2017 WNBA season
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| 2017 WNBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | May 3 – September 17, 2017 |
| Games | 34 |
| Teams | 12 |
| Total attendance | 1,574,078[1] |
| Average attendance | 7,716[1] |
| TV partner(s) | ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, NBA TV |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick |  Kelsey Plum |
| Picked by | San Antonio Stars |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Minnesota Lynx |
| Season MVP | Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota) |
| Top scorer | Brittney Griner (Phoenix) |
| Playoffs | |
| Finals champions | Minnesota Lynx |
| Runners-up | Los Angeles Sparks |
| Finals MVP | Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota) |
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.[2]
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.[3] The former Stars now play as the Las Vegas Aces.[4]
The San Antonio Stars selected Kelsey Plum first in the 2017 WNBA Draft.[5] 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.[6]
- The Minnesota Lynx announced that they would move from Target Center to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul for the 2017 season.[7]
Regular season
Standings
Source:[8]
| # | Eastern Conference | 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 | 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) | Second round Single elimination (Sept. 10) | Semifinals Best-of-5 (Sept. 12 – Sept. 17) | WNBA Finals Best-of-5 (Sept. 24 – Oct. 4) | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | Los Angeles Sparks | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Connecticut Sun | 83 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 79 | 5 | Phoenix Mercury | 88 | 1 | Minnesota Lynx | 3 | ||||||||||
| 8 | Seattle Storm | 69 | 2 | Los Angeles Sparks | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 1 | Minnesota Lynx | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | New York Liberty | 68 | 6 | Washington Mystics | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 6 | Washington Mystics | 86 | 6 | Washington Mystics | 82 | |||||||||||||
| 7 | Dallas Wings | 76 | ||||||||||||||||
Note: Teams re-seeded after second round and semi-finals.
- Bold – Game or series winner
- Italic – Team with home-court advantage
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% |