Category Archives: WNBA
WNBA 15th Anniversary: Championships by Team
The Houston Comets Won It Four Times
The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has been around since 1997, that’s 15 completed seasons now. Will it be around another 15?
There’s no doubt the league has had, and continues to have, financial struggles.
Take look at the list of champions below. The Houston Comets, who won the first four titles in a row, have folded. The Detroit Shock, winners of three championships themselves, had to move to Tulsa.
If champions can’t afford to stay in existence or their original city, what is that saying for the state of the league?
Still, three WNBA teams profited last year and the NBA adds support, both morally and in the form of subsidies. The Chicago Sky are a recent expansion team. And many point out that the question of the WNBA’s survival has been around since the beginning without a final answer.
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| 1. | Houston Comets | 4 | 1997-2000 | (defunct) |
| 2. | Detroit Shock | 3 | 2003, 2006, 2008 | (now Tulsa) |
| 3. | Los Angeles Sparks | 2 | 2001, 2002 | |
| 3. | Phoenix Mercury | 2 | 2007, 2009 | |
| 3. | Seattle Storm | 2 | 2004, 2010 | |
| 6. | Sacramento Monarchs | 1 | 2005 | (defunct) |
| 6. | Minnesota Lynx | 1 | 2011 | |
| New York Liberty | 0 | |||
| Atlanta Dream | 0 | |||
| Connecticut Sun | 0 | |||
| Indiana Fever | 0 | |||
| San Antonio Silver Stars | 0 | |||
| Washington Mystics | 0 | |||
| Chicago Sky | 0 | |||
| Charlotte Sting | 0 | (defunct) |
Photo: totalprosports.com
Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Lauren Jackson and WNBA Players with the Most MVPs
Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes and Lauren Jackson Are the WNBA’s Three-Time MVP Winners
It’s basketball MVP season, and word is LeBron James will take home the 2012 NBA MVP for his third.
Tomorrow, when it’s official, Sports List of the Day will run down NBAers with the most MVPs.
So, today, let’s turn our attention to women’s pro basketball.
The WNBA has been around since 1997 and has awarded an MVP each year since.
The Houston Comets‘ Cynthia Cooper won the first two.
Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes, two of the league’s all-time most popular and most-skilled players, have also been around since the WNBA’s inception. They have three MVPs each to their credit and are joined by the Seattle Storm‘s Lauren Jackson, as the three WNBAers with the most awards.
Here is every WNBA MVP winner, ranked by number of awards.
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| 1. | Lauren Jackson | 3 | 2003, 2007, 2010 (Seattle Storm) |
| 1. | Lisa Leslie | 3 | 2001, 2004, 2006 (Los Angeles Sparks) |
| 1. | Sheryl Swoopes | 3 | 2000, 2002, 2005 (Houston Comets) |
| 4. | Cynthia Cooper | 2 | 1997, 1998 (Houston Comets) |
| 5. | Tamika Catchings | 1 | 2011 (Indiana Fever) |
| 5. | Diana Taurasi | 1 | 2009 (Phoenix Mercury) |
| 5. | Candace Parker | 1 | 2008 (Los Angeles Sparks) |
| 5. | Yolanda Griffith | 1 | 1999 (Sacramento Monarchs) |
Photo: espn.com / sherylswoopes.net / sheknows.com
WNBA: Most Points in Women’s Basketball History
Tina Thompson Has the Most Points in WNBA History (For Now...)
Commentary coming up…
Here are the top 20 WNBA scorers of all time.
| 1. | Tina Thompson | 6,751 | 1997-2011 | Houston Comets, L.A. Sparks |
| 2. | Lisa Leslie | 6,263 | 1997-2009 | L.A. Sparks |
| 3. | Katie Smith | 6,015 | 1999-2011 | Minnesota Lynx, Detroit Shock, Washington Mystics, Seattle Storm |
| 4. | Lauren Jackson | 5,915 | 2001-2011 | Seattle Storm |
| 5. | Diana Taurasi | 5,423 | 2004-2011 | Phoenix Mercury |
| 6. | Tamika Catchings | 5,176 | 2002-2011 | Indiana Fever |
| 7. | Becky Hammon | 5,090 | 1999-2011 | N.Y. Liberty, San Antonio Silver Stars |
| 8. | Tangela Smith | 5,011 | 1998-2011 | Sacramento Monarchs, Charlotte Sting, Phoenix Mercury, Indiana Fever |
| 9. | Sheryl Swoopes | 4,875 | 1997-2011 | Houston Comets, Seattle Storm, Tulsa Shock |
| 10. | DeLisha Milton-Jones | 4,863 | 1999-2011 | L.A. Sparks, Washington Mystics |
| 11. | Taj McWilliams-Franklin | 4,737 | 1999-2011 | Orlando Miracle, Connecticut Sun, L.A. Sparks, Washington Mystics, Detroit Shock, N.Y. Liberty, Minnesota Lynx |
| 12. | Chamique Holdsclaw | 4,716 | 1999-2010 | Washington Mystics, L.A. Sparks, Atlanta Dream, San Antonio Silver Stars |
| 13. | Katie Douglas | 4,553 | 2001-2011 | Orlando Miracle, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever |
| 14. | Vickie Johnson | 4,243 | 1997-2009 | N.Y. Liberty, San Antonio Silver Stars |
| 15. | Yolanda Griffith | 4,238 | 1999-2009 | Sacramento Monarchs, Seattle Storm, Indiana Fever |
| 16. | Sue Bird | 4,103 | 2002-2011 | Seattle Storm |
| 17. | Swin Cash | 4,032 | 2002-2011 | Detroit Shock, Seattle Storm |
| 18. | Deanna Nolan | 3,971 | 2001-2009 | Detroit Shock |
| 19. | Nykesha Sales | 3,955 | 1999-2007 | Orlando Miracle, Connecticut Sun |
| 20. | Penny Taylor | 3,863 | 2001-2011 | Cleveland Rockers, Phoenix Mercury |
Photo: bleacherreport.com
