report	Minnesota Lynx 79 , Los Angeles Sparks 60			Target Center , Minneapolis Visitors: 12,832 Referees: Michael Price, Billy Smith, Roy Gulbeyan
		Points per quarter: 35:24, 20:23, 22:18, 19:21
		Points: Moore (21) Rebounds: Fowles (15) Assists: Fowles (4)		Points: Ogwumike (14) Rebounds: Ogwumike (12) Assists: three players (3 each)
		1: 1

Oct 14, 2016	report	Los Angeles Sparks 92 , Minnesota Lynx 75			Galen Center , Los Angeles Visitors: 8,093 Referees: Tom Mauer, Eric Brewton, Amy Bonner
		Points per quarter: 32:17, 16:23, 22:18, 22:17
		Points: Parker (24) Rebounds: Ogwumike , Parker (9 each) Assists: Beard (7)		Points: Brunson , Fowles (14 each) Rebounds: Moore (7) Assists: Moore (5)
		2: 1

Oct 16, 2016	report	Los Angeles Sparks 79, Minnesota Lynx 85			Staples Center , Los Angeles Visitors: 12,885 Referees: Roy Gulbeyan, Maj Forsberg, Kurt Walker
		Points per quarter: 20:22, 20:24, 19:19, 20:20
		Points: Gray (20) Rebounds: Ogwumike (8) Assists: Beard (4)		Points: Moore (31) Rebounds: Fowles (13) Assists: Moore , Augustus (5 each)
		2: 2

Oct 20, 2016	report	Minnesota Lynx 76, Los Angeles Sparks 77			Target Center , Minneapolis Visitors: 19,423 Referees: Tom Nunez, Eric Brewton, Amy Bonner
		Points per quarter: 18:17, 16:11, 21:26, 21:23
		Points: Moore (23) Rebounds: Brunson , Fowles (9 each) Assists: Moore (11)		Points: Parker (28) Rebounds: Ogwumike , Parker (12 each) Assists: Beard (6)
		2: 3

Playoff tree

1 round					2nd round					Semifinals					WNBA finals
										1	Minnesota Lynx	3
5	Indiana Fever	0								8th	Phoenix Mercury	0
8th	Phoenix Mercury	1			3	New York Liberty	0
					8th	Phoenix Mercury	1
															1	Minnesota Lynx	2
															2	Los Angeles Sparks	3
					4th	Chicago Sky	1
6th	Atlanta Dream	1			6th	Atlanta Dream	0
7th	Seattle Storm	0								2	Los Angeles Sparks	3
										4th	Chicago Sky	1

WNBA championship team

(Participation in at least one playoff game)

WNBA Masters Los Angeles Sparks

Guards: Kristi Toliver , Chelsea Gray , Ana Dabović Guard Fowards: Alana Beard , Essence Carson Forwards: Nneka Ogwumike , Jelena Dubljevic , Eugeniya Belyakova Forward Center: Candace Parker (Finals MVP) , Sandrine Gruda Center: Jantel Lavender , Ann Wauters Head Coach: Brian Agler

Awards

Award	Player	team	comment
WNBA Finals MVP Award	Candace Parker	Los Angeles Sparks	-
WNBA Most Valuable Player Award	Nneka Ogwumike	Los Angeles Sparks	31 out of 39 votes
WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award	Sylvia Fowles	Minnesota Lynx	19 out of 39 votes
WNBA Most Improved Player Award	Elizabeth Williams	Atlanta Dream	14 out of 39 votes
WNBA Peak Performer (points)	Tina Charles	New York Liberty	21.5 points per game
WNBA Peak Performer (Rebounds)	Tina Charles	New York Liberty	9.9 rebounds per game
WNBA Peak Performer (Assists)	Sue Bird	Seattle Storm	5.8 assists per game
WNBA Rookie of the Year Award	Breanna Stewart	Seattle Storm	38 out of 39 votes
WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Award	Jantel Lavender	Los Angeles Sparks	26 out of 39 votes
Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award	Tamika catchings	Indiana Fever	29 out of 39 votes
WNBA Coach of the Year Award	Cheryl Reeve	Minnesota Lynx	17 out of 39 votes

All-WNBA teams

All-WNBA First Team
Guards:	Maya Moore - Sue Bird
Forwards:	Nneka Ogwumike - Elena Delle Donne
Center:	Tina Charles

All-WNBA Second Team
Guards:	Diana Taurasi - Jewell Loyd
Forwards:	Angel McCoughtry - Breanna Stewart
Center:	Sylvia Fowles

All-rookie team

All-rookie team
Guards:	Moriah Jefferson - Tiffany Mitchell
Forwards:	Aerial Powers - Breanna Stewart
Center:	Imani Boyette

All-Defensive Team

All-Defensive First Team
Guards:	Alana Beard - Briann January
Forwards:	Angel McCoughtry - Nneka Ogwumike
Center:	Sylvia Fowles

All-Defensive Second Team
Guards:	Tanisha Wright - Jasmine Thomas
Forwards:	Tamika Catchings - Breanna Stewart
Center:	Brittney Griner

Season Notes

• The Tulsa Shock moved to the Dallas / Fort Worth area prior to the season and now compete as the Dallas Wings .

Web links

• Official homepage of the WNBA (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ WNBA Approves Significant Changes to Regular-season and playoff format. WNBA, January 28, 2016, accessed February 8, 2016 . 
2. ^ WNBA Draft Board. (No longer available online.) WNBA, formerly in the original ; accessed on October 27, 2016 (English).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.