2023 WNBA season | |
---|---|
League | Women's National Basketball Association |
Sport | Basketball |
Duration | May 19 – September 10 |
Number of games | 40 |
Number of teams | 12 |
Total attendance | 1,585,824 |
Average attendance | 6,608 |
TV partner(s) | ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+, CBS, CBSSN, NBA TV, ION Television, Prime Video |
Draft | |
Top draft pick | Aliyah Boston |
Picked by | Indiana Fever |
Regular season | |
Season MVP | Breanna Stewart (New York) |
Playoffs | |
Finals champions | Las Vegas Aces |
Runners-up | New York Liberty |
Finals MVP | A'ja Wilson (Las Vegas) |
The 2023 WNBA season was the 27th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces, repeated as champions after defeating the New York Liberty 3 games to 1 in the Finals.
The regular season was expanded to 40 games per team, becoming the most games scheduled in a single WNBA season. [1] The 2022 season saw the schedule increase to 36 games and was the previous high for the regular season. [2] This season was also the second straight year that the playoffs used an all-series format after returning to the format in 2022. The first round used a 2–1 format, with the higher seed hosting the first two games (differing from the 1–1–1 format previously used in 2015). The semifinals and the WNBA Finals remained a best-of-five series.
Arguably the most significant change to the league this season was the enforcement of the so-called "prioritization clause" in the collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players' union. For this season, players with more than two seasons of prior WNBA service who did not report to their teams by the designated start of training camp or May 1, whichever is later, faced mandatory fines. Those who missed the start of the regular season were suspended for the season. From 2024 on, those who miss the start of training camp will be suspended for the season. [3]
The Indiana Fever won the first pick in the 2023 WNBA draft in the draft lottery. This was the first time in Indiana's franchise history that they won the first pick. They were followed by the Minnesota Lynx for second, Atlanta Dream for third, and the Washington Mystics for fourth. The Mystics received the fourth pick in the lottery after trading for the Los Angeles Sparks' pick during the 2022 season. The Dream had originally held the Sparks' pick, but traded it to the Mystics prior to the 2022 WNBA draft, when they acquired the first overall pick. [4] [5]
Pick | Player | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Aliyah Boston | United States | Indiana Fever | South Carolina |
2 | Diamond Miller | United States | Minnesota Lynx | Maryland |
3 | Maddy Siegrist | United States | Dallas Wings (from Atlanta) [lower-alpha 1] | Villanova |
4 | Stephanie Soares | Brazil | Washington Mystics (from Los Angeles via Atlanta) [lower-alpha 2] [lower-alpha 3] | Iowa State |
In March 2023, the WNBA announced that they and ESPN would show up to 52 possible games throughout the regular season and playoffs. The first broadcast happened on May 19, 2023, when the Phoenix Mercury visit the Los Angeles Sparks on ESPN. [9]
As far as the United States' WNBA television schedule, it showed 10 broadcasts on ABC including the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game, 10 on ESPN, and 5 on ESPN2. The All-Star Game was aired in primetime for the first time ever, as well.
WNBA Countdown is now available throughout the regular season with at least 10 editions immediately preceding game broadcasts. [10]
On April 20, 2023, Ion Television signed on as a multi-year broadcast partner, with a doubleheader that includes nationally televised games and regional games on Friday nights. Their first broadcast was May 26, 2023, when the Washington Mystics visited the Chicago Sky. [11]
The free agency negotiation period began on January 21, 2023, and teams were able to officially sign players starting February 1. [20]
Off-season | |||
---|---|---|---|
Team | 2022 season | 2023 season | Reference |
Los Angeles Sparks | Fred Williams (interim) | Curt Miller | [21] |
Indiana Fever | Carlos Knox (interim) | Christie Sides | [22] |
Dallas Wings | Vickie Johnson | Latricia Trammell | [23] |
Connecticut Sun | Curt Miller | Stephanie White | [24] |
Washington Mystics | Mike Thibault | Eric Thibault | [25] |
Mid-season | |||
Team | Departing Coach | New Coach | Reference |
Phoenix Mercury | Vanessa Nygaard | Nikki Blue | [26] |
Chicago Sky | James Wade | Emre Vatansever | [27] |
Team Wilson 127, Team Stewart143 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 27–29, 36–44, 30–37, 34–33 | ||
Pts: Kelsey Plum (30) Rebs: Aliyah Boston (11) Asts: Chelsea Gray (7) | Pts: Jewell Loyd (31) Rebs: Brittney Griner (13) Asts: Breanna Stewart (9) |
Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada Attendance: 9,472 Referees: Eric Brewton Ashley Gloss Randy Richardson |
# | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Conf. | Home | Road | Cup |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | x – Las Vegas Aces | 34 | 6 | .850 | – | 18–2 | 19–1 | 15–5 | 9–1 |
2 | x – New York Liberty | 32 | 8 | .800 | 2 | 16–4 | 15–5 | 17–3 | 7–3 |
3 | x – Connecticut Sun | 27 | 13 | .675 | 7 | 14–6 | 13–7 | 14–6 | 7–3 |
4 | x – Dallas Wings | 22 | 18 | .550 | 12 | 11–9 | 11–9 | 11–9 | 6–4 |
5 | x – Atlanta Dream | 19 | 21 | .475 | 15 | 11–9 | 11–9 | 8–12 | 6–4 |
6 | x – Minnesota Lynx | 19 | 21 | .475 | 15 | 12–8 | 9–11 | 10–10 | 5–5 |
7 | x – Washington Mystics | 19 | 21 | .475 | 15 | 9–11 | 12–8 | 7–13 | 5–5 |
8 | x – Chicago Sky | 18 | 22 | .450 | 16 | 5–15 | 7–13 | 11–9 | 3–7 |
9 | e – Los Angeles Sparks | 17 | 23 | .425 | 17 | 9–11 | 10–10 | 7–13 | 5–5 |
10 | e – Indiana Fever | 13 | 27 | .325 | 21 | 5–15 | 6–14 | 7–13 | 2–8 |
11 | e – Seattle Storm | 11 | 29 | .275 | 23 | 8–12 | 4–16 | 7–13 | 4–6 |
12 | e – Phoenix Mercury | 9 | 31 | .225 | 25 | 2–18 | 8–12 | 1–19 | 1–9 |
Notes
Note: Games highlighted in ██ represent Commissioner's Cup games.
All times Eastern
The following shows the leaders in each statistical category during the 2023 regular season. [28] [29] [30]
Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
---|---|---|---|
Points per game | Jewell Loyd | Seattle Storm | 24.7 ppg |
Rebounds per game | Alyssa Thomas | Connecticut Sun | 9.9 rpg |
Assists per game | Courtney Vandersloot | New York Liberty | 8.1 apg |
Steals per game | Jordin Canada | Los Angeles Sparks | 2.3 spg |
Blocks per game | A'ja Wilson | Las Vegas Aces | 2.2 bpg |
Field goal percentage | Aliyah Boston | Indiana Fever | 57.8% |
Three point FG percentage | Tyasha Harris | Connecticut Sun | 46.4% |
Free throw percentage | Elena Delle Donne | Washington Mystics | 93.8% |
Points per game (team) | Las Vegas Aces | 92.8 ppg | |
Field goal percentage (team) | Las Vegas Aces | 48.6% |
Round One: Best-of-3 | Semifinals: Best-of-5 | Finals: Best-of-5 | ||||||||||||
1 | Las Vegas Aces | 2 | ||||||||||||
8 | Chicago Sky | 0 | ||||||||||||
1 | Las Vegas Aces | 3 | ||||||||||||
4 | Dallas Wings | 0 | ||||||||||||
4 | Dallas Wings | 2 | ||||||||||||
5 | Atlanta Dream | 0 | ||||||||||||
1 | Las Vegas Aces | 3 | ||||||||||||
2 | New York Liberty | 1 | ||||||||||||
2 | New York Liberty | 2 | ||||||||||||
7 | Washington Mystics | 0 | ||||||||||||
2 | New York Liberty | 3 | ||||||||||||
3 | Connecticut Sun | 1 | ||||||||||||
3 | Connecticut Sun | 2 | ||||||||||||
6 | Minnesota Lynx | 1 |
Bold Series winner
Date Awarded | Eastern Conference | Western Conference | Reference | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | Team | Player | Team | ||
May 30 | Breanna Stewart | New York | Arike Ogunbowale | Dallas | [31] |
June 6 | Alyssa Thomas | Connecticut | Nneka Ogwumike | Los Angeles | [32] [33] |
June 13 | Breanna Stewart (2) | New York | Satou Sabally | Dallas | [34] |
June 20 | Aliyah Boston | Indiana | Jewell Loyd | Seattle | [35] |
June 27 | Alyssa Thomas (2) | Connecticut | A'ja Wilson | Las Vegas | [36] |
July 5 | Courtney Williams | Chicago Sky | Napheesa Collier | Minnesota | [37] [38] |
July 13 | Breanna Stewart (3) | New York | Natasha Howard | Dallas | [39] [40] |
July 25 | Jonquel Jones | New York | A'ja Wilson (2) | Las Vegas | [41] [42] |
August 1 | Breanna Stewart (4) | New York | Chelsea Gray | Las Vegas | [43] [44] |
August 8 | Alyssa Thomas (3) | Connecticut | Diana Taurasi | Phoenix | [45] [46] |
August 15 | Breanna Stewart (5) | New York | A'ja Wilson (3) | Las Vegas | [47] [48] |
August 29 | Kelsey Mitchell | Indiana | A'ja Wilson (4) | Las Vegas | [49] [50] |
September 4 | Breanna Stewart (6) | New York | Napheesa Collier (2) | Minnesota | [51] |
Month | Eastern Conference | Western Conference | Reference | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | Team | Player | Team | ||
May | Breanna Stewart | New York Liberty | Arike Ogunbowale | Dallas Wings | [52] [53] |
June | Alyssa Thomas | Connecticut Sun | A'ja Wilson | Las Vegas Aces | [54] [55] |
July | Breanna Stewart (2) | New York Liberty | A'ja Wilson (2) | Las Vegas Aces | [56] |
August | Breanna Stewart (3) | New York Liberty | A'ja Wilson (3) | Las Vegas Aces | [57] [58] |
Month | Player | Team | Reference |
---|---|---|---|
May | Aliyah Boston | Indiana Fever | [59] |
June | Aliyah Boston (2) | Indiana Fever | [60] |
July | Diamond Miller | Minnesota Lynx | [56] |
August | Aliyah Boston (3) | Indiana Fever | [61] |
Month | Coach | Team | Reference |
---|---|---|---|
May | Stephanie White | Connecticut Sun | [62] |
June | Becky Hammon | Las Vegas Aces | [55] |
July | Tanisha Wright | Atlanta Dream | [56] |
August | Sandy Brondello | New York Liberty | [63] |
On August 30, shortly before the end of the regular season, the WNBA announced that it would adopt a "positionless" format for the All-Defensive Team, mirroring its adoption of a positionless format for the All-WNBA Team in 2022. [64]
Award | Winner | Position | Team | Votes/Statistic | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Most Valuable Player Award | Breanna Stewart | Forward | New York | 20 out of 60 [65] [lower-alpha 4] | |
Finals MVP Award | A'ja Wilson | Forward | Las Vegas | [66] | |
Rookie of the Year Award | Aliyah Boston | Forward | Indiana | 60 out of 60 [67] | |
Most Improved Player Award | Satou Sabally | Forward | Dallas | 37 out of 60 [68] | |
Defensive Player of the Year Award | A'ja Wilson | Forward | Las Vegas | 32 out of 60 [69] | |
Sixth Player of the Year Award | Alysha Clark | Forward | Las Vegas | 35 out of 60 [70] | |
Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award | Elizabeth Williams | Center | Chicago | 15 out of 60 [71] | |
Peak Performer: Points | Jewell Loyd | Guard | Seattle | 24.7 ppg [72] | |
Peak Performer: Rebounds | Alyssa Thomas | Forward | Connecticut | 9.9 rpg [73] | |
Peak Performer: Assists | Courtney Vandersloot | Guard | New York | 8.1 apg [74] | |
Coach of the Year Award | Stephanie White | Coach | Connecticut | 36 out of 60 [75] | |
Basketball Executive of the Year Award | Jonathan Kolb | General manager | New York | 20 points (6 out of 11 first-place votes) [76] | |
Team | Members | ||||
All-WNBA First Team [77] | Breanna Stewart (F) | Alyssa Thomas (F) | A'ja Wilson (F) | Napheesa Collier (F) | Satou Sabally (F) |
All-WNBA Second Team [77] | Nneka Ogwumike (F) | Jackie Young (G) | Chelsea Gray (G) | Jewell Loyd (G) | Sabrina Ionescu (G) |
All-Defensive First Team [78] | A'ja Wilson (F) | Alyssa Thomas (F) | Brittney Sykes (G) | Breanna Stewart (F) | Jordin Canada (G) |
All-Defensive Second Team [79] | Betnijah Laney (G/F) | Ezi Magbegor (C) | Nneka Ogwumike (F) | Napheesa Collier (F) | Elizabeth Williams (C) |
All-Rookie Team [67] | Aliyah Boston (F/C) | Jordan Horston (F) | Dorka Juhász (F) | Diamond Miller (F) | Li Meng (G) |
Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years with team | Record with team | Playoff Appearances | Finals Appearances | WNBA Championships |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Atlanta Dream | Tanisha Wright | Las Vegas Aces (assistant) | 1 | 14–22 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Chicago Sky | James Wade | UMMC Ekaterinburg (assistant) | 4 | 74–50 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
Connecticut Sun | Stephanie White | Vanderbilt | 0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Indiana Fever | Christie Sides | Atlanta Dream (assistant) | 0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
New York Liberty | Sandy Brondello | Phoenix Mercury | 1 | 16–20 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Washington Mystics | Eric Thibault | Washington Mystics (associate HC) | 0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years with team | Record with team | Playoff Appearances | Finals Appearances | WNBA Championships |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dallas Wings | Latricia Trammell | Los Angeles Sparks (assistant) | 0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Las Vegas Aces | Becky Hammon | San Antonio Spurs (assistant) | 1 | 26–10 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Los Angeles Sparks | Curt Miller | Connecticut Sun | 0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Minnesota Lynx | Cheryl Reeve | Detroit Shock (assistant) | 13 | 281–149 | 11 | 6 | 4 |
Phoenix Mercury | Vanessa Nygaard | Las Vegas Aces (assistant) | 1 | 15–21 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Seattle Storm | Noelle Quinn | Seattle Storm (associate head coach) | 2 | 38–24 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was founded in 1997 and is one of the eight original franchises of the league. The team is owned by Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, the majority owners of the Brooklyn Nets. The team's home games are played at Barclays Center.
The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerley and her husband Barry ahead of the 2000 season. The team is currently owned by Force 10 Hoops LLC, which is composed of Seattle businesswomen Dawn Trudeau, Lisa Brummel, and Ginny Gilder, along with former player Sue Bird.
A'ja Riyadh Wilson is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Wilson played for the South Carolina Gamecocks in college, and helped lead the Gamecocks to their first NCAA Women's Basketball Championship in 2017, and won the NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player award. In 2018, she won a record third straight SEC Player of the Year award, leading South Carolina to a record fourth straight SEC Tournament Championship, becoming the all-time leading scorer in South Carolina women's basketball history, and was a consensus first-team All-American for the third consecutive season. Wilson swept all National Player of the Year awards as the best player in Women's College basketball for 2018. In the 2018 WNBA draft, she was drafted first overall by the Aces.
The Las Vegas Aces are an American professional basketball team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Aces compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team plays their home games at Michelob Ultra Arena in the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, and is headquartered in Henderson, Nevada. The Aces won the 2022 WNBA Commissioner's Cup and WNBA Championship. The Aces also won the 2023 WNBA Championship, becoming the first team to win back-to-back championships since 2001-2002, when the Los Angeles Sparks completed that feat.
The 2018 WNBA season was the 22nd season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Minnesota Lynx are the defending champions. The regular season began on May 18, with the Phoenix Mercury hosting the Dallas Wings. The season ended with the Seattle Storm defeating the Washington Mystics 3-0 in the WNBA Finals. This was the third championship for the Storm. Seattle's Breanna Stewart was named regular season and finals MVP.
The 2020 WNBA season was the 24th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Washington Mystics were the defending champions. Planned changes to the league's schedule included an increase from 34 to 36 regular season games for each team, the introduction of a mid-season Commissioner's Cup tournament, and more games broadcast on ESPN and ABC. This was the first season under a new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and the WNBA Players Association. However, on April 3, the season was indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under a plan approved on June 15, the league began a shortened 22-game regular season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, without fans present on July 25. A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces was named the league MVP. The Seattle Storm won the 2020 WNBA Finals over the Aces, and Breanna Stewart was named the Finals MVP.
Aliyah Boston is an American professional basketball power forward and center for the Indiana Fever of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was named 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year in a unanimous vote and the AP Rookie of the Year. She played college basketball at the University of South Carolina.
The 2020 WNBA Finals, officially WNBA Finals 2020 presented by YouTube TV for sponsorship reasons, was the best-of-five championship series for the 2020 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Finals feature the top seeded Las Vegas Aces facing off against the second seed Seattle Storm. Despite losing both regular season meetings against Las Vegas, the Storm dominated the series, sweeping the Aces in three straight games. Led by Finals MVP Breanna Stewart, Seattle won all three games by double-digits, claiming their second title in three years and fourth in franchise history.
The 2021 WNBA season was the 25th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Seattle Storm were the defending champions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teams played a 32-game season that included mini two-game series to reduce travel. The regular season ran from May 14 to September 19, with a break from July 12 to August 11 for the Olympic Games.
The 2022 WNBA season was the 24th season for the Connecticut Sun franchise of the Women's National Basketball Association. It also was the 20th season for the franchise in Connecticut after relocating from Orlando. The season began on May 7, 2022, at the New York Liberty.
The 2022 Las Vegas Aces season was the franchise's 26th season in the Women's National Basketball Association and the 5th year the franchise is based in Las Vegas - after relocating from San Antonio and Utah. The regular season began on May 6, 2022, at the Phoenix Mercury.
The 2022 WNBA season was the 26th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Chicago Sky were the defending champions.
The 2023 Connecticut Sun season was the 25th season for the Connecticut Sun franchise of the Women's National Basketball Association. It was the 21st season for the franchise in Connecticut after relocating from Orlando.
The 2023 Indiana Fever season was the franchise's 24th season in the Women's National Basketball Association, and their first season under new head coach Christie Sides.
The 2023 New York Liberty season was the 27th season for the New York Liberty franchise of the WNBA, and their second season under head coach Sandy Brondello.
The 2023 Dallas Wings season was the franchise's 26th season in the Women's National Basketball Association and the 8th season for the franchise in Dallas - after relocating from Tulsa and Detroit. This was the first season under head coach Latricia Trammell.
The 2023 Las Vegas Aces season was the franchise's 27th season in the Women's National Basketball Association and the sixth year the franchise is based in Las Vegas - after relocating from San Antonio and Utah. This was also the second season under head coach Becky Hammon. They were the defending WNBA champions, after defeating the Connecticut Sun in the 2022 WNBA Finals.
The 2023 Minnesota Lynx season was the 25th season for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association, and the fourteenth season under head coach Cheryl Reeve.
The 2023 Seattle Storm season was the franchise's 24th season in the Women's National Basketball Association, and the second full season under head coach Noelle Quinn. Quinn took over in May of the 2021 season.
The 2023 WNBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game played on July 15, 2023, at Michelob Ultra Arena. The Las Vegas Aces hosted the game and related events for the third time - the previous games being in 2019 and 2021.