2001 WNBA Championship

Last updated

2001 WNBA Finals
2001 WNBA Finals logo.png
TeamCoachWins
Los Angeles Sparks Michael Cooper 2
Charlotte Sting Anne Donovan 0
DatesAugust 30-September 1
MVP Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles Sparks)
Hall of Famers Sparks:
Lisa Leslie (2015)
Sting:
Dawn Staley (2013)
Coaches:
Michael Cooper (2024, player)
Anne Donovan (1995, player)
Eastern finals Charlotte defeated New York, 2–1
Western finals Los Angeles defeated Sacramento, 2–1
  2000 WNBA Finals 2002  

The 2001 WNBA Championship was the championship series of the 2001 WNBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Los Angeles Sparks, top-seeded champions of the Western Conference, defeated the Charlotte Sting, fourth-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, two games to none in a best-of-three series. This was Los Angeles' first title.

Contents

The Sparks made their first appearance in the Finals in franchise history. The Sting also made their first Finals appearance.

Going into the series, no other team except the Houston Comets had ever won a WNBA championship (1997-2000).

The Sparks had a 28–4 record (.875), good enough to receive home-court advantage over the Sting (18–14). It did not matter, however, as the Sparks swept the Sting.

Road to the finals

Los Angeles SparksCharlotte Sting
28–4 (.875)
1st West, 1st overall
Regular season 18–14 (.562)
4th East, 8th overall
Defeated the (4) Houston Comets, 2–0Conference SemifinalsDefeated the (1) Cleveland Rockers, 2–1
Defeated the (2) Sacramento Monarchs, 2–1Conference FinalsDefeated the (2) New York Liberty, 2–1

Regular season series

The Sparks won the regular season series:

June 2
Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived October 6, 2001)
Los Angeles Sparks 76, Charlotte Sting 67
June 19
Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived December 14, 2001)
Charlotte Sting 69, Los Angeles Sparks 73

Game summaries

All times listed below are Eastern Daylight Time.

Game 1

August 30
Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived October 6, 2001)
Los Angeles Sparks 75, Charlotte Sting 66
Scoring by half: 35–39, 40–27
Pts: Leslie (24)
Rebs: Leslie, Milton (8)
Asts: Milton (5)
Pts: Stinson (18)
Rebs: Feaster (5)
Asts: Stinson (5)
L.A Sparks leads series, 1–0
Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte
Attendance: 16,132
Referees:
  • Melissa Barlow
  • Michael Price
  • Gary Zielinski

Game 2

NBC
September 1
Recap at the Wayback Machine (archived October 31, 2001)
Charlotte Sting 54, Los Angeles Sparks 82
Scoring by half: 30–38, 24–44
Pts: Sutton-Brown (12)
Rebs: Smith (8)
Asts: Staley (5)
Pts: Leslie (24)
Rebs: Leslie (13)
Asts: Dixon (7)
L.A Sparks wins WNBA Finals, 2–0
STAPLES Center, Los Angeles
Attendance: 13,141
Referees:
  • Patty Broderick
  • June Corteau
  • Bob Trammell

Awards

Rosters

2001 Los Angeles Sparks Finals roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHeightWeightFrom
F 00 Flag of the United States.svg Byears, Latasha 5' 11" (1.8m)206 lb (93kg) DePaul
G 21 Flag of the United States.svg Dixon, Tamecka 5' 9" (1.75m)148 lb (67kg) Kansas
G 5 Flag of the United States.svg Figgs, Ukari 5' 9" (1.75m)142 lb (64kg) Purdue
F 17 Flag of Croatia.svg Grgin-Fonseca, Vedrana 6' 1" (1.85m)160 lb (73kg) Croatia
C 9 Flag of the United States.svg Leslie, Lisa 6' 5" (1.96m)170 lb (77kg) USC
G 40 Flag of the United States.svg Levandusky, Nicole 5' 8" (1.73m)163 lb (74kg) Xavier
F 4 Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg Mabika, Mwadi 5' 11" (1.8m)165 lb (75kg) Democratic Republic of the Congo
C 51 Flag of the United States.svg Mapp, Rhonda 6' 2" (1.88m)190 lb (86kg) NC State
G 10 Flag of the United States.svg McCrimmon, Nicky 5' 8" (1.73m)125 lb (57kg) USC
F 8 Flag of the United States.svg Milton, Delisha 6' 1" (1.85m)172 lb (78kg) Florida
G 20 Flag of the United States.svg Willits, Wendy 5' 7" (1.7m)141 lb (64kg) Arkansas
Head coach
Flag of the United States.svg Michael Cooper (New Mexico)
Assistant coaches
Flag of the United States.svg Glenn McDonald

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured
2001 Charlotte Sting Finals roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHeightWeightFrom
G 20 Flag of the United States.svg Anderson, Keisha 5' 7" (1.7m)125 lb (57kg) Wisconsin
G 13 Flag of the United States.svg Edwards, Tonya 5' 10" (1.78m)160 lb (73kg) Tennessee
F 7 Flag of the United States.svg Enis, Shalonda 6' 1" (1.85m)185 lb (84kg) Alabama
C 3 Flag of the United States.svg Erb, Summer 6' 6" (1.98m)240 lb (109kg) NC State
F 21 Flag of the United States.svg Feaster, Allison 5' 11" (1.8m)168 lb (76kg) Harvard University
C 33 Flag of Mozambique.svg Machanguana, Clarisse 6' 5" (1.96m)180 lb (82kg) Old Dominion
G 8 Flag of the United States.svg Miller, Kelly 5' 9" (1.75m)144 lb (65kg) Georgia
F 23 Flag of the United States.svg Smith, Charlotte 6' 0" (1.83m)148 lb (67kg) North Carolina
G 5 Flag of the United States.svg Staley, Dawn 5' 6" (1.68m)134 lb (61kg) Virginia
G 32 Flag of the United States.svg Stinson, Andrea 5' 10" (1.78m)158 lb (72kg) NC State
C 55 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Sutton-Brown, Tammy 6' 4" (1.93m)203 lb (92kg) Rutgers
Head coach
Flag of the United States.svg Anne Donovan (Old Dominion)
Assistant coaches
Flag of the United States.svg Trudi Lacey
Flag of the United States.svg Cheryl Reeve

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured