# 2017 WNBA season

The 2017 WNBA season was the 21st season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Its regular season began on May 13 with three games, highlighted by the defending WNBA champion Los Angeles Sparks hosting the Seattle Storm. It concluded on September 3. The playoffs began on September 6, and concluded on October 4, with the Minnesota Lynx defeating the Sparks in five games to win their fourth WNBA title.
It was the final season for the San Antonio Stars in the city that they had called home since 2003. After the season, parent company Spurs Sports & Entertainment sold the team to MGM Resorts International, which moved the team to Las Vegas. The former Stars now play as the Las Vegas Aces.

## 2017 WNBA draft

The San Antonio Stars selected Kelsey Plum first in the 2017 WNBA Draft. The draft was televised nationally on the ESPN networks (Round 1 on ESPN2, Rounds 2 and 3 on ESPNU).

## Arena changes

Two teams announced temporary arena changes for the 2017 season, both due to their regular arenas undergoing renovations during the WNBA season.
* The Atlanta Dream announced that they would move from Philips Arena to McCamish Pavilion on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology for the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
* The Minnesota Lynx announced that they would move from Target Center to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul for the 2017 season.

## Team standings

Source:
| # | Eastern Conference vte | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
| 1 | New York Liberty - (3) | 22 | 12 | .647 | - | 13–4 | 9–8 | 10–6 |
| 2 | Connecticut Sun - (4) | 21 | 13 | .636 | 1 | 12–5 | 9–6 | 10–6 |
| 3 | Washington Mystics - (6) | 18 | 16 | .529 | 4 | 11–6 | 7–10 | 12-4 |
| 4 | Chicago Sky - e | 12 | 22 | .353 | 10 | 4–13 | 8–9 | 6–10 |
| 5 | Atlanta Dream - e | 12 | 22 | .353 | 10 | 9–8 | 3–14 | 5–11 |
| 6 | Indiana Fever - e | 9 | 25 | .265 | 13 | 6–11 | 3–14 | 4–12 |
| # | Western Conference vte | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
| 1 | Minnesota Lynx - (1) | 27 | 7 | .794 | – | 15–2 | 12–5 | 13–3 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Sparks - (2) | 26 | 8 | .765 | 1 | 16–1 | 10–7 | 12–4 |
| 3 | Phoenix Mercury - (5) | 18 | 16 | .529 | 9 | 9–8 | 9–8 | 7–9 |
| 4 | Dallas Wings - (7) | 16 | 18 | .471 | 11 | 10–7 | 6–11 | 7–9 |
| 5 | Seattle Storm - (8) | 15 | 19 | .441 | 12 | 10–7 | 5–12 | 8–8 |
| 6 | San Antonio Stars - e | 8 | 26 | .235 | 19 | 6–11 | 2–15 | 1–15 |
Notes
    (#) – Conference Standing
    Playoff Seeds shown next to team name
    e – Eliminated from playoffs

## Playoffs

| First round: Single elimination (Sept. 6) | First round: Single elimination (Sept. 6) | First round: Single elimination (Sept. 6) | Second round: Single elimination (Sept. 10) | Second round: Single elimination (Sept. 10) | Second round: Single elimination (Sept. 10) | Semifinals: Best-of-five (Sept. 12 – Sept. 17) | Semifinals: Best-of-five (Sept. 12 – Sept. 17) | Semifinals: Best-of-five (Sept. 12 – Sept. 17) | Semifinals: Best-of-five (Sept. 12 – Sept. 17) | Semifinals: Best-of-five (Sept. 12 – Sept. 17) | WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Sept. 24 – Oct. 4) | WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Sept. 24 – Oct. 4) | WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Sept. 24 – Oct. 4) | WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Sept. 24 – Oct. 4) | WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Sept. 24 – Oct. 4) | WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Sept. 24 – Oct. 4) | WNBA Finals: Best-of-five (Sept. 24 – Oct. 4) |
| | | | | | | 2 | Los Angeles Sparks | 79 | 86 | 89 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 4 | Connecticut Sun | 83 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 66 | 72 | 87 | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 79 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 88 | | | | | | 1 | Minnesota Lynx | 84 | 70 | 64 | 80 | 85 |
| 8 | Seattle Storm | 69 | | | | | | | | | 2 | Los Angeles Sparks | 85 | 68 | 75 | 69 | 76 |
| | | | | | | 1 | Minnesota Lynx | 101 | 93 | 81 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 3 | New York Liberty | 68 | 6 | Washington Mystics | 81 | 83 | 70 | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Washington Mystics | 86 | 6 | Washington Mystics | 82 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Dallas Wings | 76 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Note: Teams re-seeded after second round and semi-finals.

## Individual statistic leaders
### Regular season

| Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
| Points per game | Brittney Griner | Phoenix Mercury | 21.9 PPG |
| Rebounds per game | Jonquel Jones | Connecticut Sun | 11.9 RPG |
| Assists per game | Courtney Vandersloot | Chicago Sky | 8.1 APG |
| Steals per game | Alana Beard | Los Angeles Sparks | 2.1 SPG |
| Blocks per game | Brittney Griner | Phoenix Mercury | 2.5 BPG |
| Field goal percentage | Sylvia Fowles | Minnesota Lynx | 65.5% |
| Three point percentage | Chelsea Gray | Los Angeles Sparks | 48.2% |
| Free throw percentage | Elena Delle Donne | Washington Mystics | 95.3% |

### Playoffs

| Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
| Points per game | Breanna Stewart | Seattle Storm | 23.0 PPG |
| Rebounds per game | Jonquel Jones | Connecticut Sun | 15.0 RPG |
| Assists per game | Chelsea Gray | Los Angeles Sparks | 6.7 APG |
| Steals per game | Jewell Loyd | Seattle Storm | 3.0 SPG |
| Blocks per game | Courtney Paris Candace Parker Breanna Stewart | Dallas Wings Los Angeles Sparks Seattle Storm | 2.0 BPG |
| Field goal percentage | 8 Tied | Various | 100% |
| Three point percentage | Rebecca Allen Rachel Banham | New York Liberty Connecticut Sun | 100% |
| Free throw percentage | 18 Tied | Various | 100% |

## Season award winners
### Player of the Week Award

| For games in week ending | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference |
| For games in week ending | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| May 21, 2017 | Layshia Clarendon | Atlanta Dream | Sylvia Fowles | Minnesota Lynx |
| May 28, 2017 | Epiphanny Prince | New York Liberty | Sylvia Fowles (2) | Minnesota Lynx |
| June 4, 2017 | Tina Charles | New York Liberty | Diana Taurasi | Phoenix Mercury |
| June 11, 2017 | Tina Charles (2) | New York Liberty | Sylvia Fowles (3) | Minnesota Lynx |
| June 18, 2017 | Jonquel Jones | Connecticut Sun | Candace Parker | Los Angeles Sparks |
| June 25, 2017 | Alyssa Thomas | Connecticut Sun | Skylar Diggins-Smith | Dallas Wings |
| July 2, 2017 | Jasmine Thomas | Connecticut Sun | Candace Parker (2) | Los Angeles Sparks |
| July 9, 2017 | Alyssa Thomas (2) | Connecticut Sun | Brittney Griner | Phoenix Mercury |
| July 16, 2017 | Stefanie Dolson | Chicago Sky | Breanna Stewart | Seattle Storm |
| July 22, 2017 | Tina Charles (3) | New York Liberty | Sylvia Fowles (4) | Minnesota Lynx |
| July 30, 2017 | Tina Charles (4) | New York Liberty | Candace Parker (3) | Los Angeles Sparks |
| August 6, 2017 | Courtney Vandersloot | Chicago Sky | Glory Johnson | Dallas Wings |
| August 13, 2017 | Jonquel Jones (2) | Connecticut Sun | Sylvia Fowles (5) | Minnesota Lynx |
| August 20, 2017 | Tina Charles (5) | New York Liberty | Breanna Stewart (2) | Seattle Storm |
| August 27, 2017 | Tina Charles (6) | New York Liberty | Candace Parker (4) | Los Angeles Sparks |
| September 3, 2017 | Tina Charles (7) | New York Liberty | Brittney Griner (2) | Phoenix Mercury |

### Player of the Month Award

| For games played | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference |
| For games played | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| May 2017 | Tiffany Hayes | Atlanta Dream | Sylvia Fowles | Minnesota Lynx |
| June 2017 | Jonquel Jones | Connecticut Sun | Sylvia Fowles (2) | Minnesota Lynx |
| July 2017 | Tina Charles | New York Liberty | Sylvia Fowles (3) | Minnesota Lynx |
| August 2017 | Tina Charles (2) | New York Liberty | Candace Parker | Los Angeles Sparks |

### Rookie of the Month Award

| For games played | Player | Team |
| May 2017 | Allisha Gray | Dallas Wings |
| June 2017 | Allisha Gray (2) | Dallas Wings |
| July 2017 | Brittney Sykes | Atlanta Dream |
| August 2017 | Brittney Sykes (2) | Atlanta Dream |

### Coach of the Month Award

| For games played | Coach | Team |
| May 2017 | Cheryl Reeve | Minnesota Lynx |
| June 2017 | Brian Agler | Los Angeles Sparks |
| July 2017 | Curt Miller | Connecticut Sun |
| August 2017 | Bill Laimbeer | New York Liberty |

### Postseason awards

| Award | Award | Winner | Position | Team | Votes/Statistic |
| Most Valuable Player Award | Most Valuable Player Award | Sylvia Fowles | Center | Minnesota Lynx | 35 of 40 |
| Finals MVP Award | Finals MVP Award | Sylvia Fowles | Center | Minnesota Lynx | |
| Rookie of the Year Award | Rookie of the Year Award | Allisha Gray | Guard | Dallas Wings | 30 of 40 |
| Most Improved Player Award | Most Improved Player Award | Jonquel Jones | Forward/Center | Connecticut Sun | 32 of 40 |
| Defensive Player of the Year Award | Defensive Player of the Year Award | Alana Beard | Guard | Los Angeles Sparks | 28 of 40 |
| Sixth Woman of the Year Award | Sixth Woman of the Year Award | Sugar Rodgers | Guard | New York Liberty | 15 of 40 |
| Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award | Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award | Sue Bird | Guard | Seattle Storm | 20 of 40 |
| Peak Performer: Points | Peak Performer: Points | Brittney Griner | Center | Phoenix Mercury | 21.9 PPG |
| Peak Performer: Rebounds | Peak Performer: Rebounds | Jonquel Jones | Center | Connecticut Sun | 11.9 RPG |
| Peak Performer: Assists | Peak Performer: Assists | Courtney Vandersloot | Guard | Chicago Sky | 8.1 APG |
| Coach of the Year Award | Coach of the Year Award | Curt Miller | Coach | Connecticut Sun | 36 of 40 |
| Basketball Executive of the Year Award | Basketball Executive of the Year Award | Curt Miller | General manager | Connecticut Sun | 6 of 12 |
| Team | Guard | Guard | Forward | Forward | Center |
| All-WNBA First Team | Skylar Diggins-Smith | Maya Moore | Candace Parker | Tina Charles | Sylvia Fowles |
| All-WNBA Second Team | Chelsea Gray | Diana Taurasi | Nneka Ogwumike | Jonquel Jones | Brittney Griner |
| All-Defensive First Team | Jasmine Thomas | Alana Beard | Nneka Ogwumike | Tina Charles | Sylvia Fowles |
| All-Defensive Second Team | Briann January | Maya Moore | Alyssa Thomas | Rebekkah Brunson | Brittney Griner |
| All-Rookie Team | Allisha Gray | Brittney Sykes | Kelsey Plum | Kaela Davis | Shatori Walker-Kimbrough |

## Coaches
### Eastern Conference

| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years with team | Record with team | Playoff appearances | Finals Appearances | WNBA Championships |
| Atlanta Dream | Michael Cooper | USC | 3 | 51–51 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Chicago Sky | Amber Stocks | Los Angeles Sparks (assistant) | 0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Connecticut Sun | Curt Miller | Los Angeles Sparks (assistant) | 1 | 14–20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Indiana Fever | Pokey Chatman | Chicago Sky | 0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| New York Liberty | Bill Laimbeer | Minnesota Timberwolves (assistant) | 4 | 70–66 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Washington Mystics | Mike Thibault | Connecticut Sun | 4 | 64–72 | 3 | 0 | 0 |

### Western Conference

| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years with team | Record with team | Playoff appearances | Finals Appearances | WNBA Championships |
| Dallas Wings | Fred Williams | Atlanta Dream | 3 | 41–61 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Los Angeles Sparks | Brian Agler | Seattle Storm | 2 | 40–28 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Minnesota Lynx | Cheryl Reeve | Detroit Shock (assistant) | 7 | 168–70 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| Phoenix Mercury | Sandy Brondello | Los Angeles Sparks (assistant) | 3 | 65–37 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| San Antonio Stars | Vickie Johnson | San Antonio Stars (assistant) | 0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seattle Storm | Jenny Boucek | Seattle Storm (assistant) | 10 | 26–42 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
* Year with team does not include 2017 season.
* Records are from time at current team and are through the end the 2016 season.
* Playoff appearances are from time at current team only.
* WNBA Finals and Championships do not include time with other teams.
* Coaches shown are the coaches who began the 2017 season as head coach of each team.