Western Conference (WNBA)
The Western Conference is one of the two conferences in North America 's highest women's basketball league, the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). After the Sacramento Monarchs stopped their game operations after the 2009 season , the Tulsa Shock , who moved from Detroit to Tulsa in late 2009 , were included in the Western Conference. Like the Eastern Conference, the Western Conference has consisted of six teams since the 2010 season . Two teams have since moved but stayed in the Western Conference.
Playoff mode
From the 2000 season to the 2015 season , the top four teams reached the Western Conference Playoffs . The teams played a series of games against the same opponent. The team that was the first to record two wins got into the next round. The winner of the Western Conference played against the winner of the Eastern Conference for the title. In 2016 , a cross-conference playoff format was introduced in the WNBA.
Teams
| team | first season in WNBA (previous names) |
|---|---|
| Dallas Wings | 1998 (2010-2015 Tulsa Shock , 1998-2009 Detroit Shock )
|
| Los Angeles Sparks | 1997 |
| Minnesota Lynx | 1999 |
| Phoenix Mercury | 1997 |
| Las Vegas Aces | 1997 (1998–2002 Utah Starzz , 2003–2017 San Antonio (Silver) Stars )
|
| Seattle Storm | 2000 |