2008 WNBA season

Last updated

2008 WNBA season
League Women's National Basketball Association
Sport Basketball
DurationMay 17 – October 5, 2008
Number of games34
Number of teams14
Total attendance1,887,706
Average attendance7,932
TV partner(s) ABC, ESPN, NBA TV
2008 WNBA Draft
Top draft pick Candace Parker
Picked by Los Angeles Sparks
Regular season
Season MVP Candace Parker (Los Angeles)
Playoffs
Eastern champions Detroit Shock
  Eastern runners-up New York Liberty
Western champions San Antonio Silver Stars
  Western runners-up Los Angeles Sparks
Finals
Champions Detroit Shock
  Runners-up San Antonio Silver Stars
Finals MVP Katie Smith (Detroit)
WNBA seasons

The 2008 WNBA season was the 12th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. It was the first WNBA season with a franchise in Atlanta as the Dream were announced in late 2007.

Contents

No WNBA All-Star Game was held due to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. The regular season began with a televised (ABC) meeting between the defending champion Phoenix Mercury and the Los Angeles Sparks in Phoenix, Arizona, on May 17.

2007–2008 off-season

Atlanta Dream expansion draft

Atlanta held their expansion draft on February 6, 2008, when they selected one player from each of the thirteen teams in the league.

Some of the players chosen were:

The Dream were then free to make trades with other teams in the league.

Draft

On October 23, 2007, the WNBA draft lottery was held. The Los Angeles Sparks received the first pick. The Chicago Sky was awarded the number two pick, followed by the Minnesota Lynx at number three, the Atlanta Dream at number four, the Houston Comets at number five and the Washington Mystics at number six.

The 2008 WNBA draft was held on April 9 in Tampa, Florida. Coverage of the first round was shown on ESPN2. Second and third round coverage was shown on NBA TV.

The top draft picks were as follows:

  1. Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks
  2. Sylvia Fowles, Chicago Sky
  3. Candice Wiggins, Minnesota Lynx
  4. Alexis Hornbuckle, Detroit Shock
  5. Matee Ajavon, Houston Comets
  6. Crystal Langhorne, Washington Mystics

Regular season

Standings

Eastern Conference W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
Detroit Shock x2212.64714–38–916–4
Connecticut Sun x2113.6181.013–48–913–7
New York Liberty x1915.5593.011–68–911–9
Indiana Fever x1717.5005.011–66–1112–8
Chicago Sky o1222.35310.08–94–1310–10
Washington Mystics o1024.29412.06–114–136–14
Atlanta Dream o430.11818.01–163–142–18
Western Conference W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
San Antonio Silver Stars x2410.70615–29–810–10
Seattle Storm x2212.6472.016–16–1113–7
Los Angeles Sparks x2014.5884.012–58–912–8
Sacramento Monarchs x1816.5296.05–1213–49–11
Houston Comets o1717.5007.013–44–1310–10
Minnesota Lynx o1618.4718.010–76–118–12
Phoenix Mercury o1618.4718.09–87–108–12

All-star game

There was no WNBA All-Star Game due to the break July 28 through August 27 for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This marks the first time since the game was started in the 1999 season that there was no All-Star contest.

Statistic leaders

CategoryPlayerTeamStatistic
Points per game Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury 24.1
Rebounds per game Candace Parker Los Angeles Sparks 9.5
Assists per game Lindsay Whalen Connecticut Sun 5.4
Steals per game Alexis Hornbuckle Detroit Shock 2.3
Blocks per game Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks 2.9
Field goal percentage Sancho Lyttle Houston Comets .582
Three-point FG percentage Edwige Lawson-Wade
Lisa Willis
San Antonio Silver Stars
New York Liberty
.468
Free throw percentage Becky Hammon San Antonio Silver Stars .937
Points per gameTeam stat Phoenix Mercury 88.53
Fewest points allowedTeam stat Seattle Storm 70.77
Field goal percentageTeam stat San Antonio Silver Stars .433

Playoffs and Finals

This was the outlook for the 2008 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.

First round Conference Finals WNBA Finals
         
1 Detroit 2
4 Indiana 1
1 Detroit 2
Eastern Conference
3 New York 1
2 Connecticut 1
3 New York 2
1 Detroit 3
1 San Antonio 0
1 San Antonio 2
4 Sacramento 1
1 San Antonio 2
Western Conference
3 Los Angeles 1
2 Seattle 1
3 Los Angeles 2

2008 WNBA season summary

Season highlights

End-of-season business report

[8]

Season award winners

AwardWinnerPositionTeamVotes
WNBA Finals MVP Award Katie Smith Forward Detroit Shock
WNBA Most Valuable Player Award Candace Parker Forward Los Angeles Sparks 276.79 / 1535.09
WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award Lisa Leslie Center Los Angeles Sparks 20 / 43
WNBA Most Improved Player Award Ebony Hoffman Forward Indiana Fever 31 / 44
WNBA Peak Performer (Points) Diana Taurasi Forward Phoenix Mercury 24.1 PPG
WNBA Peak Performer (Rebounds) Candace Parker Forward Los Angeles Sparks 9.5 RPG
WNBA Peak Performer (Assists) Lindsay Whalen Guard Connecticut Sun 5.4 APG
WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Award Candice Wiggins Guard Minnesota Lynx 27 / 42
WNBA Rookie of the Year Award Candace Parker Forward Los Angeles Sparks Unanimous
Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award Vickie Johnson Guard San Antonio Silver Stars 14 / 39
WNBA Coach of the Year Award Mike Thibault Coach Connecticut Sun 24 / 45
TeamGuardGuardForwardForwardCenter
All-WNBA First Team Lindsay Whalen Diana Taurasi Sophia Young Candace Parker Lisa Leslie
All-WNBA Second Team Sue Bird Becky Hammon Deanna Nolan Asjha Jones Lauren Jackson
All-Defensive First Team Tully Bevilaqua Ticha Penicheiro Tamika Catchings Sophia Young Lisa Leslie
All-Defensive Second Team Deanna Nolan Katie Smith Rebekkah Brunson Lauren Jackson Sylvia Fowles
All-Rookie Team Candice Wiggins Matee Ajavon Amber Holt Candace Parker Nicky Anosike
Sylvia Fowles

Coaches

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

See also

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References

  1. Mercury promotes assistant coach Corey Gaines as Head Coach
  2. "WNBA Awards an Expansion Franchise to Atlanta". Archived from the original on October 19, 2007. Retrieved October 18, 2007.
  3. "Atlanta announces Team Name". Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved January 23, 2008.
  4. The first ever outdoor professional basketball game is held at Arthur Ashe Stadium between the New York Liberty and the Indiana Fever. Over 19,000 fans attended the game.
  5. Jeremy Kaufman. "Age Is Just A Number: Nancy Lieberman Plays At 50". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  6. "After Wretched Start, Atlanta Dream Still Believes". The New York Times. July 13, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  7. "Comets Owner Koch To Sell; WNBA Seeking To Keep Team In Houston" . Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  8. "WNBA.com: WNBA Closes Regular Season Up in Attendance, TV Ratings and Web Traffic". Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2011.