The 2000 WNBA season was the Women's National Basketball Association's fourth season. The 2000 season saw four expansion teams join the league, the Indiana Fever, Miami Sol, Portland Fire, and Seattle Storm. The 2000 WNBA expansion draft took place on December 15, 1999.[1][2] The season ended with the Houston Comets winning their fourth WNBA championship.
| 2000 WNBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | May 29 - August 26, 2000 |
| Games | 32 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Total attendance | 2,322,822 |
| Average attendance | 9,074 |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN, NBC, Lifetime |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | |
| Picked by | Cleveland Rockers |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Los Angeles Sparks |
| Season MVP | |
| Top scorer | |
| Playoffs | |
| Finals champions | Houston Comets |
| Runners-up | New York Liberty |
| Finals MVP | |
Regular season
editStandings
editEastern Conference
| Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Liberty x | 20 | 12 | .625 | 14–7 | – |
| Cleveland Rockers x | 17 | 15 | .531 | 13–8 | 3.0 |
| Orlando Miracle x | 16 | 16 | .500 | 13–8 | 4.0 |
| Washington Mystics x | 14 | 18 | .438 | 13–8 | 6.0 |
| Detroit Shock o | 14 | 18 | .438 | 10–11 | 6.0 |
| Miami Sol o | 13 | 19 | .406 | 9–12 | 7.0 |
| Indiana Fever o | 9 | 23 | .281 | 7–14 | 11.0 |
| Charlotte Sting o | 8 | 24 | .250 | 5–16 | 12.0 |
Western Conference
| Western Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Sparks x | 28 | 4 | .875 | 17–4 | – |
| Houston Comets x | 27 | 5 | .844 | 17–4 | 1.0 |
| Sacramento Monarchs x | 21 | 11 | .656 | 13–8 | 7.0 |
| Phoenix Mercury x | 20 | 12 | .625 | 11–10 | 8.0 |
| Utah Starzz o | 18 | 14 | .563 | 13–8 | 10.0 |
| Minnesota Lynx o | 15 | 17 | .469 | 5–16 | 13.0 |
| Portland Fire o | 10 | 22 | .313 | 4–17 | 18.0 |
| Seattle Storm o | 6 | 26 | .188 | 4–17 | 22.0 |
Note: Teams with an "X" clinched playoff spots.
Playoffs
editThere were 16 teams in the league. For the playoffs, the four teams with the best record in each conference were seeded one to four.
| Conference semifinals Best-of-3 | Conference finals Best-of-3 | WNBA Finals Best-of-3 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Washington | 0 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||
| E2 | Cleveland | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Cleveland | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Orlando | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Houston | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Phoenix | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Los Angeles | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||
| W2 | Houston | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Houston | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Sacramento | 0 | ||||||||||||
- Bold – Series winner
- Italics – Team with home-court advantage
Awards
editReference:[3]
Individual
edit| Award | Winner | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player (MVP) | Sheryl Swoopes | Houston Comets | |
| Finals MVP | Cynthia Cooper | Houston Comets | |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Sheryl Swoopes | Houston Comets | |
| Most Improved Player | Tari Phillips | New York Liberty | |
| Shooting Champions | Field goal percentage | Murriel Page | Washington Mystics |
| Free throw percentage | Jennifer Azzi | Utah Starzz | |
| Rookie of the Year | Betty Lennox | Minnesota Lynx | |
| Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award | Suzie McConnell Serio | Cleveland Rockers | |
| Entrepreneurial Achievement Award | Monica Lamb | Houston Comets | |
| Coach of the Year | Michael Cooper | Los Angeles Sparks | |
Team
edit| Award | Player | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-WNBA | First Team | Sheryl Swoopes | Houston Comets |
| Natalie Williams | Utah Starzz | ||
| Lisa Leslie | Los Angeles Sparks | ||
| Cynthia Cooper | Houston Comets | ||
| Ticha Penicheiro | Sacramento Monarchs | ||
| Second Team | Katie Smith | Minnesota Lynx | |
| Tina Thompson | Houston Comets | ||
| Yolanda Griffith | Sacramento Monarchs | ||
| Teresa Weatherspoon | New York Liberty | ||
| Betty Lennox (tied) | Minnesota Lynx | ||
| Shannon Johnson (tied) | Orlando Miracle | ||
Players of the Week
edit| Week ending | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| June 5 | Brandy Reed | Phoenix Mercury |
| June 12 | Sheryl Swoopes | Houston Comets |
| June 19 | Katie Smith | Minnesota Lynx |
| June 26 | Lisa Leslie | Los Angeles Sparks |
| July 3 | Tari Phillips | New York Liberty |
| July 10 | Lisa Leslie (2) | Los Angeles Sparks |
| July 17 | Natalie Williams | Utah Starzz |
| July 24 | Lisa Leslie (3) | Los Angeles Sparks |
| July 31 | Adrienne Goodson | Utah Starzz |
| August 7 | Yolanda Griffith | Sacramento Monarchs |
Coaches
editReferences
edit- ↑ "W.N.B.A.: EXPANSION DRAFT; Indiana Chooses Guard From L.A." The New York Times. December 16, 1999. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
- ↑ Gustkey, Earl (December 16, 1999). "Sparks Lose Starting Guard in Expansion Draft". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
- ↑ "2000 WNBA Season Awards - WNBA". www.wnba.com. Retrieved May 28, 2025.