2009 WNBA season
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| 2009 WNBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | June 6 - October 9 |
| Number of games | 34 |
| Number of teams | 13 |
| Average attendance | 7,936 |
| TV partner/s | ABC, ESPN, NBA TV |
| 2009 WNBA Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Angel McCoughtry |
| Picked by | Atlanta Dream |
| Regular season | |
| Playoffs | |
| Finals | |
| WNBA seasons | |
|
2010 → |
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The 2009 WNBA Season is the 13th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. It is the first WNBA season ever without a Houston franchise, the Comets having folded in December 2008.
The regular season began with a televised (ABC) meeting between the defending champion Detroit Shock and the Los Angeles Sparks in Los Angeles, California on June 6. The Connecticut Sun hosted the 9th Annual All-Star Game which was broadcast live on ABC (HD) on July 25.
Contents |
[edit] 2008/2009 WNBA offseason
- The new television deal with ESPN will begin during the 2009 season. For the first time ever, teams will be paid rights fees as part of this deal.
- As of the 2009 season, the maximum roster size per team is reduced from 13 to 11. Any team that falls below nine players able to play due to injury, pregnancy or any other factor outside of the control of the team will, upon request, be granted a roster hardship exception allowing the team to sign an additional player or players so that the team will have nine players able to play in an upcoming game or games. As soon as the injured (or otherwise sidelined) player(s) is able to play, the roster hardship player(s) -- not any other player on the roster -- must be waived.
- On October 23, 2008, Angela Taylor was named general manager of the Washington Mystics.
- On November 6, 2008, Julie Plank was named head coach of the Washington Mystics.
- On November 20, 2008, Bill Laimbeer was signed to a two-year contract extension as the head coach and general manager of the Detroit Shock.
- On December 1, 2008, the Houston Comets ceased basketball operations.
- On January 5, 2009, the free agent signing period began.
- On February 3, 2009, president Donna Orender announced that the 2009 WNBA All-Star Game is in Connecticut, hosted by the Sun.
- On February 5, 2009, Lisa Leslie announced that the 2009 season would be her last in the WNBA.
- On April 28, 2009, Anne Donovan was named assistant coach of the New York Liberty.
- The WNBA announced the addition of the WNBA LiveAccess system on May 13, 2009. This new feature on WNBA.com will provide fans with free access to more than 200 live game webcasts - the league’s most comprehensive offering - throughout the 2009 WNBA season. For the first time, fans around the world will be able to access live game webcasts on individual team web sites. All of the WNBA LiveAccess games will then be archived for on-demand viewing.
- On May 15, 2009, Yolanda Griffith announced that the 2009 season would be her last in the WNBA.
- On May 31, 2009, Vickie Johnson announced that the 2009 season would be her last in the WNBA.
- On June 1, 2009, Donna Orender and David Stern announced that the Phoenix Mercury had signed a corporate deal with LifeLock. This would allow the LifeLock name to be on the team uniforms and the court, among other things. This was the first deal of the type in WNBA or NBA history.
- On June 3, 2009, Minnesota Lynx head coach Don Zierden resigned to take an assistant job with Flip Saunders and the Washington Wizards. Assistant coach Jennifer Gillom was promoted to head coach of the Lynx.
- On June 5, 2009, the Los Angeles Sparks signed a corporate deal with Farmers Insurance. This would allow the Farmers Insurance name to be on the team uniforms and the court, among other things. This was the second deal of the type in WNBA or NBA history (after the Mercury).
[edit] Houston Comets dispersal draft
On December 8, 2008, the Houston Comets dispersal draft was held. Five former Comets players, Latasha Byears, Mwadi Mabika, Hamchetou Maiga-Ba, Michelle Snow and Tina Thompson were free agents and therefore not eligible for this draft. Teams selected based inversely on their 2008 regular season records.
The top picks were:
Six of the thirteen teams making selections waived their picks.
[edit] 2009 WNBA Draft
The WNBA Draft lottery was held on December 9, 2008. The Atlanta Dream received the first overall selection. The Washington Mystics received the number two selection. The Chicago Sky came up with the third overall selection, followed by the Minnesota Lynx at four and the Phoenix Mercury at number five. For the first time in WNBA history, the lottery balls were chosen exactly according to odds.
The 2009 WNBA Draft was held on April 9 in Secaucus, New Jersey. Coverage of the first round was shown on ESPN2 (in HD for the first time ever) at 3:00pm. Second and third round coverage was shown on ESPNU and NBA TV at 4:00pm.
The top draft picks were as follows:
- Angel McCoughtry, Atlanta Dream
- Marissa Coleman, Washington Mystics
- Kristi Toliver, Chicago Sky
- Renee Montgomery, Minnesota Lynx
- DeWanna Bonner, Phoenix Mercury
[edit] Regular season
[edit] Standings
| Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana Fever | 15 | 4 | .789 | 13-2 | - |
| Washington Mystics | 10 | 9 | .526 | 7-6 | 5.0 |
| Connecticut Sun | 10 | 9 | .526 | 6-8 | 5.0 |
| Atlanta Dream | 10 | 10 | .500 | 5-6 | 5.5 |
| Chicago Sky | 10 | 10 | .500 | 8-9 | 5.5 |
| Detroit Shock | 6 | 10 | .375 | 1-8 | 7.5 |
| New York Liberty | 6 | 12 | .333 | 5-6 | 8.5 |
| Western Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix Mercury | 15 | 6 | .714 | 8-5 | - |
| Seattle Storm | 12 | 7 | .632 | 11-3 | 2.0 |
| Minnesota Lynx | 10 | 10 | .500 | 5-7 | 4.5 |
| San Antonio Silver Stars | 8 | 10 | .444 | 4-4 | 5.5 |
| Los Angeles Sparks | 6 | 10 | .375 | 2-5 | 6.5 |
| Sacramento Monarchs | 5 | 16 | .238 | 3-10 | 10.0 |
[edit] All-Star Game
The 2009 WNBA All-Star Game was hosted by the Connecticut Sun on July 25 at Mohegan Sun Arena. Coverage of the game began at 3:30pm on ABC. This marked the second time the Sun had hosted the annual event.
| July 25 3:30 p.m. |
Western Conference 130, Eastern Conference 118 | Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut Attendance: 9,518 Referees: #44 Felicia Grinter, #42 Roy Gulbeyan, #53 Jeff Smith |
ABC (HD) | ||||
| Scoring by quarter: 25-27, 38-33, 36-33, 31-25 | |||||||
| Pts: Swin Cash (22) Rebs: Cappie Pondexter (9) Asts: Sue Bird (10) |
Pts: Sylvia Fowles (17) Rebs: Erika DeSouza (9) Asts: Asjha Jones (6) |
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[edit] Statistic leaders
The following shows the leaders for each statistic during the 2009 regular season. Updated August 1, 2009.
| Category | Player | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Becky Hammon | San Antonio Silver Stars | 20.9 |
| Rebounds per game | Erika DeSouza | Atlanta Dream | 8.6 |
| Assists per game | Sue Bird | Seattle Storm | 5.6 |
| Steals per game | Nicky Anosike | Minnesota Lynx | 2.90 |
| Blocks per game | Lauren Jackson | Seattle Storm | 1.82 |
| Field goal percentage | Crystal Langhorne | Washington Mystics | .580 (83-143) |
| Three point FG percentage | Ebony Hoffman | Indiana Fever | .474 (18-38) |
| Free throw percentage | Nicole Powell | Sacramento Monarchs | .981 (52-53) |
| Points per game | Team Stat | Phoenix Mercury | 92.05 |
| Least points allowed | Team Stat | Seattle Storm | 71.32 |
| Field goal percentage | Team Stat | Phoenix Mercury | .456 |
| Least FG% allowed | Team Stat | Atlanta Dream | .409 |
[edit] Schedule
[edit] Playoffs and Finals
See also: 2009 WNBA Finals
| First Round Best of 3 |
Conference Finals Best of 3 |
WNBA Finals Best of 5 |
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[edit] 2009 WNBA season summary
[edit] Season highlights
- On June 15, 2009, only three games into the Detroit Shock season, seven-year head coach and general manager Bill Laimbeer announces his resignation. Rick Mahorn is promoted to head coach, and Cheryl Reeve takes over GM duties.
- On July 5, 2009, reigning MVP Candace Parker returned to the court for the first time since giving birth only 53 days earlier.
- On July 12, 2009, Sacramento Monarchs general manager John Whisenant announced that head coach Jenny Boucek would be relieved of her duties after a 3-10 start to the season. Whisenant took over the position while maintaining his GM duties.
- On July 31, 2009, New York Liberty general manager Carol Blazejowski announced that Pat Coyle would be fired as the head coach after a 6-11 start to the season. Assistant coach Anne Donovan took over the job on an interim basis.
[edit] End-of-season business report
[edit] Season award winners
[edit] Player of the Week award
| For games played beginning |
Eastern Conference | Western Conference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Player | Team | |
| June 6, 2009 | Candice Dupree | Chicago Sky | Seimone Augustus | Minnesota Lynx |
| June 15, 2009 | Alana Beard | Washington Mystics | Lauren Jackson | Seattle Storm |
| June 22, 2009 | Tamika Catchings | Indiana Fever | Candice Wiggins | Minnesota Lynx |
| June 29, 2009 | Tammy Sutton-Brown | Indiana Fever | Cappie Pondexter | Phoenix Mercury |
| July 6, 2009 | Alana Beard | Washington Mystics | Cappie Pondexter | Phoenix Mercury |
| July 13, 2009 | Shameka Christon | New York Liberty | Cappie Pondexter | Phoenix Mercury |
| July 20, 2009 | Asjha Jones | Connecticut Sun | Sue Bird | Seattle Storm |
| July 27, 2009 | Katie Douglas | Indiana Fever | Becky Hammon | San Antonio Silver Stars |
| August 3, 2009 | ||||
| August 10, 2009 | ||||
| August 17, 2009 | ||||
| August 24, 2009 | ||||
| August 31, 2009 | ||||
| September 7, 2009 | ||||
[edit] Postseason awards
| Award | Winner | Position | Team | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WNBA Finals MVP Award | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | |
| WNBA Most Valuable Player Award | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | |
| WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | |
| WNBA Most Improved Player Award | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | |
| WNBA Peak Performer (Points) | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | |
| WNBA Peak Performer (Rebounds) | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | |
| WNBA Peak Performer (Assists) | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | |
| WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Award | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | |
| WNBA Rookie of the Year Award | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | |
| Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | |
| WNBA Coach of the Year Award | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | |
| Team | Guard | Guard | Forward | Forward | Center |
| All-WNBA First Team | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| All-WNBA Second Team | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| All-Defensive First Team | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| All-Defensive Second Team | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| All-Rookie Team | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] Links
| Preceded by 2008 WNBA season |
WNBA seasons 2009 |
Succeeded by 2010 WNBA season |
| WNBA Seasons | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | |||||||
| 2000s | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| 2009 WNBA season by team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draft • Schedule •All-Star Game • Playoffs • Finals | |||||||
| Eastern | Atlanta Dream | Chicago Sky | Connecticut Sun | Detroit Shock | Indiana Fever | New York Liberty | Washington Mystics |
| Western | Los Angeles Sparks | Minnesota Lynx | Phoenix Mercury | Sacramento Monarchs | San Antonio Silver Stars | Seattle Storm | |
| ← 2008 • WNBA season • 2010 → | |||||||
| Women's National Basketball Association (2009) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | Western Conference | ||||
| Atlanta Dream | Indiana Fever | Los Angeles Sparks | Sacramento Monarchs | ||
| Chicago Sky | New York Liberty | Minnesota Lynx | San Antonio Silver Stars | ||
| Connecticut Sun | Washington Mystics | Phoenix Mercury | Seattle Storm | ||
| Detroit Shock | |||||
| Annual events: Draft · All-Star Game · Playoffs · Finals | |||||
| Other: All-decade team · Arenas · Awards · Career rebounding · Career scoring · Coaches · Current rosters · Defunct teams · Expansion draft history Finals broadcasters · LiveAccess · MVP · NBA · NBA TV · Players · Rookie of the Year · Seasons · WNBA on ESPN |
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