# 2013 WNBA season

The 2013 WNBA season was the 17th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. The regular season began on May 24 and conclued on September 15, and playoffs started on September 19 and concluded on October 10. The Minnesota Lynx won their second league championship, defeating the Atlanta Dream three games to none in the 2013 WNBA Finals. The year represented a positive turning point for the long-struggling league. Both attendance and television viewership were up, driven by an influx of talented rookies, multiple teams reported that they were near a break-even point, and at least one franchise announced that it was profitable.

## 2013 WNBA draft

The WNBA Draft lottery was held on September 26, 2012. The lottery teams were the Washington Mystics, Phoenix Mercury, Tulsa Shock and Chicago Sky. The top pick was awarded to Phoenix Mercury. Center Brittney Griner was drafted first overall by the Phoenix Mercury.

## TV and Internet coverage

About 70+ games were aired on ESPN2, ABC and NBA TV. WNBA LiveAccess will offer complement - approximately 190 live games.

## Regular season

The WNBA touted three exciting rookies -- Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury, Elena Delle Donne of the Chicago Sky, and Skylar Diggins of the Tulsa Shock—as "three to see" going into the 2013 season. Griner - a tall, athletic center who had been dominant in college—was seen as such a potential game-changer that many picked the Mercury to win the WNBA championship.
It was Delle Donne, however, who turned out to have the breakout season, leading the Sky to the best record in the Eastern Conference, and their first trip to the playoffs. Griner was hampered by injuries, but her Phoenix team finished third in the West, and made it to the conference finals.
The Minnesota Lynx finished with the best record in the WNBA for the third consecutive season, behind the play of Seimone Augustus, Lindsay Whalen, and Maya Moore.
Joining the Sky in the playoffs were the defending WNBA champion Indiana Fever, who finished fourth after surviving a rash of injuries during the season; the Atlanta Dream, led by league scoring champion Angel McCoughtry; and the Washington Mystics, who were hoping to win their first playoff game since 2004.
The Los Angeles Sparks finished second in the West, behind the play of league MVP Candace Parker. They lost to Phoenix in the conference semifinals. Finally, the Seattle Storm surprised many by earning the final entry into the playoffs, allowing veteran and future hall-of-famer Tina Thompson to retire from a playoff team.

### Standings

| # | Eastern Conference vte | Eastern Conference vte | Eastern Conference vte | Eastern Conference vte | Eastern Conference vte | Eastern Conference vte |
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | z-Chicago Sky | 24 | 10 | .706 | - | 34 |
| 2 | x-Atlanta Dream | 17 | 17 | .500 | 7 | 34 |
| 3 | x-Washington Mystics | 17 | 17 | .500 | 7 | 34 |
| 4 | x-Indiana Fever | 16 | 18 | .471 | 8 | 34 |
| 5 | e-New York Liberty | 11 | 23 | .324 | 13 | 34 |
| 6 | e-Connecticut Sun | 10 | 24 | .294 | 14 | 34 |
| # | Western Conference vte | Western Conference vte | Western Conference vte | Western Conference vte | Western Conference vte | Western Conference vte |
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | z-Minnesota Lynx | 26 | 8 | .765 | - | 34 |
| 2 | x-Los Angeles Sparks | 24 | 10 | .706 | 2 | 34 |
| 3 | x-Phoenix Mercury | 19 | 15 | .559 | 7 | 34 |
| 4 | x-Seattle Storm | 17 | 17 | .500 | 9 | 34 |
| 5 | e-San Antonio Silver Stars | 12 | 22 | .353 | 14 | 34 |
| 6 | e-Tulsa Shock | 11 | 23 | .324 | 15 | 34 |

## Playoffs and Finals

The opening round of the WNBA playoffs saw a rash of road team victories. Only the Minnesota Lynx and Indiana Fever went unbeaten on their home floors. The Chicago Sky, the top overall seed in the East, were swept by the Fever, while the Seattle Storm lost to the top-seeded Lynx in two games. In the Atlanta-Washington series, the road team won the first two games of the series, before Atlanta finally prevailed at home. Finally, in the matchup between the Phoenix Mercury and Los Angeles Sparks, the road teams went 3-0, with Phoenix advancing.
The conference finals were over quickly. Both the Atlanta Dream and Minnesota Lynx swept their opponents, setting up a rematch of the 2011 WNBA Finals. In the Finals, the Lynx once again swept the Dream, becoming the second WNBA team to sweep through the playoffs since the best-of-five finals format was adopted.

## Awards
### Players of the Week

The following players were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week.
| Week | Eastern Conference | Western Conference |
| May 24 – Jun. 2 | Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream) (1/3) | Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks) (1/3) |
| Jun. 3 – Jun. 9 | Ivory Latta (Washington Mystics) (1/2) | Rebekkah Brunson (Minnesota Lynx) (1/1) |
| Jun. 10 – Jun. 16 | Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream) (2/3) | Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury) (1/2) |
| Jun. 17 – Jun. 23 | Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream) (3/3) | Glory Johnson (Tulsa Shock) (1/1) |
| Jun. 24 – Jun. 30 | Elena Delle Donne (Chicago Sky) (1/4) | Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury) (2/2) |
| Jul. 1 – Jul. 7 | Elena Delle Donne (Chicago Sky) (2/4) | Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks) (2/3) |
| Jul. 8 – Jul. 14 | Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky) (1/2) | Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks) (3/3) |
| Jul. 15 – Jul. 21 | Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever) (1/1) | Liz Cambage (Tulsa Shock) (1/2) |
| Jul. 22 – Jul. 28 | Ivory Latta (Washington Mystics) (2/2) | Tina Thompson (Seattle Storm) (1/1) |
| Jul. 29 – Aug. 4 | Tina Charles (Connecticut Sun) (1/1) | Liz Cambage (Tulsa Shock) (2/2) |
| Aug. 5 – Aug. 11 | Elena Delle Donne (Chicago Sky) (3/4) | Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx) (1/2) |
| Aug. 12 – Aug. 18 | Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky) (2/2) | Kristi Toliver (Los Angeles Sparks) (1/1) |
| Aug. 19 – Aug. 25 | Elena Delle Donne (Chicago Sky) (4/4) | Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx) (2/2) |

### Players of the Month

The following players were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month.
| Month | Eastern Conference | Western Conference |
| June | Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream) (1/1) | Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury) (1/1) |
| July | Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky) (1/3) | Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks) (1/1) |
| August | Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky) (2/3) | Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx) (1/2) |
| September | Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky) (3/3) | Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx) (2/2) |

### Rookie of the Month

The following players were named the Rookie of the Month.
| Month | Player |
| June | Elena Delle Donne (Chicago Sky) (1/4) |
| July | Elena Delle Donne (Chicago Sky) (2/4) |
| August | Elena Delle Donne (Chicago Sky) (3/4) |
| September | Elena Delle Donne (Chicago Sky) (4/4) |

### Postseason awards

| Award | Award | Winner | Position | Team | Votes/Statistic |
| Most Valuable Player Award | Most Valuable Player Award | Candace Parker | Forward | Los Angeles Sparks | 10 out of 39 |
| Finals MVP Award | Finals MVP Award | Maya Moore | Forward | Minnesota Lynx | |
| Rookie of the Year Award | Rookie of the Year Award | Elena Delle Donne | Forward | Chicago Sky | Unanimous |
| Most Improved Player Award | Most Improved Player Award | Shavonte Zellous | Guard | Indiana Fever | 30 out of 39 |
| Defensive Player of the Year Award | Defensive Player of the Year Award | Sylvia Fowles | Center | Chicago Sky | 21 out of 29 |
| Sixth Woman of the Year Award | Sixth Woman of the Year Award | Riquna Williams | Guard | Tulsa Shock | 17 out of 39 |
| Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award | Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award | Swin Cash and Tamika Catchings (tie) | Forward Forward | Chicago Sky Indiana Fever | 7 out of 39 |
| Peak Performer: Points | Peak Performer: Points | Angel McCoughtry | Guard/Forward | Atlanta Dream | 21.5 PPG |
| Peak Performer: Rebounds | Peak Performer: Rebounds | Sylvia Fowles | Center | Chicago Sky | 11.5 RPG |
| Peak Performer: Assists | Peak Performer: Assists | Danielle Robinson | Guard | San Antonio Silver Stars | 6.7 APG |
| Coach of the Year Award | Coach of the Year Award | Mike Thibault | Coach | Washington Mystics | 11 of 39 |
| Team | Forward | Forward | Forward/center | Guard | Guard |
| All-WNBA First Team | Maya Moore | Candace Parker | Sylvia Fowles | Diana Taurasi | Lindsay Whalen |
| All-WNBA Second Team | Tamika Catchings | Elena Delle Donne | Tina Charles | Seimone Augustus | Angel McCoughtry |
| All-Defensive First Team | Tamika Catchings | Angel McCoughtry | Sylvia Fowles | Armintie Herrington | Tanisha Wright |
| All-Defensive Second Team | Rebekkah Brunson | Glory Johnson | Erika de Souza | Briann January | Jia Perkins Danielle Robinson |
| All-Rookie Team | Elena Delle Donne | Kelsey Bone | Brittney Griner | Alex Bentley | Skylar Diggins |

## Coaches
### Eastern Conference

* Atlanta Dream: Fred Williams
* Chicago Sky: Pokey Chatman
* Connecticut Sun: Anne Donovan
* Indiana Fever: Lin Dunn
* New York Liberty: Bill Laimbeer
* Washington Mystics: Mike Thibault

### Western Conference

* Los Angeles Sparks: Carol Ross
* Minnesota Lynx: Cheryl Reeve
* Phoenix Mercury: Corey Gaines and Russ Pennell
* San Antonio Silver Stars: Dan Hughes
* Seattle Storm: Brian Agler
* Tulsa Shock: Gary Kloppenburg