2022 WNBA season: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 22:47, 20 July 2022
| 2022 WNBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | May 6 – August 14 |
| Number of games | 36 |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC, ESPN, ESPN2,[1] CBS, CBSSN, NBA TV[2] |
| Top draft pick | Rhyne Howard |
| Picked by | Atlanta Dream |
The 2022 WNBA season is the upcoming 26th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Chicago Sky are the defending champions. Planned changes to the league's schedule included an increase to 36 regular season games for each team, which is the most games ever scheduled in a single WNBA season.[3] A 36-game season was originally scheduled for the 2020 WNBA season, but the plan was scrapped.[4]
The WNBA's second Commissioner's Cup will transpire during the regular season.[5]
This WNBA season also marks the return of an all-series playoffs, which was last used in 2015. The two rounds of single-elimination games, with byes into the second round for the third and fourth seeds and into the semifinals for the top two seeds, were eliminated in favor of a first round consisting of best-of-three series and involving all eight playoff teams. The first-round format also differs from that used in 2015. In the pre-2016 format, best-of-three series were played in a 1–1–1 format, with the higher seed hosting the first game as well as a potential third game. In the new format, first-round series use a 2–1 format, with the higher seed hosting the first two games. Also, the playoffs are not reseeded after the first round. The semifinals and finals remain best-of-five.[6]
In May 2022, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that during this upcoming season, the league would honor the Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner with a “BG42” floor decal in a notable spot on the court of all 12 teams. The Phoenix Mercury center has been detained in Russia since February 2022 after customs officials said they found hashish oil in her luggage at an airport. [7]
2022 WNBA draft
The Washington Mystics won the first pick in the 2022 WNBA draft in the draft lottery. They were followed by the Indiana Fever for second, Atlanta Dream for third, and Los Angeles Sparks for fourth. The Sparks had traded their pick to the Dallas Wings before the lottery,[8] who subsequently sent the pick to the Fever in a trade that helped Dallas secure Teaira McCowan.[9] As part of a three-team trade, Washington and Atlanta swapped lottery picks, resulting in each team receiving 2022's third and first picks respectively.[10] The Fever ended up with four top-10 picks, and seven overall.
Lottery picks
| Pick | Player | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhyne Howard |  United States
|
Atlanta Dream (from Washington)[a] | Kentucky |
| 2 | NaLyssa Smith | United States
|
Indiana Fever | Baylor |
| 3 | Shakira Austin | United States
|
Washington Mystics (from Atlanta)[a] | Ole Miss |
| 4 | Emily Engstler | United States
|
Indiana Fever (from Los Angeles via Dallas)[b][c] | Louisville |
Media coverage
In March 2022, the league announced plans to feature the broadcasts of nine regular season games on ABC, five on ESPN, and ten on ESPN2—totaling 25 games, including the 2022 WNBA All-Star Game. The league also revealed that those same channels will air the entire 2022 postseason, which could consist of as many as 27 games.[1]
The remaining national broadcast schedule was released in April and May 2022—including two regular season games on CBS and 38 on CBS Sports Network, 46 on NBA TV, 16 on Amazon Prime Video, 20 on Facebook Watch, and 12 on Twitter.[2][11] Prime Video will also stream the 2022 WNBA Commissioner's Cup Final.[12]
Transactions
The free agency negotiation period started on January 15, while players could sign to a team as soon as February 1.[3]
Coaching changes
| Off-season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 2021 season | 2022 season | Reference |
| Atlanta Dream | Darius Taylor (interim) | Tanisha Wright | [13] |
| Las Vegas Aces | Bill Laimbeer | Becky Hammon | [14] |
| New York Liberty | Walt Hopkins | Sandy Brondello | [15] |
| Phoenix Mercury | Sandy Brondello | Vanessa Nygaard | [16] |
| Mid-season | |||
| Team | Departing Coach | New Coach | Reference |
| Indiana Fever | Marianne Stanley | Carlos Knox | [17] |
| Los Angeles Sparks | Derek Fisher | Fred Williams | [18] |
Regular season
All-Star Game
July 10, 2022
1:00 p.m. ET |
| Team Wilson 134, Team Stewart 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23-28, 36-11, 33-38, 42-35 | ||
| Pts: Kelsey Plum (30) Rebs: Sylvia Fowles (9) Asts: Courtney Vandersloot (8) |
Pts: Jonquel Jones (29) Rebs: Jonquel Jones (13) Asts: Sue Bird/Skylar Diggins-Smith (6) | |
Standings
| # | W | L | PCT | GB | Conf. | Home | Road | Cup | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x – Las Vegas Aces | 26 | 10 | .722 | – | 15–3 | 13–5 | 13–5 | 9–1 |
| 2 | x – Chicago Sky | 26 | 10 | .722 | – | 15–3 | 14–4 | 12–6 | 9–1 |
| 3 | x – Connecticut Sun | 25 | 11 | .694 | 1.0 | 11–7 | 13–5 | 12–6 | 5–5 |
| 4 | x – Seattle Storm | 22 | 14 | .611 | 4.0 | 10–8 | 13–5 | 9–9 | 6–4 |
| 5 | x – Washington Mystics | 22 | 14 | .611 | 4.0 | 11–7 | 12–6 | 10–8 | 5–5 |
| 6 | x – Dallas Wings | 18 | 18 | .500 | 8.0 | 8–10 | 8–10 | 10–8 | 5–5 |
| 7 | x – New York Liberty | 16 | 20 | .444 | 10.0 | 10–8 | 9–9 | 7–11 | 6–4 |
| 8 | x – Phoenix Mercury | 15 | 21 | .417 | 11.0 | 7–11 | 11–7 | 4–14 | 3–7 |
| 9 | e – Minnesota Lynx | 14 | 22 | .389 | 12.0 | 8–10 | 7–11 | 7–11 | 4–6 |
| 10 | e – Atlanta Dream | 14 | 22 | .389 | 12.0 | 5–13 | 8–10 | 6–12 | 3–7 |
| 11 | e – Los Angeles Sparks | 13 | 23 | .361 | 13.0 | 6–12 | 7–11 | 6–12 | 3–7 |
| 12 | e – Indiana Fever | 5 | 31 | .139 | 21.0 | 2–16 | 3–15 | 2–16 | 2–8 |
Notes
- (#) – League Standing
- x – Clinched playoff berth
- e – Eliminated from playoff contention
- Source: Overall standings and Commissioner's Cup Standings
Schedule
Note: Games highlighted in ██ represent Commissioner’s Cup games.
All times Eastern
Statistical leaders
The following shows the leaders in each statistical category during the 2022 regular season through games played on July 16, 2022.[19][20][21]
| Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Breanna Stewart | Seattle Storm | 21.0 ppg |
| Rebounds per game | Sylvia Fowles | Minnesota Lynx | 10.0 rpg |
| Assists per game | Natasha Cloud | Washington Mystics | 7.2 apg |
| Steals per game | Brittney Sykes | Los Angeles Sparks | 2.1 spg |
| Blocks per game | Ezi Magbegor | Seattle Storm | 2.4 bpg |
| Field goal percentage | Sylvia Fowles | Minnesota Lynx | 63.3% |
| Three point FG percentage | Moriah Jefferson | Minnesota Lynx | 47.4% |
| Free throw percentage | Sabrina Ionescu | New York Liberty | 93.8% |
| Points per game (team) | Las Vegas Aces | 90.7 ppg | |
| Field goal percentage (team) | Chicago Sky | 47.9% | |
Playoffs and Finals
Season award winners
Player of the Week Award
| Date Awarded | Eastern Conference | Western Conference | Reference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Player | Team | ||
| May 16 | Rhyne Howard | Atlanta | A'ja Wilson | Las Vegas | [22] |
| May 23 | Alyssa Thomas | Connecticut | Jackie Young | Las Vegas | [23] |
| May 31 | Kelsey Mitchell | Indiana | A'ja Wilson (2) | Las Vegas | [24] |
| June 6 | Jonquel Jones | Connecticut | Kelsey Plum | Las Vegas | [25] |
| June 13 | Sabrina Ionescu | New York | Breanna Stewart | Seattle | [26] |
| June 21 | Kahleah Copper | Chicago | A'ja Wilson (3) | Las Vegas | [27] |
| June 27 | Courtney Vandersloot | Chicago | Nneka Ogwumike | Los Angeles | [28] |
| July 8 | Sabrina Ionescu (2) | New York | Aerial Powers | Minnesota | [29] |
| July 18 | Elena Delle Donne | Washington | Skylar Diggins-Smith | Phoenix | [30] |
Player of the Month Award
| Month | Eastern Conference | Western Conference | Reference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Player | Team | ||
| May | Alyssa Thomas | Connecticut | A'ja Wilson | Las Vegas | [31] |
| June | Sabrina Ionescu | New York | Breanna Stewart | Seattle | [32] |
| July | |||||
| August | |||||
Rookie of the Month Award
| Month | Player | Team | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| May | Rhyne Howard | Atlanta | [33] |
| June | Rhyne Howard (2) | Atlanta | [34] |
| July | |||
| August |
Coach of the Month Award
| Month | Coach | Team | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| May | Becky Hammon | Las Vegas | [35] |
| June | James Wade | Chicago | [36] |
| July | |||
| August |
Postseason awards
| Award | Winner | Position | Team | Votes/Statistic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player Award | |||||
| Finals MVP Award | |||||
| Rookie of the Year Award | |||||
| Most Improved Player Award | |||||
| Defensive Player of the Year Award | |||||
| Sixth Woman of the Year Award | |||||
| Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award | |||||
| Peak Performer: Points | |||||
| Peak Performer: Rebounds | |||||
| Peak Performer: Assists | |||||
| Coach of the Year Award | |||||
| Basketball Executive of the Year Award | |||||
| Team | Guard | Guard | Forward | Forward | Center |
| All-WNBA First Team | |||||
| All-WNBA Second Team | |||||
| All-Defensive First Team | |||||
| All-Defensive Second Team | |||||
| All-Rookie Team | |||||
Coaches
Eastern Conference
| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years with team | Record with team | Playoff Appearances | Finals Appearances | WNBA Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Dream | Tanisha Wright | Las Vegas Aces (assistant) | 0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chicago Sky | James Wade | UMMC Ekaterinburg (assistant) | 3 | 48–40 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Connecticut Sun | Curt Miller | Los Angeles Sparks (assistant) | 6 | 111–75 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Indiana Fever | Marianne Stanley | Washington Mystics (assistant) | 2 | 12–42 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| New York Liberty | Sandy Brondello | Phoenix Mercury | 0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Washington Mystics | Mike Thibault | Connecticut Sun | 9 | 151–147 | 7 | 2 | 1 |
Western Conference
| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years with team | Record with team | Playoff Appearances | Finals Appearances | WNBA Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Wings | Vickie Johnson | Las Vegas Aces (assistant) | 1 | 14–18 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Las Vegas Aces | Becky Hammon | San Antonio Spurs (assistant) | 0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Los Angeles Sparks | Derek Fisher | New York Knicks | 3 | 49–39 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Minnesota Lynx | Cheryl Reeve | Detroit Shock (assistant) | 12 | 267–127 | 11 | 6 | 4 |
| Phoenix Mercury | Vanessa Nygaard | Las Vegas Aces (assistant) | 0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seattle Storm | Noelle Quinn | Seattle Storm (associate head coach) | 1 | 16–10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
- Year with team does not include 2022 season.
- Records are from time at current team and are through the end of the 2021 regular season.
- Playoff appearances are from time at current team only.
- WNBA Finals and Championships do not include time with other teams.
- Coaches shown are the coaches who began the 2022 season as head coach of each team.
Notes
- ^ a b April 6, 2022: Washington to Atlanta[10]
- Atlanta acquired the #1 Overall Pick in 2022
- Washington acquired the #3 Overall Pick in 2022, the #14 Pick in 2022, and the right to swap picks with Los Angeles in 2023
- ^ March 8, 2022: Dallas to Indiana[9]
- Dallas acquired Teaira McCowan, a 2022 first-round pick, and Chicago's 2023 first-round pick
- Indiana acquired 2022 first-round picks and a 2023 first-round pick
- ^ June 2, 2021: Los Angeles to Dallas[8]
- Los Angeles acquired 2021 first-round and 2022 second-round picks
- Dallas acquired a 2022 first-round pick
References
- ^ a b Voepel, Mechelle (3 March 2022). "ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 to televise 25 regular-season WNBA games, entire postseason". ESPN. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- ^ a b "WNBA Announces 2022 Broadcast and Streaming Schedule for CBS, NBA TV, Prime Video and Facebook Watch". WNBA. April 6, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
- ^ a b Voepel, Mechelle (9 December 2021). "WNBA announces 36-game regular-season schedule for 2022, its longest in 26 seasons". ESPN. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ "2020 WNBA Season to Feature Inaugural Commissioner's Cup, Expanded 36-Game Schedule for Teams and More ABC Games". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
- ^ Costabile, Annie (3 March 2022). "WNBA schedule includes 25 regular-season games broadcast nationally across ABC, ESPN". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- ^ Negley, Cassandra (18 November 2021). "WNBA introduces new playoff format abolishing single-elimination games, top-seeded byes". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ Baer, Jack (5 May 2022). "Mercury unveil Brittney Griner court decal to be used by all 12 WNBA teams". Yahoo. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ a b "Dallas Wings and Los Angeles Sparks Exchange Draft Picks". WNBA. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
- ^ a b "Dallas Wings Acquire Teaira McCowan". WNBA. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ a b "Dream Lands 2022 Number One Overall Draft Pick". WNBA. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ Kria, Nikki (May 4, 2022). "Twitter announces a diverse slate of premium content partnerships at 2022 Digital Content NewFronts". Twitter. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
- ^ Kujawa, Taylor (May 11, 2022). "How to Watch the WNBA 2022". CableTV.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
- ^ Newberry, Paul (12 October 2021). "WNBA veteran Tanisha Wright picked as new Atlanta Dream coach". The Globe and Mail. ESPN. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- ^ Jackson, Wilton (31 December 2021). "Spurs Assistant Becky Hammon Named Aces Coach, General Manager". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- ^ "Sandy Brondello Hired as New York Liberty Coach". Fox Sports. Fox. 7 January 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- ^ Phoenix Mercury (24 January 2022). "Mercury Name Vanessa Nygaard Head Coach". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- ^ Philippou, Alexa (May 25, 2022). "Marianne Stanley out as head coach of Indiana Fever; Carlos Knox named interim coach". ESPN. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
- ^ Jennings, Chantel. "Sparks parting ways with coach Derek Fisher: Source". theathletic.com. The Athletic. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
- ^ "Official Leaders". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
- ^ "Team Stats". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
- ^ "Statistical Minimums". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
- ^ @WNBA (May 16, 2022). "Players of the Week are in! @_ajawilson22 and @howard_rhyne getting the season started right!👏" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @WNBA (May 23, 2022). ".@athomas_25 (Eastern) and @JackieYoung3 (Western) are your #WNBA Players of the Week for Week 2! 🏀 #MoreThan" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @WNBA (May 31, 2022). "Week 3 Players of the Week are in! @Kelz_Hoop (Eastern) earns her first and @_ajawilson22 (Western) earns her second!🏀 #MoreThan" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @WNBA (June 6, 2022). "Is anyone surprised?!🤧 KP & reigning MVP @jus242 are your Western & Eastern Conference WNBA Players of the Week. WELL DESERVED👏" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @WNBA (June 13, 2022). "We had some pretty memorable games from these two this week 🔥 The WNBA Players of the Week are @breannastewart and @sabrina_i20 👏" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @WNBA (June 21, 2022). "Slight work for the former MVP & Finals MVP! @_ajawilson22 earns her third Player of the Week honors, and @kahleahcopper earns her first 👏" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @WNBA (June 27, 2022). "@nnekaogwumike & @Sloot22 are your WNBA Players of the Week 👏" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @WNBA (July 8, 2022). "Players of the Week are in! 🙌 Give it up for @aerial_powers23 and @sabrina_i20 👏" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @WNBA (July 18, 2022). "These two have been BALLING 👏 @SkyDigg4 & @De11eDonne are your #WNBA Players of the Week 🌟" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @WNBA (June 1, 2022). "Safe to say @_ajawilson22 and @athomas_25 have been BALLING. With multiple dominant performances to lead their teams to 🔥 starts, they are taking home @kia WNBA Player of the Month honors. 👏" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @WNBA (July 5, 2022). "These two WENT OFF all June! 👏 @breannastewart & @sabrina_i20 are your Western and Eastern Conference @Kia #WNBA Players of the Month 🤩" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @WNBA (June 1, 2022). "From No. 1 Draft pick to @KIA WNBA Rookie of the Month 🔥 Congrats, @howard_rhyne 👏 #MoreThan" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @WNBA (July 5, 2022). "BACK TO BACK @Kia Rookie of the Month honors for @howard_rhyne 🤩👏" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @WNBA (June 1, 2022). "After leading the @LVAces to a historic 9-1 start and putting up the best 10 game start to a head coaching career in WNBA history, @BeckyHammon is the WNBA Coach of the Month 👏" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @WNBA (July 5, 2022). ".@coachjameswade is your #WNBA Coach of the Month after leading the @chicagosky to a 9-2 record 🤩👏" (Tweet) – via Twitter.