2006 WNBA season

Last updated

2006 WNBA season
League Women's National Basketball Association
Sport Basketball
DurationMay 20 – September 9, 2006
Number of games34
Number of teams14
Total attendance1,779,366
Average attendance7,476
TV partner(s) ABC, ESPN, NBA TV
2006 WNBA Draft
Top draft pick Flag of the United States.svg Seimone Augustus
Picked by Minnesota Lynx
Regular season
Season MVP Flag of the United States.svg Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles)
Playoffs
Eastern champions Detroit Shock
  Eastern runners-up Connecticut Sun
Western champions Sacramento Monarchs
  Western runners-up Los Angeles Sparks
Finals
Champions Detroit Shock
  Runners-up Sacramento Monarchs
Finals MVP Flag of the United States.svg Deanna Nolan (Detroit)
WNBA seasons

The 2006 WNBA season was the Women's National Basketball Association's tenth season. The league added one team: the Chicago Sky. The Sky were the first expansion team since 2000 when the Indiana Fever, Miami Sol, Portland Fire, and the Seattle Storm came to the WNBA. On April 5, the WNBA held their draft. Seimone Augustus, guard out of Louisiana State University was the number one overall pick. She was selected by the Minnesota Lynx. Cappie Pondexter, guard out of Rutgers University went number two. She was selected by the Phoenix Mercury. The season started on May 20 with a game between the Sacramento Monarchs and the Phoenix Mercury. The game was televised by ABC. The Monarchs won the game 105–78. On July 12, The All Star Game was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The East All Stars defeated the West All Stars 98–82. Katie Douglas of the Connecticut Sun was named MVP in the game with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists. The 2006 WNBA season concluded on August 13. Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks won the league MVP. Mike Thibault of the Connecticut Sun was named Coach of The Year. Seimone Augustus of the Minnesota Lynx was named Rookie of the Year. The season ended with the Detroit Shock winning their second WNBA Championship.

Contents

Regular season

Standings

Eastern Conference

Eastern Conference W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
z - Connecticut Sun 268.76514–312–515–5
x - Detroit Shock 2311.6763.014–39–814–6
x - Indiana Fever 2113.6185.012–59–812–8
x - Washington Mystics 1816.5298.013–45–1212–8
e - New York Liberty 1123.32415.07–104–137–13
e - Charlotte Sting 1123.32415.07–104–36–14
e - Chicago Sky 529.14721.03–142–154–16

Western Conference

Western Conference W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
Los Angeles Sparks x259.73515–210–715–5
Sacramento Monarchs x2113.6184.014–37–1010–10
Houston Comets x1816.5297.012–56–1111–9
Seattle Storm x1816.5297.09–89–810–10
Phoenix Mercury o1816.5297.010–78–98–12
San Antonio Silver Stars o1321.38212.06–117–1010–10
Minnesota Lynx o1024.29415.08–92–156–14

Playoffs

This was the outlook for the 2006 WNBA Playoffs. Teams in italics had home court advantage. Teams in bold advanced to the next round. Numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's original playoffs seeding in their respective conferences. Numbers to the right of each team indicate the number of games the team won in that round.

Conference semifinals
Best-of-3
Conference finals
Best-of-3
WNBA Finals
Best-of-5
         
E1 Connecticut 2
E4 Washington 0
E1 Connecticut 1
E2 Detroit 2
E2 Detroit 2
E3 Indiana 0
E2 Detroit 3
W2 Sacramento 2
W1 Los Angeles 2
W4 Seattle 1
W1 Los Angeles 0
W2 Sacramento 2
W2 Sacramento 2
W3 Houston 0

Awards

Reference: [1]

Individual

AwardWinnerTeam
Most Valuable Player (MVP) Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks
Finals MVP Deanna Nolan Detroit Shock
Defensive Player of the Year Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
Most Improved Player Erin Buescher Sacramento Monarchs
Peak Performers Scoring Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury
Rebounding Cheryl Ford Detroit Shock
Assists Nikki Teasley Washington Mystics
Rookie of the Year Seimone Augustus Minnesota Lynx
Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award Dawn Staley Houston Comets
Coach of the Year Mike Thibault Connecticut Sun

Team

AwardPlayerTeam
All-WNBA First Team Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks
Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury
Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
Katie Douglas Connecticut Sun
Second Team Cheryl Ford Detroit Shock
Alana Beard Washington Mystics
Taj McWilliams-Franklin Connecticut Sun
Seimone Augustus Minnesota Lynx
Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets
All-Defensive First TeamTamika CatchingsIndiana Fever
Lisa LeslieLos Angeles Sparks
Sheryl SwoopesHouston Comets
Tully Bevilaqua Indiana Fever
Katie DouglasConnecticut Sun
Second TeamAlana BeardWashington Mystics
Margo Dydek Connecticut Sun
Deanna Nolan Detroit Shock
Cheryl FordDetroit Shock
Yolanda Griffith Sacramento Monarchs
All-Rookie Team Seimone AugustusMinnesota Lynx
Cappie Pondexter Phoenix Mercury
Candice Dupree Chicago Sky
Sophia Young San Antonio Silver Stars
Monique Currie Charlotte Sting

Players of the Week

Week endingPlayerTeam
May 30 Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks
June 5 Seimone Augustus Minnesota Lynx
June 12 Cappie Pondexter Phoenix Mercury
June 19Lisa Leslie (2)Los Angeles Sparks
June 26Lisa Leslie (3)Los Angeles Sparks
July 3 Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
July 10 Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury
July 17Lisa Leslie (4)Los Angeles Sparks
July 24 Taj McWilliams-Franklin Connecticut Sun
July 31 Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
August 7Taj McWilliams-Franklin (2)Connecticut Sun
August 14Diana Taurasi (2)Phoenix Mercury

Coaches

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

References

  1. "2006 WNBA Season Awards - WNBA". www.wnba.com. Retrieved May 28, 2025.