WNBA 2017

Women's National Basketball Association
◄ previous	2017 season		next ►
Duration		May 13 - September 3, 2017
Season games per team		34
Number of teams		12
Regular season
Best record		Minnesota Lynx
Season MVP		Sylvia Fowles
Top scorer		Brittney Griner
Playoffs
Finals
WNBA champion		Minnesota Lynx
Runner-up		Los Angeles Sparks
Finals MVP		Sylvia Fowles

The 2017 season was the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) 's 21st season . The regular season began on May 13, 2017. After the regular season, which ran until September 3, 2017, the playoffs for the WNBA championship were carried out.

Draft

A lottery was held on September 28, 2016 to determine the order in which the first four picks were selected. In the lottery, the San Antonio Stars secured their first draft pick ahead of the Washington Mystics and the Dallas Wings . The Los Angeles Sparks received only the fourth draft pick, they were only in this raffle because of a trade with the Connecticut Sun. The probability of winning was determined on the basis of the balance sheets for the last two seasons.

The 2017 WNBA Draft took place on April 13, 2017 at the Samsung 837 in New York , New York . The first player to be drafted was Kelsey Plum . She was followed by Alaina Coates and Evelyn Akhator . In total, the 12 franchises secured the rights to 36 players in three rounds. The United States made up the lion's share with 27 players .

Top 5 picks

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

#	Player	nationality	Item	WNBA team	College / professional team
1.	Kelsey Plum	United States	G	San Antonio Stars	University of Washington
2.	Alaina Coates	United States	C.	Chicago Sky (by Washington Mystics )	University of South Carolina
3.	Evelyn Akhator	Nigeria	F / C	Dallas Wings	University of Kentucky
4th	Allisha Gray	United States	G	Dallas Wings (from Connecticut Sun via Los Angeles Sparks )	University of South Carolina
5.	Nia Coffey	United States	F.	San Antonio Stars (by Phoenix Mercury )	Northwestern 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. Overall, each team should play 34 season games during the regular season, each team half of the games at home or away. Due to the introduction of the conference-wide playoff system in 2016, 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	22nd	12	64.7	-	13: 4	9: 8
2	Connecticut Sun	34	21st	13	61.8	1	12: 5	9: 8
3	Washington Mystics	34	18th	16	52.9	4th	11: 6	7:10
4th	Chicago Sky	34	12	22nd	35.3	10	4:13	8: 9
5	Atlanta Dream	34	12	22nd	35.3	10	9: 8	3:14
6th	Indiana Fever	34	9	25th	26.5	13	6:11	3:14

Western Conference
Pl	team	Sp	S.	N	%	GB	home	Away
1	Minnesota Lynx	34	27	7th	79.4	-	15: 2	12: 5
2	Los Angeles Sparks	34	26th	8th	76.5	1	16: 1	10: 7
3	Phoenix Mercury	34	18th	16	52.9	9	9: 8	9: 8
4th	Dallas Wings	34	16	18th	47.1	11	10: 7	6:11
5	Seattle Storm	34	15th	19th	44.1	12	10: 7	5:12
6th	San Antonio Stars	34	8th	26th	23.5	19th	6:11	2:15

All-Star Game 2017

The WNBA's 14th All-Star Game was played on July 22, 2017 at the KeyArena in Seattle , Washington . The selection of the Western Conference defeated that of the Eastern Conference with 130: 121. All-Star Game MVP became Maya Moore for the second year in a row .

Playoffs

mode

The eight teams in the league with the most successes in the regular season start in the playoffs. These are set from one to eight according to the balance sheet. In the first round 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

06 Sep 2017	report	Washington Mystics 86 , Dallas Wings 76			Capital One Arena , Washington, DC Visitors: 6,483 Referees: Thomas Nunez, Tim Greene, Tiara Cruse
		Points per quarter: 18:12, 16:22, 25:16, 27:26
		Points: Delle Donne (25) Rebounds: Thomas (17) Assists: Meesseman (5)		Points: Powers (21) Rebounds: Johnson (14) Assists: four players (3 each)

06 Sep 2017	report	Phoenix Mercury 79 , Seattle Storm 69			Wells Fargo Arena , Tempe Visitors: 5,764 Referees: Kurt Walker, Eric Brewton, Tiffany Bird, Cheryl Flores
		Points per quarter: 16:17, 16:14, 24:15, 23:23
		Points: Griner (23) Rebounds: Griner (11) Assists: three players (3 each)		Points: Stewart (23) Rebounds: Stewart (8) Assists: Bird (5)

Second round

Sep 10 2017	report	Connecticut Sun 83, Phoenix Mercury 88			Mohegan Sun Arena , Uncasville Visitors: 8,420 Referees: Roy Gulbeyan, Byron Jarrett, Maj Forsberg
		Points per quarter: 29-18, 21-25, 18-25, 15-20
		Points: A. Thomas (20) Rebounds: J. Jones (15) Assists: J. Thomas (4)		Points: Griner (26) Rebounds: Griner (9) Assists: Mitchell (5)

Sep 10 2017	report	New York Liberty 68, Washington Mystics 82			Madison Square Garden , New York City Visitors: 9,538 Referees: Sue Blauch, Billy Smith, Jeff Wooten
		Points per quarter: 21-10, 20-25, 10-25, 17-22
		Points: Charles (18) Rebounds: Charles , Zellous (6 each) Assists: Hartley (5)		Points: Toliver (32) Rebounds: Delle Donne (10) Assists: Ruffin-Pratt , Toliver (4 each)

Semifinals

(1) Minnesota Lynx - (6) Washington Mystics

Sep 12 2014	report	Minnesota Lynx 101 , Washington Mystics 81			Williams Arena , Minneapolis Visitors: 7,834 Referees: Maj Forsberg, Billy Smith, JB DeRosa
		Points per quarter: 26-18, 27-10, 31-18, 17-25
		Points: Augustus (24) Rebounds: Fowles (7) Assists: Moore (4)		Points: Delle Donne (17) Rebounds: Delle Donne (6) Assists: Toliver (6)
		1-0

Sep 14 2017	report	Minnesota Lynx 93 , Washington Mystics 83			Williams Arena , Minneapolis Visitors: 9,033 Referees: Roy Gulbeyan, Sue Blauch, Vladimir Voyard-Tadal
		Points per quarter: 19-29, 26-18, 24-17, 24-19
		Points: Fowles (25) Rebounds: Brunson (10) Assists: Whalen (7)		Points: Delle Donne , Toliver (25 each) Rebounds: Thomas (7) Assists: Toliver (6)
		2-0

17 Sep 2017	report	Washington Mystics 70, Minnesota Lynx 81			Capital One Arena , Washington, DC Visitors: 7,950 Referees: Kurt Walker, Jeff Wooten, Cheryl Flores
		Points per quarter: 16-18, 23-20, 14-21, 17-22
		Points: Delle Donne (15) Rebounds: Delle Donne (8) Assists: Toliver (5)		Points: Moore (21) Rebounds: Fowles (14) Assists: Moore , Whalen (5 each)
		0: 3

(2) Los Angeles Sparks - (5) Phoenix Mercury

Sep 12 2017	report	Los Angeles Sparks 79 , Phoenix Mercury 66			Staples Center , Los Angeles Visitors: 7,963 Referees: Kurt Walker, Jeff Smith, Tiffany Bird
		Points per quarter: 19-23, 23-19, 14-6, 23-18
		Points: Ogwumike (19) Rebounds: Ogwumike (9) Assists: Gray (6)		Points: Mitchell (19) Rebounds: Little (11) Assists: Mitchell (4)
		1-0

Sep 14 2017	report	Los Angeles Sparks 86 , Phoenix Mercury 72			Walter Pyramid , Long Beach Visitors: 4,023 Referees: Thomas Nunez, Byron Jarrett, Maj Forsberg
		Points per quarter: 22-19, 21-16, 18-20, 25-17
		Points: Parker (24) Rebounds: Parker (13) Assists: Parker (6)		Points: Taurasi (21) Rebounds: Mitchell (6) Assists: Taurasi (4)
		2-0

17 Sep 2017	report	Phoenix Mercury 87, Los Angeles Sparks 89			Talking Stick Resort Arena , Phoenix Visitors: 12,043 Referees: Sue Blauch, Billy Smith, Eric Brewton
		Points per quarter: 25-21, 13-24, 24-18, 25-26
		Points: Taurasi (22) Rebounds: Little , Griner (8 each) Assists: Taurasi , Mitchell (5 each)		Points: Sims (22) Rebounds: Ogwumike (12) Assists: Parker (11)
		0: 3

WNBA finals

Sep 24 2017	report	Minnesota Lynx 84, Los Angeles Sparks 85			Williams Arena , Minneapolis Visitors: 11,823 Referees: Kurt Walker, Cheryl Flores, Jeff Wooten
		Points per quarter: 11–32, 22-11, 23–25, 28-17
		Points: Moore (27) Rebounds: Fowles (13) Assists: Whalen (6)		Points: Gray (27) Rebounds: Parker (12) Assists: Gray (6)
		0: 1

26 Sep 2017	report	Minnesota Lynx 70 , Los Angeles Sparks 68			Williams Arena , Minneapolis Visitors: 11,434 Referees: Maj Forsberg, Byron Jarrett, Billy Smith
		Points per quarter: 28-10, 17-16, 15-24, 10-18
		Points: Whalen (14) Rebounds: Fowles (17) Assists: Brunson , Whalen (3 each)		Points: Parker (17) Rebounds: Ogwumike (13) Assists: Parker (6)
		1: 1

29 Sep 2017	report	Los Angeles Sparks 75 , Minnesota Lynx 64			Staples Center , Los Angeles Visitors: 13,500 Referees: Sue Blauch, Eric Brewton, Roy Gulbeyan
		Points per quarter: 17–8, 15–18, 24–22, 19–16
		Points: Ogwumike , Sims (16 each) Rebounds: Ogwumike (10) Assists: Parker (5)		Points: Moore (16) Rebounds: Fowles (11) Assists: Jones (4)
		2: 1

0Oct. 1, 2017	report	Los Angeles Sparks 69, Minnesota Lynx 80			Staples Center , Los Angeles Visitors: 13,500 Referees: Maj Forsberg, Kurt Walker, Billy Smith
		Points per quarter: 16-21, 15-22, 13-18, 25-19
		Points: Sims (18) Rebounds: Ogwumike , Parker (8 each) Assists: Gray (9)		Points: Fowles (22) Rebounds: Fowles (14) Assists: Whalen (8)
		2: 2

04th Oct 2017	report	Minnesota Lynx 85 , Los Angeles Sparks 76			Williams Arena , Minneapolis Visitors: 14,632 Referees: Sue Blauch, Roy Gulbeyan, Byron Jarrett
		Points per quarter: 21-19, 20-16, 19-21, 25-20
		Points: Moore (18) Rebounds: Fowles (20) Assists: Whalen (8)		Points: Parker (19) Rebounds: Parker (15) Assists: Gray (8)
		3: 2

Playoff tree

1 round					2nd round					Semifinals					WNBA finals
										1	Minnesota Lynx	3
6th	Washington Mystics	1								6th	Washington Mystics	0
7th	Dallas Wings	0			3	New York Liberty	0
					6th	Washington Mystics	1
															1	Minnesota Lynx	3
															2	Los Angeles Sparks	2
					4th	Connecticut Sun	0
5	Phoenix Mercury	1			5	Phoenix Mercury	1
8th	Seattle Storm	0								2	Los Angeles Sparks	3
										5	Phoenix Mercury	0

WNBA championship team

WNBA champions Minnesota Lynx

Guards: Anna Cruz , Alexis Jones , Renee Montgomery , Jia Perkins , Lindsay Whalen Guard-Forwards: Seimone Augustus Forwards: Rebekkah Brunson , Natasha Howard , Maya Moore , Cecilia Zandalasini Forward centers: Plenette Pierson Center: Sylvia Fowles , Temi Fagbenle Head Coach: Cheryl Reeve   General Manager: Roger Griffith

Awards

Award	Player	team	comment
WNBA Finals MVP Award	Sylvia Fowles	Minnesota Lynx	-
WNBA Most Valuable Player Award	Sylvia Fowles	Minnesota Lynx	35 votes out of 40
WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award	Alana Beard	Los Angeles Sparks	28 votes out of 40
WNBA Most Improved Player Award	Jonquel Jones	Connecticut Sun	32 votes out of 40
WNBA Peak Performer (points)	Brittney Griner	Phoenix Mercury	21.9 points per game
WNBA Peak Performer (Rebounds)	Jonquel Jones	Connecticut Sun	11.9 rebounds per game
WNBA Peak Performer (Assists)	Courtney Vandersloot	Chicago Sky	8.1 assists per game
WNBA Rookie of the Year Award	Allisha Gray	Dallas Wings	30 votes out of 40
WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Award	Sugar Rodgers	New York Liberty	15 out of 40 votes
Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award	Sue Bird	Seattle Storm	20 out of 40 votes
WNBA Coach of the Year Award	Curt Miller	Connecticut Sun	36 out of 40 votes

All-WNBA teams

All-WNBA First Team
Guards:	Skylar Diggins-Smith - Maya Moore
Forwards:	Candace Parker - Tina Charles
Center:	Sylvia Fowles

All-WNBA Second Team
Guards:	Chelsea Gray - Diana Taurasi
Forwards:	Nneka Ogwumike - Jonquel Jones
Center:	Brittney Griner

All-rookie team

All-rookie team
Guards:	Allisha Gray - Brittney Sykes
Forwards:	Kelsey Plum - Kaela Davis
Center:	Shatori Walker-Kimbrough

All-Defensive Team

All-Defensive First Team
Guards:	Jasmine Thomas - Alana Beard
Forwards:	Nneka Ogwumike - Tina Charles
Center:	Sylvia Fowles

All-Defensive Second Team
Guards:	Briann January - Maya Moore
Forwards:	Alyssa Thomas - Rebekkah Brunson
Center:	Brittney Griner

Web links

• Official homepage of the WNBA (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Key Dates: 2017 WNBA Season. WNBA, accessed April 26, 2017 . 
2. ^ WNBA Draft Board. WNBA, accessed April 26, 2017 .