WNBA Commissioner's Cup
Current season, competition or edition: 2021 WNBA season | |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2020 |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Most recent champion(s) | Seattle Storm (1st title) |
| Most titles | Seattle Storm (1 title) |
The WNBA Commissioner's Cup is an in-season competition that began at the start of the regular season and will continue throughout the first half of the season. A Championship Game will be played between the top teams from the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. A total of 60 regular-season contests spread throughout all 12 teams will count towards the Cup standings. [1]
Originally scheduled to begin in the 2020 WNBA Season, but due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the inaugural Commissioner's Cup Season began in the 2021 season.
Format
The new Commissioner’s Cup will consist of designating a portion of regular-season games – 10 games per team – as counting towards Cup play. The team from each conference with the top record in designated “Cup games” will then compete for The Commissioner Cup title and a special prize pool. Cup games will be the first home game and first road game each team plays against its five conference rivals. [2]
The Cup brings back the Eastern vs. Western Conference Rivalry the WNBA used to have in its playoff system. The WNBA stopped doing East vs. West after 20 years.
The 1st Ever Cup Final game was held in Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.[3]
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.[4]
The winning team would also receive the Commissioner's Cup Trophy.
History
| Year | Winner | Result | Runner-up | Finals MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Seattle Storm | 79–57 [5] | Connecticut Sun | Breanna Stewart |
Cup Appearances
Statistics below refer to series wins and losses, not individual game wins and losses.
| Finals | Team | Wins | Losses | Pct. | Years Won | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle Storm | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2021 | |
| 1 | Connecticut Sun | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2021 |
Records
This table shows a list of records through the history of the Commissioner's Cup
| Cup records | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milestone | Player | Team | Date | Information |
| Points, individual | Breanna Stewart | Seattle Storm | August 12, 2021 | 17 points |
| Rebounds, individual | Jonquel Jones | Connecticut Sun | August 12, 2021 | 11 rebounds |
| Assists, individual | Sue Bird | Seattle Storm | August 12, 2021 | 5 assists |
| Steals, individual | Breanna Stewart | Seattle Storm | August 12, 2021 | 4 steals |
| Blocks, individual | Breanna Stewart | Seattle Storm | August 12, 2021 | 3 blocks |
| Points, team | N/A | Seattle Storm | August 12, 2021 | 79 points vs. Connecticut |
| Rebounds, team | N/A | Connecticut Sun | August 12, 2021 | 36 rebounds vs. Seattle |
| Assists, team | N/A | Seattle Storm | August 12, 2021 | 18 assists vs. Connecticut |
| Steals, team | N/A | Seattle Storm | August 12, 2021 | 14 steals vs. Connecticut |
| Blocks, team | N/A | Seattle Storm | August 12, 2021 | 7 blocks vs. Connecticut |
| Career wins, coach | Noelle Quinn | Seattle Storm | 2021 | 1 win |
| Margin of victory | N/A | Seattle Storm | August 12, 2021 | 22-point win (92-59) over Connecticut |
| Attendance, one game | N/A | Footprint Center Phoenix Mercury (Host City) |
August 12, 2021 | 5,006 |
See also
External links
References
- ^ Hansen, Mitchell. "WNBA COMMISSIONER'S CUP: WHAT IT IS, HOW IT WORKS, AND WHAT'S ON THE LINE". winsider.com. WInsider. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ^ "2020 WNBA Season to Feature Inaugural Commissioner's Cup, Expanded 36-Game Schedule for Teams and More ABC Games". Wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ^ "Mercury, Phoenix Suns Arena to host 1st WNBA Commissioner's Cup". arizonasports.com. Arizona Sports. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ^ Powell, Jackie. "What's at Stake in Groundbreaking WNBA Commissioner's Cup?". bleacherreport.com. Bleacher Report. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ^ "Connecticut vs. Seattle Boxscore". Wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved 29 August 2021.