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2006 WNBA season

2006 WNBA season
LeagueWomen's National Basketball Association
SportBasketball
DurationMay 20 – September 9, 2006
Number of games34
Number of teams14
Total attendance1,779,366
Average attendance7,476
TV partner(s)ABC, ESPN, NBA TV
2006 WNBA Draft
Top draft pickUnited States Seimone Augustus
Picked byMinnesota Lynx
Regular season
Season MVPUnited States Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles)
Playoffs
Eastern championsDetroit Shock
  Eastern runners-upConnecticut Sun
Western championsSacramento Monarchs
  Western runners-upLos Angeles Sparks
Finals
ChampionsDetroit Shock
  Runners-upSacramento Monarchs
Finals MVPUnited States Deanna Nolan (Detroit)
WNBA seasons

The 2006 WNBA season was the Women's National Basketball Association's tenth season.

The league added one team: the Chicago Sky. The Sky were the first expansion team since 2000 when the Indiana Fever, Miami Sol, Portland Fire, and the Seattle Storm came to the WNBA. A separate expansion draft for the took place on November 16, 2005.[1]

On April 5, the WNBA held their draft. Seimone Augustus of Louisiana State University was the number one overall pick. She was selected by the Minnesota Lynx. Cappie Pondexter of Rutgers University went number two. She was selected by the Phoenix Mercury.

The season started on May 20 with a game between the Sacramento Monarchs and the Phoenix Mercury. The game was televised by ABC. The Monarchs won the game 105–78. On July 12, The All Star Game was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The East All Stars defeated the West All Stars 98–82. Katie Douglas of the Connecticut Sun was named MVP in the game with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists. The 2006 WNBA season concluded on August 13. Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks won the league MVP. Mike Thibault of the Connecticut Sun was named Coach of The Year. Seimone Augustus of the Minnesota Lynx was named Rookie of the Year. The season ended with the Detroit Shock winning their second WNBA Championship.

Regular season

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Standings

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Eastern Conference

Eastern Conference
W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
z - Connecticut Sun 26 8 .765 – 14–3 12–5 15–5
x - Detroit Shock 23 11 .676 3.0 14–3 9–8 14–6
x - Indiana Fever 21 13 .618 5.0 12–5 9–8 12–8
x - Washington Mystics 18 16 .529 8.0 13–4 5–12 12–8
e - New York Liberty 11 23 .324 15.0 7–10 4–13 7–13
e - Charlotte Sting 11 23 .324 15.0 7–10 4–3 6–14
e - Chicago Sky 5 29 .147 21.0 3–14 2–15 4–16

Western Conference

Western Conference W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
Los Angeles Sparks x 25 9 .735 – 15–2 10–7 15–5
Sacramento Monarchs x 21 13 .618 4.0 14–3 7–10 10–10
Houston Comets x 18 16 .529 7.0 12–5 6–11 11–9
Seattle Storm x 18 16 .529 7.0 9–8 9–8 10–10
Phoenix Mercury o 18 16 .529 7.0 10–7 8–9 8–12
San Antonio Silver Stars o 13 21 .382 12.0 6–11 7–10 10–10
Minnesota Lynx o 10 24 .294 15.0 8–9 2–15 6–14

Playoffs

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Main article: 2006 WNBA playoffs
See also: 2006 WNBA Finals

This was the outlook for the 2006 WNBA Playoffs. Teams in italics had home court advantage. Teams in bold advanced to the next round. Numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's original playoffs seeding in their respective conferences. Numbers to the right of each team indicate the number of games the team won in that round.

Conference semifinals
Best-of-3 		Conference finals
Best-of-3 		WNBA Finals
Best-of-5
         
E1 Connecticut 2
E4 Washington 0
E1 Connecticut 1
E2 Detroit 2
E2 Detroit 2
E3 Indiana 0
E2 Detroit 3
W2 Sacramento 2
W1 Los Angeles 2
W4 Seattle 1
W1 Los Angeles 0
W2 Sacramento 2
W2 Sacramento 2
W3 Houston 0
  • Bold – series winner
  • Italic – team with home court advantage

Awards

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Reference:[2]

Individual

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Award Winner Team
Most Valuable Player (MVP) Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks
Finals MVP Deanna Nolan Detroit Shock
Defensive Player of the Year Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
Most Improved Player Erin Buescher Sacramento Monarchs
Peak Performers Scoring Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury
Rebounding Cheryl Ford Detroit Shock
Assists Nikki Teasley Washington Mystics
Rookie of the Year Seimone Augustus Minnesota Lynx
Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award Dawn Staley Houston Comets
Coach of the Year Mike Thibault Connecticut Sun

Team

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Award Player Team
All-WNBA First Team Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks
Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury
Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
Katie Douglas Connecticut Sun
Second Team Cheryl Ford Detroit Shock
Alana Beard Washington Mystics
Taj McWilliams-Franklin Connecticut Sun
Seimone Augustus Minnesota Lynx
Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets
All-Defensive First Team Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks
Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets
Tully Bevilaqua Indiana Fever
Katie Douglas Connecticut Sun
Second Team Alana Beard Washington Mystics
Margo Dydek Connecticut Sun
Deanna Nolan Detroit Shock
Cheryl Ford Detroit Shock
Yolanda Griffith Sacramento Monarchs
All-Rookie Team Seimone Augustus Minnesota Lynx
Cappie Pondexter Phoenix Mercury
Candice Dupree Chicago Sky
Sophia Young San Antonio Silver Stars
Monique Currie Charlotte Sting

Players of the Week

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Week ending Player Team
May 30 Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks
June 5 Seimone Augustus Minnesota Lynx
June 12 Cappie Pondexter Phoenix Mercury
June 19 Lisa Leslie (2) Los Angeles Sparks
June 26 Lisa Leslie (3) Los Angeles Sparks
July 3 Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
July 10 Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury
July 17 Lisa Leslie (4) Los Angeles Sparks
July 24 Taj McWilliams-Franklin Connecticut Sun
July 31 Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
August 7 Taj McWilliams-Franklin (2) Connecticut Sun
August 14 Diana Taurasi (2) Phoenix Mercury

Coaches

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Eastern Conference

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Western Conference

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References

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  1. ^ "Chicago Sky chooses 13 players in expansion draft". Our Sports Central. November 16, 2005. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  2. ^ "2006 WNBA Season Awards - WNBA". www.wnba.com. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
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