WNBA Commissioner's Cup
In-season competition
Current season, competition or edition: 2023 WNBA Commissioner's Cup | |
 | |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2020 |
| Organising body | Women's National Basketball Association |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Continent | North America |
| Most recent champion(s) | New York Liberty (1st title) |
| Most titles | Seattle Storm Las Vegas Aces New York Liberty (1 title) |
The WNBA Commissioner's Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the WNBA Commissioner's Cup Presented By Coinbase, is an in-season competition of the Women's National Basketball Association that begins at the start of the regular season and continues throughout the first half of the season. The final is played between the top teams from the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. A total of 60 regular-season contests involving all 12 teams count toward the Cup standings.[1]
The Commissioner's Cup was originally scheduled to begin in the 2020 WNBA season, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cup was first awarded in the 2021 season.
In October 2021, the WNBA announced that Coinbase had acquired the naming rights to the Cup starting with the 2022 tournament.[2]
Format
The Commissioner's Cup consists of regular-season games, 10 games per team, designated to count toward Cup play. The team from each conference with the top record in designated “Cup games” will then compete for the Commissioner's Cup title and a special prize pool. Cup games are the first home game and first road game each team plays against its five conference rivals.[3] The Cup brings back the Eastern–Western Conference rivalry that WNBA used in its playoff tournament until the 2015 WNBA Playoffs.
The first Commissioner's Cup Final game was held at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.[4]
Prize
The total compensation tops out at $500,000, with the winning team making around $30,000 per player and the game's MVP taking home an additional $5,000. On the losing team's side, players will earn $10,000 each.[5]
The winning team would also receive the Commissioner's Cup Trophy.
History
| Year | Winner | Result | Runner-up | Cup MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Seattle Storm | 79–57[6] | Connecticut Sun | Breanna Stewart |
| 2022 | Las Vegas Aces | 93–83[7] | Chicago Sky | Chelsea Gray |
| 2023 | New York Liberty | 82–63[8] | Las Vegas Aces | Jonquel Jones |
Final appearances
Statistics below refer solely to wins and losses in the final, not to Commissioner's Cup qualifying games.
| Finals | Team | Wins | Losses | Pct. | Years Won | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle Storm | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2021 | |
| 1 | New York Liberty | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2023 | |
| 2 | Las Vegas Aces | 1 | 1 | 0.500 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 1 | Connecticut Sun | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2021 | |
| 1 | Chicago Sky | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2022 |
Cup final records
This table shows a list of records through the history of the Commissioner's Cup final.
| Cup records | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milestone | Player | Team | Date | Information |
| Points, individual | Kelsey Plum | Las Vegas Aces | July 26, 2022 | 24 points |
| Rebounds, individual | A'ja Wilson | Las Vegas Aces | July 26, 2022 | 17 rebounds |
| Assists, individual | Courtney Vandersloot | New York Liberty | August 15, 2023 | 10 assists |
| Steals, individual | Breanna Stewart | Seattle Storm | August 12, 2021 | 4 steals |
| Blocks, individual | A'ja Wilson | Las Vegas Aces | July 26, 2022 | 6 blocks |
| Points, team | N/A | Las Vegas Aces | July 26, 2022 | 93 points vs. Chicago |
| Rebounds, team | N/A | New York Liberty | August 15, 2023 | 49 rebounds vs. Las Vegas |
| Assists, team | N/A | Chicago Sky | July 26, 2022 | 24 assists vs. Las Vegas |
| Steals, team | N/A | Seattle Storm | August 12, 2021 | 14 steals vs. Connecticut |
| Blocks, team | N/A | Las Vegas Aces | July 26, 2022 | 9 blocks vs. Chicago |
| Career wins, coach | Noelle Quinn Becky Hammon Sandy Brondello | Seattle Storm Las Vegas Aces New York Liberty | 2021 2022 2023 | 1 win |
| Margin of victory | N/A | Seattle Storm | August 12, 2021 | 22-point win (79–57) over Connecticut |
| Attendance, one game | N/A | Michelob Ultra Arena Las Vegas Aces (Host City) | August 15, 2023 | 8,967 |
See also
References
- ^ Hansen, Mitchell. "WNBA COMMISSIONER'S CUP: WHAT IT IS, HOW IT WORKS, AND WHAT'S ON THE LINE". winsider.com. WInsider. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
- ^ "Coinbase & WNBA Announce Multiyear Partnership". WNBA.com (Press release). October 19, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
- ^ "2020 WNBA Season to Feature Inaugural Commissioner's Cup, Expanded 36-Game Schedule for Teams and More ABC Games". Wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
- ^ "Mercury, Phoenix Suns Arena to host 1st WNBA Commissioner's Cup". arizonasports.com. Arizona Sports. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
- ^ Powell, Jackie. "What's at Stake in Groundbreaking WNBA Commissioner's Cup?". bleacherreport.com. Bleacher Report. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
- ^ "Connecticut vs. Seattle Boxscore". Wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
- ^ "Las Vegas vs. Chicago Boxscore". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
- ^ "New York Liberty vs. Las Vegas Aces Boxscore". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
External links
- WNBA.com
