2014 WNBA season
| 2014 WNBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | May 16 – September 12 |
| Number of games | 34 |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Total attendance | 1,545,890 |
| Average attendance | 7,578 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, NBA TV |
| Top draft pick |  Chiney Ogwumike |
| Picked by | Connecticut Sun |
| Season MVP | Maya Moore Minnesota |
| Eastern champions | Chicago Sky |
| Eastern runners-up | Indiana Fever |
| Western champions | Phoenix Mercury |
| Western runners-up | Minnesota Lynx |
| Finals champions | Phoenix Mercury |
| Runners-up | Chicago Sky |
| Finals MVP | Diana Taurasi (Phoenix) |
The 2014 WNBA season was the 18th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. The season started in May and concluded in September to accommodate the 2014 Women's World Championship.
Notable occurrences
- The New York Liberty returned to the renovated Madison Square Garden after three years of playing at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
- Indiana Fever head coach Lin Dunn announced her retirement on May 8; effective at the end of the season.
TV and Internet coverage
Games aired on ESPN, ESPN2, ABC and NBA TV. The Washington Mystics made history in May 2014 when they debuted Kiswe Mobile's Mystics Live and became the first U.S. professional sports team to stream live games within the venue via a mobile application.[1][2]
2014 WNBA Draft
On December 12, 2013, the 2014 WNBA Draft Lottery took place. The Connecticut Sun, who had a league-worst record of 10-24 last season, won the draft lottery and had the right to pick first in the 2014 draft.[3] In the draft, held on April 14, the Sun made Chiney Ogwumike of Stanford University the top pick.[4]
Regular season
The timing of the 2014 WNBA schedule and the draft were not finalized at its normal timeframe, as the league and players were negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement during the 2013 season.[5] The previous agreement expired during the 2013 WNBA Finals and a new CBA was reached on February 17, 2014.[6]
On February 6, 2014, the 2014 regular season schedule was announced.[7] The regular season schedule began on May 16 and concluded on August 17.
It was announced on January 22 that the 2014 WNBA All-Star Game would take place on July 19 at 3:00 PM EDT in Phoenix, Arizona.[8]
Team standings
- Eastern Conference
| # | Eastern Conference | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP | |
| 1 | y- Atlanta Dream | 19 | 15 | .559 | - | 34 |
| 2 | x- Indiana Fever | 16 | 18 | .471 | 3.0 | 34 |
| 3 | x-Washington Mystics | 16 | 18 | .471 | 3.0 | 34 |
| 4 | x-Chicago Sky | 15 | 19 | .441 | 4.0 | 34 |
| 5 | e-New York Liberty | 15 | 19 | .441 | 4.0 | 34 |
| 6 | e-Connecticut Sun | 13 | 21 | .382 | 6.0 | 34 |
- Western Conference
| # | Western Conference | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP | |
| 1 | y-Phoenix Mercury | 29 | 5 | .853 | - | 34 |
| 2 | x-Minnesota Lynx | 25 | 9 | .735 | 4.0 | 34 |
| 3 | x-San Antonio Stars | 16 | 18 | .471 | 13.0 | 34 |
| 4 | x-Los Angeles Sparks | 16 | 18 | .471 | 13.0 | 34 |
| 5 | e-Tulsa Shock | 12 | 22 | .353 | 17.0 | 34 |
| 6 | e-Seattle Storm | 12 | 22 | .353 | 17.0 | 34 |
Playoffs
Season award winners
Player of the Week award
Player of the Month award
| For games played | Eastern Conference | Western Conference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Player | Team | |
| May 2014 | Elena Delle Donne | Chicago Sky | Maya Moore | Minnesota Lynx |
| June 2014 | Angel McCoughtry | Atlanta Dream | Diana Taurasi | Phoenix Mercury |
| July 2014 | Tina Charles | New York Liberty | Maya Moore | Minnesota Lynx |
| August 2014 | Tamika Catchings | Indiana Fever | Maya Moore | Minnesota Lynx |
Rookie of the Month award
| For games played | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| May 2014 | Chiney Ogwumike | Connecticut Sun |
| June 2014 | Chiney Ogwumike | Connecticut Sun |
| July 2014 | Odyssey Sims | Tulsa Shock |
| August 2014 | Odyssey Sims | Tulsa Shock |
Postseason awards
Coaches
Eastern Conference
- Atlanta Dream: Michael Cooper
- 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 and Penny Toler
- Minnesota Lynx: Cheryl Reeve
- Phoenix Mercury: Sandy Brondello
- San Antonio Silver Stars: Dan Hughes
- Seattle Storm: Jenny Boucek
- Tulsa Shock: Fred Williams
See also
References
- ^ Ourand, John (June 16, 2014). "Mystics streaming live games to mobile app". Sports Business Journal.
- ^ Tanklefsky, David (June 30, 2014). "WNBA Breaks New Ground With Free In-Market Live Streaming". PromaxBDA.
- ^ Bennert, Kate. "2014 Draft Watch: Grand Marshall". www.wnba.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-24. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
- ^ "2014 WNBA Draft Board". WNBA. April 14, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
- ^ Open Thread: WNBA Finals Game 1 and NFL Sunday Night Football at 8:30 PM ET
- ^ "WNBA, WNBPA Reach a New Collective Bargaining Agreement". www.wnba.com.
- ^ "Defending Champ Minnesota Tips Off WNBA's 18th Season as League Releases 2014 Game and Telecast Schedules". www.wnba.com.
- ^ "Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2014 Set for Phoenix". www.wnba.com.